Using Metaphor to Build Community and Positive Climate – Postcard Strengths Activity
This post was originally published in March of 2013. As the school year comes to a close I have been using this technique quite a bit with great success. I am posting this article
Learning Through Play with Playdough Pictionary: Blending Community Building With Academic or Training Content Review
Playdough Pictionary has been one of my favorite "go-to" activities for years. Though I first started using it in team-building programs I have found that it is a great active mult
Activities to Get Them Moving, Talking, Reflecting, and Keep Them Engaged
Recent research from cognitive neuroscientists validates the idea that educators will increase participant attention, motivation, and learning outcomes when they intentionally weav
The Right Ingredients at the Right Time: Sequencing Group Learning Experiences
As with cooking, facilitation is an art that involves a combination of practice, observation, knowledge of theory and creativity. Effective facilitators act as a good chef does, ad
Key Ingredients for Building a Positive Environment and Increasing Engagement
Jennifer Stanchfield's post on the important ingredients for teaching and group facilitation. Techniques for maximizing engagement, reflection and building a positive group or clas
Start Off With Style. Find a Hook!
“The beginning is the most important part of the work”. -Plato Starting Off with Style: The events or activities experienced the first time learners are exposed to information
Another Idea to Get Them Moving and Keep Them Engaged: “Anyone Who”
Research on the brain and learning emphasizes the importance of breaking up lecture and direct instruction with activities that involve learners socially, emotionally and physicall
Engaging Groups in Meaningful Dialogue and Reflection While Practicing Decision-making and Consensus Building.
Engaging Groups in Meaningful Dialogue and Reflection While Practicing Decision-making and Consensus Building. Jen Stanchfield My last few posts have explored the power of p
More on helping students practice decision-making, compromise, and consensus through experiential activities -A funny story:
Last week I mentioned my favorite way to divide a group into teams using a “Which One?” scenario where partners practice compromise/decision-making. After reading the last entr
Strategies for Helping Participants Practice Decision-Making, Compromise & Consensus Continued…A Tried and True Method for Dividing Groups Into Teams
In Monday’s post I mentioned that I had observed a trend of children and adolescents missing out the development of important social & emotional skills because of a lack
The Disappearance of Neighborhood Games. How Do We Help Students Continue to Learn from Play?
In my work with students in a variety of schools and treatment programs I have noticed over recent years that they increasingly seem to struggle with group decision-making. On the
Recipe for Building a Positive Environment for Learning and Group Development
(Excerpt from Tips & Tools: The Art of Experiential Group Facilitation, Wood ‘N’ Barnes Publishing 2007) Group facilitation is like cooking.... When you firs
