Empty Chair
An empty chair represents someone absent — students speak to them.
The empty chair creates presence through absence — students feel the weight of who is not in the room.
Instructions
Place an empty chair in the center of the circle. Tell students who is sitting in it — a historical figure, a character from a text, someone affected by the issue you are studying. Students take turns addressing the chair directly — a question, a statement, an accusation, an apology. No one plays the character. The chair stays empty.
Classroom timer
12:00
Best used when
During lessons about injustice, loss, historical atrocity, or moral responsibility.
Variation
Two chairs — two different absent figures. Students must address both and acknowledge the relationship between them.
Time
12 min
Noise
Low
Prep
None
How did it go?
Quick evaluation — helps you find what works again.