Academic Content - Council is an ideal process for supporting students in the discovery of how academic content is relevant to their lived experiences.  It is part of the teacher-council facilitator’s art to develop activities and council prompts that facilitate this discovery.
Acknowledging expressions - These are gestures or very in-obtrusive verbal cues, that provide a way for individual members of the circle to let the person with the talking piece know that what they are expressing, has touched the heart or been understood, at times it is a signal of agreement.  Some groups use a “twinkle” – American Sign Language for applause – signed by holding both hands up, palms out and wiggling fingers.  There are many creative ways groups can come up with their own version. The main thing to keep in mind is that the expression shouldn’t be disruptive, so standing up and jumping up and down as the person is speaking probably wouldn’t be appreciated!
Authentic AND Appropriate – Whether a teacher facilitator or a parent/community participant, it is essential for adults who sit in council circles with children have a clear understanding of how to be authentic and appropriate in both their sharing and their witnessing.  It is important for these adults to have an understanding of: the developmental level and cultural background of the children they are sitting with, the cultural environment in the classroom, and their own cultural self-awareness.
Basic Council - The talking piece goes around the circle, clockwise; ideal for assuring that everyone who wants to may speak; good for opening and closing group processes, and for assessing the group “mind.”  May be used for an “open” council or one focused on a particular theme.
Center - The place in the council circle where all participants meet. It is also the place where, metaphorically speaking, the focus of our shared mission/vision resides.  For example, when a school faculty meets in council, the students are at the center. Sometimes it is marked with a centerpiece or a simple object; sometimes it is not
Centerpiece – The centerpiece provides a visual arrangement of objects that may be used as talking pieces or to make dedications.
Check-in – An opening round in which council participants are invited to share what’s on their minds.  The material from this round may provide the topic or theme for subsequent rounds.
Check-out  - A closing round in which council participants are invited to share any closing comments, questions or to simply state what is staying with them from the session.
Council -  A formal dialogue practice that promotes relationship (connection) among participants and fosters the discovery of relevance (meaning) between academic content or abstract ideas and lived experience.
Closing Council – An activity or process for marking the end of council.
Conflict exploration – Council is an excellent process to use for exploring conflict.  In council we recognize that “resolution” may not be the outcome, the focus is on understanding and witnessing different perspectives on a particular issue.
Container – The primary role of the council facilitator is to create a safe environment or container for participants to share their stories.
Dedication – One way to initiate or open council is by making dedications.  These are statements that participants make about ideas, people, animals, or events that they would like to honor by “bringing them into council.”  Usually, a dedication is made by ringing a bell, or dropping a pebble into a bowl of water after the statement is made.
Dyadic - Two people sit in council and pass the piece between them, working on an issue, exploring a vision, exploring a conflict, etc.  One or two Witnesses may be present and offer their comments and perspectives, either during or at the end of the process as pre-arranged.  If working in a group, as during relationship intensives, Witness Seat/s may be left open for people to enter intermittently.
Fishbowl - Two or more seats form a center circle. The talking piece is used in this center circle; people are chosen or choose to be in the seats; outer circle people are witnesses.  The talking piece moves among inner circle only, until witness comments at the end; good for “hot” issues and encouraging team/group feedback.
Leader – The leader or facilitator of a classroom or school council is not necessarily the teacher or administrator, it may be a student or community member.  And leadership can shift from session to session, and can be held by one or two individuals.   
Leader’s piece – Sometimes called a “process intervention piece.”  This is a talking piece that the council facilitator keeps nearby and uses sparingly to clarify the prompt, remind participants of the intentions, to note the time, to make “course corrections,” etc.
Listening Presence – This is what all council participants, including the leader and “witnesses” provide to each other in a council. 
Mandated Reporting – The legal responsibility that all school personnel maintain regarding reporting suspected child abuse is the same in council as in any school setting.
Mentor – Council in Schools provides mentoring to individual teachers for integrating council into their classroom practice and to School Council Leadership Committees for creating a sustainable council program on their campus.  Mentoring is seen as a mutual endeavor - educators and CIS consultants mentor each other.
Mysteries – When council was introduced at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, 1982, it was in response to students’ expressed need to have forum to explore the big questions or “mysteries” in their lives.  The program was named the “Mysteries” program.
Opening Council – An activity or process for marking the beginning of council to separate it from the rest of the day or week.
Prompt – A well-formed council prompt is one that elicits story (as opposed to opinion), all participants relate to and are able to speak to, and doesn’t require additional “cueing.”  See article “Forming Council Prompts”
Read the field – To lead and carry Council is to become skilled at “reading the field,” determining the needs of the council, and holding an awareness of the group during and between sessions.
Response Council – A good form of council for problem solving or when feedback is desired. 
a.  The person holding the talking piece may empower brief dialogue with other people, short answers to questions, improvisational moments, etc., all without shuttling the talking piece back and forth.
b.  If there is time and space, a person might choose to do more extensive work or exploration by holding the talking piece and asking for input or response from as many people as desired (i.e. from one person to the entire circle.) NOTE: in order to keep the responses brief and in the spirit of council, there may be a second talking piece used in web form for the respondents to use.
Ritual – The word ritual may carry a religious connotation, but in the classroom there are many rituals for establishing classroom culture and procedures.  Each ongoing council group can establish its own set of rituals.
Social-Emotional Learning - In a broad sense, simply practicing council, whatever the activity or prompt, automatically facilitates the development the five social emotional competencies as identified by the Collaborative for Academic and Social Emotional Learning: Self-awareness; Self-management; Social awareness; Relationship skills; Responsible decision-making.  Some council topics may specifically focus on one or more of these competencies.
Speed Round – A warm-up round, usually requiring just a word or phrase, designed to percolate story ideas and encourage participation.  Often it is a good idea to go around several times with a speed round as participants warm up. 
Spiral Council - Two or more seats in center circle; volunteers flow from outer circle into center seats and back again; one “turn” involves both speaking and listening; center seat-taker listens to the person following him before returning to the outer circle; ideal for developing “spirit of inquiry” within a group, and also for conflict exploration/resolution.
Talking piece - natural objects, stuffed animals or other meaningful objects that students share to be placed in the center of council and used to identify the speaker.  
Turning into the skid - When circumstances or a sudden eruption of suppressed issues, feelings, or problems takes over and derails the planned agenda, go with it.  Do not deny or pretend that this isn’t happening, which is often our instinctive response.  Instead, embrace the disruption and lead the group toward the learning or opportunity hiding within the chaos.  This is known as “turning into the skid”--paradoxically, the best way to avoid an accident when a vehicle seems to be skidding out of control.
Warm-up Round – Similar to a speed round, a warm up round is designed to help participants warm up to a topic by simply speaking briefly to a topic without going into a full story.  After a few warm-up rounds, the council facilitator may wish to invite participants to pick one of the names or ideas mentioned and tell a story. 
Web Council - The talking piece is in the middle; speaker picks up the piece when moved to do so, returning it to the center after talking, and so on.  This is the council form of dialog or multilog; good for discovering themes, weaving images, developing the group story, or going deeply into specific issues.
Witness - Witnessing develops empathy, an emotional skill, and paraphrase/conceptualization, an academic skill. 
Witness round - The simple directions are, “When the talking piece comes, say one thing you remember that another person shared,” or “Share what stayed with you from what others have said.” or “Share what you heard, not what you thought about it, or what it reminded you of.”