These first weeks of January mark the return to work for many educators, students, community program and school staff. Whether you are an educator or business professional, January brings the beginning of the year, a new school term, the start of new programs, and for many, a tradition of making resolutions, goals, and personal commitments for change.

Over the past week as I facilitate groups who are just returning to work or school after the holiday break, I have been taking advantage of this “opportunity mindset” to start the New Year off on the right foot. I have adapted some of my favorite reflective activities for learners to explore personal attitudes, goals, and commitments and offer reminders to carry their resolutions forward.

In past posts, I emphasized the value of using a novel activity to draw participants in, create interest, and help them transition into to the meeting or classroom space. This is especially important after a long break when students or group member’s minds have been focused outside of work or school, and many are ambivalent about returning to school or to the office.

Many of the transitional activities that I have shared in previous posts can be given a New Year’s or goal setting specific theme. One of my favorite methods is to create a collection of quotes printed on nice cardstock focused on themes of the New Year, new beginnings, goals and opportunity. I display the quotes on a table as participants enter the room and have them choose the one that resonates with them.

Depending on the group you could then have participants share their quote with a partner, journal about the quote and why they chose it, or share it with the whole group. Most importantly, invite them to keep their quote as a personal reminder of their reflections on the opportunity the New Year brings. (See previous posts on Strong Beginnings for more examples of using quotes in facilitation).

Some New Year’s Quotes:

The past can’t see you, but the future is listening.  ~Terri Guillemets

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new find you a better man. ~Benjamin Franklin

Hope is patience with the lamp lit.  ~Tertullian

Another activity for reflecting on New Year’s resolutions and goals is to use an “upcycled” computer keyboard key collection as a reflective prompt (Thanks to Andy La Pointe ).  This past week I used them with middle school students at my local school and continued to be impressed with the buy in around this activity, and student’s ability to make a connection between their key and a personal goal or resolution. A group of 6th graders chose keys such as the window key “because I need to look more deeply into situations and people before making a quick judgment” or the @ key “because I need to focus on where I am AT i.e. when I am math class focus on math instead of sneaking peeks at my phone or when I am in homework club getting homework DONE instead of goofing off so I can actually have fun after school”.  See the April 30th post for more on this activity.

My favorite reflective method for carrying learning forward and creating a tangible reminder of a key learning, goal, or commitment is to have participants choose a postcard from the various metaphoric images in my “Pick a Postcard” collection that represents a personal strength or goal and then write a note to their future self.

In a post last June I shared a success story of using this postcard reminder activity to help students transition from middle to high school by first identifying a postcard image that represents their personal strengths and then participating in a reflective exercise to explore the key lessons they wanted to carry forward from middle school and personal goal or commitment to their 9th grade self. Students self addressed the cards, which their teacher and I sent to them in the fall.

I have continued to use this activity with many adult groups with great success. At some point during a workshop or training I often have participants choose a postcard that represents a personal strength, a strength they bring to their teaching, or to their work team. In group building situations instead of having them share their reasons for choosing their card to the group I have their colleagues or peers guess why they chose the card and how it represents their strengths. With this method the participant gets to hear some positive insights, complements and feedback from their peers (something many people don’t get enough of in their school or work lives).

As a closing activity I have them write a personal commitment for the future about how they will use their strength, or how they will apply the lessons from our workshop to the future. During this time of year I encourage them to write a personal goal or resolution. I then send them the cards at a future date as a reminder of their personal strength, learning experience and/or personal goal. This is an adaptation of “Fan Mail” from Reflective Learning: Theory and Practice by Deb Sugerman, Kathryn Doherty, Daniel Garvey and Michael Gass 2000: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company).

This time of year is ripe with the opportunity to initiate meaningful reflective conversations with your groups, help learners create lasting lessons from experience and make resolutions and goals a reality in their day-to-day lives. I encourage you to think about how some of your some of your favorite reflective tools and techniques can be adapted to help group members create tangible reminders of their learning and goals. Please share your thoughts or ideas.

Best wishes for a strong start to 2012!

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My last two posts have focused on the importance of practicing what many of us “preach” to our students and clients- the art of reflection. Taking time for self-reflection is key to developing your skills and improving your effectiveness and personal satisfaction in your work as an educator/counselor/ trainer.

Wednesday’s post offered questions that you might use to reflect upon your day to day work with students or clients to improve outcomes and better communicate the effectiveness of your programs.

It also important to take time to reflect on the “bigger picture” of your practice as an educator including your personal and professional goals, accomplishments and next steps. This kind of self-reflection not only helps you improve your work, it can also make it more meaningful and rewarding. Reflection on why you do what you do and the successes and opportunities that have arisen along the way helps increase your focus and sense of purpose.

Many of us in the education field had time over the past weeks of break for some reflection and planning. The last week of the year is traditionally a time to reflect on the successes and challenges of the past year and the goals and opportunities arising from the start of the new. Too often the plans and goals set during this time get lost with the return to the demands of the day-to-day bustle that January brings.

The key is to make regular time for this practice-even if it is just a short time each day or a longer period each week. For me, the early morning hours, when the house is quiet, before the phone starts to ring or before I have to think about my first appointment is the ideal time. I have found the clarity and focus I can achieve during the solitude of this time of day is well worth getting out of bed earlier.

Regardless of the time of day that works best for you take a stab at carving out a regular quiet time to reflect on questions and prompts such as:

• Why do you do what do? What drew you to your work as an educator? Why do you keep doing it?
• What brings you joy in your work?
• Think of a personal success or achievement you have made over the past year, the past week, or the past month. What made this a success? How did you do it?
• Identify a professional success or achievement you have made over the past year, the past week or the past month. What made this a success? How did you do it?
• What is a “success story” with a student that you would share with a friend or colleague? What does success mean to you? To your students or clients?
• How do you describe the purpose of your work?
• Reflect on a strength you bring to your work. How do you “maintain” or capitalize on that strength?
• When are you most effective in your practice of facilitation or teaching? What are the components of a great day of teaching or training?
• What is personal challenge for you right now?
• What is a professional challenge for you right now?
• What have you done to face these challenges? What will you continue to do?
• What will you do differently in the next month? Who can you call upon for support if you need it?
• What is lasting lesson from your experiences as an educator this month? What will you need to continually remind yourself of?
• How can you share your learning with someone else?
• What professional development opportunities do you want or need to seek out in the near future? How and when will you do it?
• Who can you collaborate with to improve your work and your enjoyment of work?
• What is a commitment you will make to yourself this week? This month?

Consciously carving out time in your schedule to reflect on your professional practice including your reflection on student’s growth, successes and needs, the effectiveness of the methods and strategies you use, as well as your own strengths, needs and goals helps you make better decisions. Self-reflection and communication with other educators about your work helps you develop a clearer  purpose, meaning and fulfillment in your practice as an educator.

Hopefully some of the ideas offered in the last three posts will inspire you to take the time to take a breath, find a peaceful place, a moment of stillness, and become a more reflective practitioner.

Please share your thoughts on this subject or additional questions and strategies for the self-reflective educator.

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Last week’s post “Embracing the Quiet and Taking Time to Reflect” focused on the importance of prioritizing time for self reflection to improve your practice as an teacher, trainer, counselor or group facilitator. Taking the time to reflect on our professional practice helps us find meaning in our work, develops insight into what strategies or approaches are most effective and help us use what we learn each day from our clients or students to improve our work in the future.

Though we know the importance of reflective practice many of us find that daily reflection and record keeping can be a great challenge with all the demands of the present. Often we engage only in record keeping that is “required” for administrative needs rather than meaningful reflection that will improve our practice.

There are simple ways to start or improve your self-reflective practice. Experiment and make it meaningful and useful for you. Practitioner reflection could take the form of an electronic or handwritten journal, a daily lesson or training report, a scrapbook/sketchbook, a space on your lesson planning sheet or calendar for notes, and/ or regular check ins and report outs with a co-teacher or colleague.

Keeping an ongoing electronic “program log” of the activities and notes from my workshops or team building sessions with notes on successes, variations and program outcomes has helped me better plan for the next and better understand what activities work best and when. It has also been useful when the educators and trainers I work with want follow up resources and notes.

I regularly work with teachers and students in my local middle school to integrate experiential methods into academic lessons. The ongoing logbook of lesson plans and outcomes I keep for myself and the teachers I work with has helped us in planning what’s next, improving upon lessons, initiating creative inspiration for new activities, and identifying opportunities for collaboration.

These records have also helped us see the progress of our students over time and share the value of these experiences to administrators, parents, other educators and community members.  I alternate between handwritten and electronic versions of my notes and include pictures, quotes from group members, group generated lists drawings and other artifacts. Some educators simply keep electronic notes regularly throughout their day on their phone or tablet.

Regardless of how you keep records, the most important thing is to make reflection a regular habit and to record not only what happened but what did it mean and how will the information improve your work.

Here are some questions reflective educators might ask about their practice:

• What was the goal of the lesson or experience? Was that goal met? How?

• What activities did you plan and which ones did you actually facilitate with the group? Why were the changes made?

• Were there some new adaptations or adjustments to the lesson that should be repeated again?

• How did the group progress through the activities/material? Was there enough time? What were some participant reactions to or reflections on the experience?

• Did you learn something new about the activity? Was there a lesson for you as an educator?

• What did you learn from your students? What did you learn about yourself?

• Was there an important moment or outcome that should be shared with a program administrator or other interested party?

• Are there photos, testimonials, quotes, journal statements or other documentation of the experience and outcomes that should be saved or shared?

• What would you do differently in the future?

• What will you do to follow up the next time the group or class meets?

Find a system of regular reflective practice that works for you. Consciously carving out time in your schedule to reflect, plan and record experiences is worth the effort. You will find that when you regularly reflect on your work and its meaning, methods and outcomes, you will continually improve your practice by looking more deeply into the WHY behind what you do.

Please join in the conversation and share your thoughts on the subject of practitioner self-reflection, suggestions for improving self-reflective practice or reflective questions to add to the list.

Look for my next post on personal reflection and planning to improve your practice.

Happy New Year!

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Here in Vermont December is the darkest and quietest time of the year. The days are short but the long evenings are beautifully lit with the peaceful ambiance of candles, holiday lights and snow.  The shorter days bring me into the house earlier. There is more time to sit in front of the fire and appreciate the moment. I cherish the stillness of December mornings. Even the snow muffles the sounds of traffic.

Most of nature is resting this time of year. This is a great opportunity to take a cue from Mother Nature and take advantage of the silence and peace of this time to recharge, plan and reflect.

During this last week of the year when many organizations and schools are closed those of us in the education field have an interlude from the hustle and bustle of the regular workday. It is easier to “unplug” as there aren’t as many emails or phone calls to return.  It is often the time I catch up on notes from workshops or items on the “to-do” list that have been hanging there for a while. The tranquility of this time and the awareness of the coming New Year offer the opportunity to reflect on what we have accomplished during the year and all that we are thankful for. I always look forward to taking the time to think about the “blank slate” of the upcoming calendar and the opportunities for a fresh start the New Year brings.

As I sit this morning enjoying the solitude of a December dawn it makes me realize how important it is to create these kind of quiet reflective times all year round. Those of us in the education field spend so much focusing our energy outwardly. We spend our days performing, planning, preparing, meeting, teaching and implementing.  Many of us work in fast paced environments and spend a lot of time rushing from one place to the next, or working with one group coming into our classroom after the next. Often when one program or class ends we move onto the next without much time spent on reflection about successes or lessons we could be taking away to improve our practice.

Those of us who espouse the philosophy of experiential education understand the importance of reflection as the key to moving learning forward and creating lasting and meaningful lessons.  We seek out new tools and ideas to facilitate reflective practice with our students or groups, but how often do we practice what we preach and take time for self-reflection?

Taking the time to reflect on our practice as educators helps us find meaning in our work, develops insight into what strategies or approaches are most effective and help us use what we learn each day from our clients or students to improve in the future.

Reflective practice is an important part of documenting and communicating the value of your program or course offerings. Ongoing gathering of data such as quotes, student work and testimonials can help you “tell the story” of your program or class and monitor progress and successes along the way. Having an ongoing record of lesson plans and activity sequences can be very useful in planning future programs or lessons. Some of our best tools and strategies are developed “on the fly” in those moments of spontaneous creativity that occur when a lesson plan goes awry, or we adapt the use of materials or rules of a game and create something new or better. If we don’t have an systematic way to capture these teachable moments they could be lost.

Daily record keeping and reflective practice can be a challenge with all the demands of the present. There are simple ways to start making it habit. Practitioner reflection could take the form of a journal, a daily lesson or training report, a space on your lesson planning sheet or calendar for notes, an activity log, or regular check ins and report outs with a co-teacher or colleague. Experiment and make it meaningful and useful for you.

As experiential educators know, good reflective practice is more than a record of what happened. Meaningful reflection delves into What did it mean? and How will it improve my practice?

Look for my next post for a continuation on the subject of practitioner self-reflection and “questions for the reflective educator”.

Enjoy the quiet of this special time of year.

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In my August post I compared the art of group facilitation and teaching to cooking and promised more articles on the key ingredients that make group work and learning successful.

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, adding together the important elements in the right amounts at the right time to create a palatable and hopefully meaningful experience. Through careful observation of all of these elements involved in a group’s personality and setting, they intentionally choose and order activities or “ingredients” in order to maximize learning opportunities.

Many educators call this important aspect of facilitation and teaching “sequencing”.
Sequencing involves consciously and thoughtfully presenting activities in a specific order to maximize learning outcomes and maintain the emotional and physical safety of the group. Being thoughtful, observant and intentional in your planning, presentation and evaluation of activities is one of the essential aspects of effective group facilitation teaching, and team building.

There is no one specific “recipe” for sequencing activities or lessons that fits every group. In cooking there is a lot of room for creativity, style and adaptation but there are key rules and fundamental ingredients needed in order for a cake to rise or a sauce to thicken. The same is true for the facilitation of group learning experiences. Approach sequencing as a dynamic process that takes into careful consideration the personality and dynamics of the group, your strengths and style as an educator, participant’s emotional and physical safety, the group’s goals and agenda, available activities and materials, allotted time, and the physical environment.

In cooking the timing and ordering of ingredients is key to the success of many dishes. Ingredients often need to be added in a certain amount, a specific order and cooked for just the right duration for best results. Good facilitators are in tune to the importance of activity choices, and the ordering and timing of experiences. Effective facilitators pay attention to the group development process, and allow time for trust building. It is important to balance the level of the activity and or challenge presented and the participant’s ability to meet the challenge or activity. Leaders need to continually observe their group in order to be sure the activities they select fit the needs and goals of the group and the specific situation.

The time needed for participants to create relationships and build trust is different for every group. When interpersonal connections and sense of community is developed groups will take learning further and get more benefit out of the activities they engage in. Allow time for this happen by choosing activities that build upon each other.

When sequencing learning experiences be sensitive to the time of day and the physical comfort and attention span of group members. Being flexible as a facilitator in dealing with the unexpected is key. Listen to your group and be prepared to change your plan midstream in order to adapt to the ever changing needs of the group and to take advantage of new opportunities for learning that emerge as a group works together.

Careful sequencing maximizes participation by allowing people to engage at a pace that works for them. Experiential group work can be very powerful. If groups are ready to engage in the process great things can occur. Conversely, if a group is not emotionally or physically ready to encounter certain “learning adventures” the experience could be damaging or inhibit growth and learning. An effective educator approaches activities with intention, thoughtfulness, and flexibility—continuously evaluating their group and refining their plan as they need to.

Sequencing Suggestions

• Be ready with a continuum of activities. It is important to have a repertoire of activities that build upon each other. Having activities in your “back pocket” allows you to be ready to deal with changes in direction and learning opportunities that arise in an ever-changing group.
• Be flexible enough to throw out or let go of that well developed plan if the group needs are different than expected.
• “Indicator” activities are helpful. Know some activities that help you read and evaluate the group and introduce challenges incrementally. For example, over the years I have facilitated many challenge/ropes course programs. These involve physical touch and responsibility on the part of the participants to manage “spotting” each other. Before going on to the course and teaching safety systems I facilitate a series of partnered tag activities that involve moving around in a small space, appropriate physical contact, and the need for be aware of those around them. This introduces the idea of appropriate touch and close personal space important to the spotting techniques the group will be learning. It also helps me evaluate whether the group is engaged and ready to take the responsibility of balancing fun with safe focused behavior.
• Let participants know what is expected of them and the type of activities they will be participating in. Informed consent is critical. Let participants/students know what is expected of them and the type of activities in which they will be participating.  Informing the group about the upcoming activities doesn’t have to give away the novelty of your approach.  Think about informed consent as empowering participants with needed information.  If reluctant students make a choice not to participate, they will at least know what opportunities they might be missing.
• Continually observe your group and re-evaluate your plans in order to be sure the activities fit the needs and goals of the group and the specific situation.
• Be sensitive to the time of day and physical environment when presenting activities
• Take time to build relationships and trust between group members
• Be prepared for the unexpected
• Take advantage of teachable moments. Ongoing processing or reflection is key to moving learning forward. Reflective practice is best when it is a dynamic ongoing part of your lessons, not just something you facilitate as a follow up (see previous posts for processing ideas)
• Choose activities that build upon each other
• Be willing to let go of your agenda to meet the needs of the group

Recognize that each group is unique.  Every group has a different personality and participates in activities in a different way.  Even when working with groups with similar characteristics, in the same setting, with the same program goals, I have found that the actual lesson plan changes with each different group in response to that group’s particular personality and needs.  Activities you carefully plan prior to a workshop or group session may be specifically relevant for one group’s personality and needs and not another’s.  This is one of the exciting aspects of group facilitation.

There is great variety in group experience and varying opportunities facilitate learning. With experience, facilitators develop the art of reading their group and adjusting activities in a creative way throughout group process to move learning and change forward. This is the beauty of experiential education, nurturing spontaneity of experience to take advantage of teachable moments. The art is in balancing this spontaneity and creativity with the key ingredients and timing to make it all come together successfully.

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Today I am returning to the blog after a few weeks offline due to Tropical Storm Irene.

Our little village of South Newfane, Vermont and many neighboring towns were hit hard by flooding during Irene. Some of our neighbors lost their homes. Power, phone and Internet were gone for many days and our roads are still being rebuilt. Though the damage to homes and infrastructure and the sorry state of our rivers and roads is hard to take, we are very thankful to be part of such a wonderful community and proud to be living in Vermont.  This kind of event often forces people to reflect on what is truly important in life and neighbors find themselves serving their community in ways they didn’t have “time” for before and relying on those around them. The moments of reflection and of neighbor helping neighbor have been as impressive and uplifting as the storm was devastating.

I experienced one of these positive moments during a “back to school” team-building session with students at Twin Valley Middle School (TVMS) in Whitingham, VT.  I was scheduled to “kick-off” the school year with community building activities the first week of school. When Irene wreaked havoc on our community, school started a week late. When I arrived to work with students after the delayed start it seemed important to reflect on the flood, and the unusual start to the year along with the excitement, anticipation and stress that comes as a normal part of the beginning of middle school. I engaged students in a reflective activity called “Graffiti Wall” that I learned from Kasey Errico an educator who attended my workshop at the Association for Experiential Education conference last spring.

I taped large lengths of butcher paper on the walls. As students entered the classroom I had them choose their favorite color marker. I set up the activity by asking them to imagine that they are graffiti artists and that this is their can of spray paint.  They have been given permission by a store owner to decorate the wall with graffiti to describe their experiences, thoughts, reflections, questions regarding the flood, what it has been like starting school amidst the recovery, the late start to the school year and what it is like to be an 8th grader.  I asked them to use artwork or words and explained that like a real wall of graffiti others can add to or comment on their artwork or musings. I encouraged them to do this silently (probably an unrealistic challenge for middle schoolers, but something that has been helpful when I have facilitated this activity with older groups).

The activity jumpstarted a meaningful reflective discussion. A few students lost their homes and family businesses and many parents are out of work due to the businesses in Wilmington, VT being destroyed by this record flood. One student who lives downtown shared that she had been keeping a list of all the items that floated by her house.

What emerged from the discussion following the graffiti activity was the increased sense of compassion and understanding students have gained through the flood experience. EVERY 8th grade student shared an example of service they had offered the community during the crisis including babysitting at the red cross center so that their parents could help clean out homes and businesses, working at the food bank, shoveling mud from basements, or sheltering neighbors in their homes.

Since Kasey introduced me to this activity last spring I have used the graffiti activity a number of times with positive outcomes. I like the blend of self-reflection and group collaboration. Often people will more readily express their thoughts through artwork than verbal means. It is non-intimidating to those who don’t consider themselves “artists” because they can blend words and images. Group members can choose their level of participation and learn as much from contributing as they do from observing other’s posts. The graffiti becomes an “artifact” of the group’s thoughts and experiences and can jumpstart meaningful dialogue and reflection.

In past posts I have encouraged educators to think of reflective practice as an ongoing part of their programs rather than something that happens at the end as a “debrief”. This is a great example of a reflection activity that can be used at the beginning, middle or end of a group experience.

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In past articles I have compared group facilitation and teaching to cooking in the sense that successful educators vary ingredients all the time to keep things interesting or to “spice up” their teaching/group facilitation. In doing so they always keep in mind the key components that make it happen. There is a lot of room for creativity, style and adaptation in cooking but there are key rules and fundamental ingredients needed in order for a cake to rise or a sauce to thicken.

Over the past few months I have been inspired by my experiences facilitating workshops with educators from all over the US and Canada who are committed to enriching the lives of the youth and adults they work with. As I reflect on the feedback from participants in these workshops there were common “ah ha” moments or key learnings that participants took away from these group experiences. These all had to do with the importance of taking time to build a strong foundation of understanding, empathy and trust within groups, empowering learners with choice and control, thoughtfully sequencing activities to maximize learning outcomes and the importance of reflective practice; all key ingredients in recipes for group success. In the next few posts I will share articles on these topics.

Here are some of the “key” ingredients or techniques educators should consider as they build a strong foundation for learning within groups and classrooms:

The experience starts the moment a group enters the room (or even before).

Create a “Hook” to engage participants as they walk in the door. The first few minutes of a class or group session can be a great opportunity to draw learners into a positive learning experience and increase engagement. This can be a way to welcome group members or students into the classroom or meeting space and focus their attention on the tasks at hand. It can help learners transition from the experiences at home, on the commute, or in the hallway that impact learning so that they can be fully present in the learning space. Research on the brain and learning is demonstrating that the first moments of a learning experience are a key opportunity to increase engagement and retention (for more on this subject check out the series on engagement in March and April’s Inspired Educator blog posts).

Start off with style!

Introductory activities set the tone for a program and future group interaction. Think carefully about using appropriate beginning activities that build rapport and trust in incremental ways. Take time for this process. When people are given an opportunity to interact and share with each other step by step they gain comfort with the group process and build the capacity to go more in depth later on.

Make thoughtful choices, beware of the “ice-breaker”.

When choosing “ice breakers” or introductory activities find those that build rapport, camaraderie, connections, shared understanding, commonalities and goals in an enjoyable and non-threatening way. Often icebreakers can do the opposite of what was intended when people are put “on the spot” too early in the group process. When people are asked to perform a task like memorizing names or speaking/standing in front of the whole group before they have built comfort and basic trust they actually might “check out”, become embarrassed, and/or form negative associations with the experience. Try beginning with partnered sharing activities. This gives participants an opportunity to warm up by interacting with just one or two others at a time before sharing with the larger group. Thoughtfully sequence activities to build the capacity of trust and sharing over time.

Choice and control are essential.

People learn best when they perceive a sense of control, they have choice and ownership over their learning experiences. Think about creating opportunities that build this sense of choice and control for participants or students from the very beginning of the program or school year. Empowering learners to set reasonable parameters around their participation creates an atmosphere of healthy trust and will actually increase involvement from reluctant participants. In experiential group work, facilitators often aim to create change by pushing comfort zones and challenging learners. People do learn from challenges, but there can be a fine line between a challenge that helps move learning forward and what the educational philosopher John Dewey (one of the earliest proponents of the philosophy of experiential education) would call a miseducative or potentially damaging experience.

Create opportunities for students/participants to make choices within an experience. Consider techniques such as:

• adding rules to an icebreaker that allow the “it” person a way out or an option to participate at their own pace
• inviting participants to volunteer rather than calling on them to share
• allowing participants to pass during group discussion

This will help participants experience what John Dewey called “perceived internal freedom” and help them buy into the group process.

Creating situations that allow introverted group members some kind of out or aid gives them an opportunity to participate fully and warm up to the group process. They learn to trust that you won’t put them in a situation that is embarrassing or puts them on the spot before they are ready. This technique used during a warm-up game can pay off later in the group process.

By building trust in this way, group members start to share and engage at their own pace and become more willing to push their comfort zones later on when it really matters.

It is important for groups to learn and honor names.

Knowing and using each others names in a respectful way builds trust and positive communication establishing a supportive group environment. A person’s name is very important to them and should be honored with correct pronunciation and proper use. Presenting a series of activities that help participants use and practice names can be very helpful to establishing a strong foundation of trust and understanding. I like to weave name activities and practice into introductory activities in a “natural” way starting with simple partner greetings and sharing before engaging participants in a whole group name activity. I try to avoid contrived name activities that put people in the “on the spot” too early in group process or require them to feel under pressure to memorize. In upcoming posts I will share some of my favorite methods for introducing and reinforcing names in a palatable way.

Establish and reflect on healthy group norms.

Help group members create an environment where they feel responsible for themselves and each other and are willing to speak up when there is a breakdown in communication or an issue that affects the safety or potential experience of the group. It is ideal when the group takes that responsibility rather than the facilitator or teacher. Group norms are the behaviors that exist in every group, good or bad. It can be helpful for groups to formalize agreements about acceptable behaviors to improve their ability to work together. In my experience it helps to not do this on the first day or hour of class or group but rather after they have spent some time together so they get to know about their group dynamics and what they will be encountering together. Norms should be reflected upon and revisited throughout the year or program. (There can still be leader imposed ground rules or expectations put forward on day one, but participants should be increasingly involved in defining group norms as they move forward and encounter challenging situations together as a group).

Reflect and “check in”.

Intentionally making time for the group to reflect, and “check in” with each other is integral to group process, so that experiences can be built upon one another and related to real life and future learning.

Reflection brings learning to life. The educational philosopher John Dewey (1933) who is known as one of the forefathers of experiential education believed that in order to truly learn from experience there must be time for reflection. Reflection creates relevancy and meaning in an experience and helps learners make connections between their educational experiences and real life situations. The practice of reflection itself is one of the most useful human skills in that it develops insight, one of the hardest important tools to teach and learn.

Regular “check-ins” create a forum or opportunity for participants to share what is working, what they need from each other, and for celebrating successes along the way. Reflective practice is best when it is a dynamic ongoing part of your lessons, not just something facilitated at the end of an experience or as a follow up.

Take time up front to build your group.

It takes time to sequence and build healthy trust between participants and teacher/leaders. Time and experience together can build comfort enhancing meaningful group sharing of thoughts, ideas and feelings. This builds the foundation that will allow you to engage learners in more challenging activities, fosters more responsibility and control over their learning and increases their ability to move learning forward. You will find that time spent from the beginning of your program or school year building relationships, ownership and reflective skills pays off later in many ways!

Like any good good cook, remember to experiment and blend your own personality, creativity and style with the chemistry of the group into the recipes for positive group experiences. Mix it up and add a little spice here and there, just don’t forget those key ingredients that hold it all together and help make the full flavor of the group come experience through.

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The past few days have marked the end of the school year for a number of programs I work with here in New England. Over the last week I have worked with 5th graders “stepping up” to 6th grade, 8th graders “moving up” to high school, graduating seniors on their way to adulthood and teachers moving into retirement. It is an exciting time worth celebrating, and a great opportunity for making the most of these transitions and creating connections to enhance future learning by reflecting on lessons learned, accomplishments and goals for the future.

In the next few posts I will share some of my favorite reflective activities used for this transition. These activities help learners celebrate their accomplishments, clarify their goals and move learning forward.

Commitment for the Future:

Last week Amanda Dixon, an 8th grade Language Arts teacher and I were brainstorming an activity to “tie it all together” during my last visit to her classroom. We decided to have students send a postcard to their future selves.

At the beginning of the year we used my postcard collection to have students identify a personal strength and write about that strength using figurative language. They then shared their postcard and some of their writing to the class.

During my last day in her classroom we decided to pull the cards out again and invite students to each pick that card that represented their personal strengths. We asked them to think about a lesson they learned during this past school year that will be important to remind themselves of in September when they reach high school. We asked students to write a note addressed to themself that included this lesson and a commitment for the future on their card.  We met with students individually to talk about their lessons learned and personal commitment as a sort of exit interview for the year. We promised to send the cards in early September as they start their 9th grade year.

Topics ranged from handing work in on time, learning to control anger, not waiting to the last minute, asking for help when needed, to not rush through work, to trust their instincts, and to be more understanding of differences in their peers.

Quotes:

“This year I have learned not to take in everything at once. I should take things one step at a time”.

“My commitment to myself is to be myself and not change for others”.

“The commitment I have made is to work harder towards school because I don’t really work hard for school right now. In high school it is going to be even more important to try.”

“My commitment is to be a better listener. This is important because when I get overwhelmed I start talking more than listening which can annoy others- it makes for a stressful day.”

“This year I’ve learned that being popular, and just being yourself are two different things. My hope for next year is to try my hardest and to just be friendly”.

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This time of year many summer recreation and camp programs are gearing up to begin the season. These programs offer great opportunities for youth to develop important social and emotional skills through a myriad of activities. Though many of these programs offer great structured activities led by adults, it is important to allow some opportunities for free play without a great deal of intervention from adults—situations where youth can practice the important social and emotional skills gained through making decisions, learning how to compromise with each other and resolve conflict.

Students often depend on teachers and other adults to pick teams for games, decide who should go first, or who should be it. These are decisions that to read more click here

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My last two posts have focused on methods for positively influencing learning outcomes with groups through strong beginnings. I shared some of my favorite activities for starting off with style and creating a “hook” to engage participants from the moment they walk through the door including the use of postcards, objects and quotes.

These methods can also be used later on in a program as reflective or closing activities to tie it all together. Using these activities for the dual purpose of introductions and reflection is a “brain-friendly” teaching technique. Research on the brain and learning shows that learners remember most about the first few minutes of a learning experience, and secondly the last few minutes of a learning experience i.e. the primacy-recency effect (Sousa, 2005, Willis, 2010).

Here is another engaging activity that works well for both purposes. One of my favorite aspects of this facilitation tool is that it is free, involves recycling, and is easily found in most offices and schools.

Computer Keyboard Keys

Last year my friend Andy La Pointe, Career Development Specialist and Challenge course facilitator at You Inc. a Therapeutic Youth program in Massachusetts shared that he had been inspired after one of our workshops on processing/reflection tools. When he walked by a stack of keyboards in the recycle bin it sparked an idea.

When I arrived at his site for another workshop he handed me a bag filled with the pieces of the keyboard that he had recycled stating, “I bet these would be interesting to try with a group”.

We tried them that day with his colleagues. After engaging in a problem-solving activity we asked group members to choose a key that represented their role in the process. I was impressed with the conversation the keys initiated and the connections group members made to various keys. It can be surprising where conversations can go with such a simple tool.

Since that time I have used them as an introductory or transitional activity as well as a processing tool. On the first Monday in January as middle students I was working with entered the classroom after holiday break I asked them each to pick a keyboard key that represented their new years resolution. I was amazed at how the keys were used by students to represent their hopes and goals.

Some examples included:

 ”I chose the escape key because I know I need to make some better choices about who I have been hanging around with- or at least sitting next to in class- at times I need to “escape” from my friends and distractions so I can get my work done and not get into trouble”.

” I chose the home key because I would like to try and get along with my stepbrother better”.

 ”I chose the question mark key because I know I need to ask more questions and get help during homework club time so I can improve my grades.”

A teacher who attended a recent workshop where we used the keyboard keys reported back a few weeks later that she had success in using this activity with colleagues and students at her alternative school. She stated:

“I really liked the keyboard activity you shared with us in our workshop last month. I’ve used it at the end of some team-building work with students and asking the question “What was the hardest part about your work today” and at a staff training using the question “how would you describe your teaching style”.

I will be teaching a demo lesson on Thursday, and would like to use the activity to open class rather than to close it. I see it as a good icebreaker since the kids have never met me before. The lesson is on (Microsoft) Excel and how it relates to a technology education project (truss bridges) they have been working on. The main point I would like to convey is that Excel will make their lives easier by simplifying the math involved. I’ve thought of asking the question “which key describes how you feel about math” or “describes you as a math student”.

Sandi Lindgren who is a social worker with an organization called I Support YOUth! recently shared her experience with this activity:

“I used the keyboard keys yesterday and the group loved it!  I was speaking to a senior class of social workers at a local college about research/surveys (sharing examples from my dissertation) and then about how to find your dream job as a social worker.”

“I used the keys in the beginning as an introduction. I asked them to choose a key that best represents where they currently are in this class’ research process. The professor was delighted with the on-point honest sharing that occurred. I was then able to reference their examples later on in the session. Examples included: The space key for taking a break and not really doing much with homework. The S key for stress. The tab key for taking a break (the old soft drink tab). The group also later pointed out that the tab key moves one forward.”

“The professor picked the command/apple key, sharing that as a teacher (apple) he’s delighted with the learning and processing and he also has to ‘command’ by telling students what to do. The page down key was chosen by someone who feels their process is really slow right now. The caps lock key was chosen by another student who is so stressed they feel like everyone is talking to them in all CAPS WHICH IS YELLING ON THE SCREEN (that was great).”

Recently I picked up keyboards from both Macintosh and PC desktops and laptops. I have been mixing them together when I use them in groups. This led to some interesting and humorous conversations about learning and personality styles.

As with many tools that I have experimented with having no clear picture as to how it would work there have been many pleasant surprises. I encourage you to take a new look at your recycle bin and see what you might come up with!

References:

Sousa, David. (2006). How the Brain Learns. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Willis, Judy. (2006). Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

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