It has now been three weeks since my in-person workshops with educators, facilitators, and students came to a screeching halt because of the Coronavirus crisis. Since then, I, like most of you, have been navigating the balance between focusing on keeping my family and community...
A Multipurpose Activity for Community Building, Reflection, Review, Data Gathering, Peer Teaching, and Formative Assessment In past posts, I’ve explored the idea of re-purposing icebreakers/rapport builders for exploring academic or training content, or as an active way to engage a group in reflection and dialogue. Team...
Over the years, this article has been one of my most popular blog posts. I originally shared the "Full Plate Time Management" lesson example in my Inspired Educator, Inspired Learner book, and in a 2014 blog post. Since that time, numerous readers have shared that...
Over the last year I've received many messages and posts from workshop participants from Austin to Kalamazoo, with photos of boxes of keys and captions of "You were right! My hardware store had a whole box to give me!" For decades I have been collecting vintage...
It’s that time again! Schools and Colleges are back in session or gearing up for the first day. Fall programs and trainings are kicking off. For those of you looking for strategies to build rapport, a sense of community and increase engagement here is a...
This bestowal of name and identity is a kind of symbolic contract between society and the individual. The name differentiates the child from others; thus, society will be able to treat and deal with the child as someone with needs and feelings different from those...
Successful facilitators and educators consciously think about their style and continually develop it in a variety of intentional ways, including reflection, feedback, continued education, and experimentation. As new facilitators, we often emulate the educators and leaders who positively impacted or inspired us. As we mature...
We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything, than when we are at play. ~ Charles. E. Schaefer, pioneer in the field of play therapy Never underestimate the power of play in learning! Play is a serious subject. There...
An icebreaker is meant to build a foundation of respect, rapport, trust, and a willingness to share that is essential to a productive and supportive learning community. Often icebreakers do the opposite of what was intended, placing individuals in awkward situations too early in the...
Excerpt from the Inspired Educator Blog Archives: Back in 2011 I shared this activity here as a favorite strategy for harnessing the power of play to teach, review, and reinforce academic or training content. It has continued to be a favorite active review and even reflection...
The teachers, corporate trainers, high school advisors and other educators that I work with are constantly trying to create a balance of learning in their classes and groups. The challenge is to stretch their time to include building a strong learning community, facilitating reflection, and...
Excerpt from Tips & Tools for the Art of Experiential Group Facilitation, Second Edition: There is great power when learners create symbols, music, words or performance to represent feelings and experiences. The very essence of art is expressing oneself. Throughout history, humans have used artistic expression...
Current brain research supports the experiential education philosophy that educators will increase attention, motivation, and learning outcomes when they weave in opportunities to get learners away from their desks or boardroom tables and move, interact, discuss, and reflect with their peers (Willis, 2015). The default...
Excerpt from Tips & Tools for the Art of Experiential Group Facilitation. Since the beginning of civilization, humans have expressed themselves through symbols. Symbols, images, and objects help people communicate their thoughts and create meaning from experiences. They spark emotions and help people understand and communicate...
There’s all the difference in the world between having something to say, and having to say something. —John Dewey My March of 2013 blog post “The Language We Use in Facilitation: Reflection Vs. Debriefing” explored the importance of the language we use in facilitation. At the time...
Think back to your most memorable learning experiences— the courses, team-building programs, or classes you enjoyed and the facilitators or educators you found most impactful. How did they start their classes or workshop sessions? How did they begin the program? How did they greet you...
The Postcard to Your Future Self is one of my favorite reflective activities because it encourages learners to reflect on their strengths, celebrates their accomplishments, and clarify their goals, the postcard gives them a tangible reminder of their learning experience for the future. I regularly...
From the Blog Archives, June 2016: During this time of year, I find myself facilitating many staff team-building retreats for community organizations. In my work with schools, the focus is on celebrating the end of the year and goal setting for the next. For other...