Playdough Pictionary

Playdough Pictionary has been one of my favorite “go-to” activities for years. Though I first started using it in team-building programs I found that it is a great active, multi-sensory approach to curricular content review as well as a community and group building activity. The game encourages creativity, consensus building, social interaction, communication, cooperation, appreciation of others, play, and pro-social group work. For teachers this is a playful approach to differentiation, and can be a fun formative assessment.

Directions:

• Divide participants into groups of 5-6 participants using the partner “consensus” method to divide (See April 2010 Post).

• Have each group select a “team name” (practicing consensus/decision-making) possibly using a topic area related to what you are studying in class (a fun way to enable participants to have a sense of ownership by choosing team names within a reasonable structure).

• Each group selects a first sculptor.

• The facilitator either gives participants a word such as bike, ice cream cone, whale, giraffe, etc. to the sculptors. For curricular content review use objects and concepts from a lesson you are teaching such as rock formations, tectonic plate theory, parts of a cell, geography, geometry terms etc.

• In the academic review version, in order to truly differentiate, have students who are feeling confident in their knowledge of the material run the game instead of you.

This has worked beautifully for me in the classroom. My first success using this specifically around academic content occurred when a colleague of mine asked me to come into her Earth Science class to facilitate group building activities. I knew she was also feeling pressure about meeting her content goals so we combined this with a curricular content review. The group was studying rock formations. So, I asked for student volunteers who felt like they had a good knowledge of the rocks formations they had been studying. Three boys readily volunteered to come up with the terms for their classmates and run the game. Their teacher and I watched on the sidelines as they facilitated the game for their peers who were actively engaged throughout. The interesting thing was that the student volunteers were not the usual “hand raisers” in class. Their teacher was pleasantly surprised at their level of knowledge. As she observed, the game became a formative assessment to gauge all of the students readiness for the upcoming quiz. Over the years I have continued to use this in the classroom as a form of differentiated review and formative assessment.

• Give each group a can of play dough. The sculptors then hurry back to their group and sculpt the object.

• Whichever group guesses the word correctly first wins that round.

• Every group has an opportunity to show off their sculpture and receive appreciation from their classmates/group members.

• A new sculptor from each group is chosen and the game continues until each player has a turn to sculpt.

• I regularly have individuals switch teams throughout the game(for example every other turn I’ll ask “anyone who has blue on”, or “anyone with a spring birthday” to go to the team next to them clockwise). This increases the cooperative aspects of the activity and maximizes the movement and social interaction. I don’t keep score, and groups rarely notice as they are caught up in the play itself!

Outcomes Processing Ideas: This is not only a fun way to review academic material but can be an opportunity for participants to get comfortable working with others in groups. It is a wonderful way to get groups thinking about creativity and its importance in solving everyday problems from math, science, to a conflict with a peer. I have found this conversation about creativity can empower people of ages with the knowledge they have it and can use it everyday (See Tips & Tools:The Art of Experiential Group Facilitation).

This game can also be a great opportunity to practice positive social play, addressing healthy competition, and behavioral norms for group play. Participants can practice showing appreciation for other’s work (by applauding for winning team’s sculpture, losing gracefully and learning to appreciate the process of play over winning. I never keep score and most groups don’t even notice).

References:

I adapted this activity from a game listed in Quicksilver by Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler who credited Ann Driscoll of the University of New Hampshire Brown Center. This variation appears in Tips & Tools: The Art of Experiential Group Facilitation.

Rohnke, Karl (1995) Quicksilver. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Stanchfield, Jennifer (2007) Tips and Tools for the Art of Experiential Group Facilitation. OKC, OK: Wood ‘N’ Barnes Publishing Co.

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I am passionate about helping teachers and group facilitators blend information from the new field of “educational neuroscience” and experiential learning principles into their practice. These fields offer important insight into how people learn best helping educators increase participant engagement, buy in, and retention in classrooms, training sessions, team-building programs and therapeutic groups. Current brain research validates the idea 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.

Many educators and group facilitators have a number of great “introduction” activities they regularly use to build rapport at the beginning of a program or school year. In recent posts I have explored how these “ice-breakers” or “group-builders” can be upcycled as active review or reflection activities throughout a program or classroom lesson.

Here are some of my favorites pulled from the “Inspired Educator Archives”:

One of my “tried and true” methods for actively engaging a group in dialogue and reflection about a lesson or experience is Concentric Circles. I was first introduced to this activity many years ago as an ice-breaker facilitated by my friend Hutch Hutchinson (Cain, Cummings, Stanchfield, 2005). I have repurposed it over the years as a reflection and review activity with great outcomes. Concentric Circles works especially well for large groups and in classroom situations.

• In this activity the group is divided in half, and two circles are formed, with the participants facing each other in an inner circle and an outer circle.
• The participants are asked to greet each other and then converse about the topic at hand. You could have very specific questions about the material prepared for the partners to discuss. You might also initiate a less structured conversation inviting participants to share their reactions to, or key takeaways gleaned from your lecture, or in the case of a team-building session, the group’s experience.
• If you are discussing current events you might have the inside circle represent one point of view and the outside circle another.
• Depending on the group, I sometimes incorporate a fun partner cooperative activity such as “finger fencing” or “gotcha” or “one handed, partnered shoe tying” prior to the reflection or review discussion. This brings a little fun into the classroom or boardroom and helps participants create social connections (another brain-friendly method of teaching).
• After completing the partner activity, participants are asked to share their thoughts about the group experience, lecture, lesson, or reading. One teacher I work with started to use it in her language arts class. She had the inside circle take the perspective of one character in a play and the outside circle another, and then asked them to answer questions “in character”. My colleague Marci Charles shared that she used this method to increase inter-department communication in a corporate team-building day. She had the administrative team form the inside circle and the IT team form the outside circle for a reflective discussion on company communication.
• After a few moments, or when … to read more click here.
   
  Another more playful variation of this partner dialogue activity is the “Handshake Mingle”. It has been one of my favorites since learning it as a community building activity 10 years ago from my colleague Aimee Desrosier Cochran. I have successfully adapted it as an engaging reflective activity by adding questions and dialogue to the handshake greetings (Stanchfield, 2007). It has stayed a top go-to in my repertoire because it works with groups of all ages and backgrounds!
   
  Handshake Mingle

   

  This activity is great for introductions, reviewing names, and helping a group become comfortable with each other. It also works as an active processing/reflection activity to start group dialogue on a specific experience or academic topic.

  

  Handshakes could be: high 5 or high 10 partner, low 5 Partner, fist bump fireworks partner, ankle shake partner, or fishing partner, among others. Let participants help you come up with new handshakes. They will likely have a full repertoire! In the U.S. handshake greetings have become part of pop culture.

   

  A variation is to combine the handshakes with “get to know you” questions, with discussion around introductory objects or quotes (see Strong Beginnings post), or later in a group’s experience with reflection or academic review questions.

   

  Directions:

  • First, have everyone find a partner and give each other a high 5. Have participants recognize this person as their high 5 partner
  • Next ask them to find another new partner; this is their “fist bump partner”
  • Have them go and find their High 5 partner, then their fist bump partner, moving amongst the group to find those original partners.
  • Continue this sequence, adding on with new partner activities as appropriate. You will witness laughter, positive interaction and fun. Participants really will remember their partners and their conversations.
  • Some of my favorite handshakes are fishing partners (one is the fisher with reel/rod and the other the fish) and ankle shake partners. I like to have fishing partners share a fishing story with each other. When I use it as a closing activity I might have fishing partners share a key learning they are going to take away from the experience.
  • Have participant’s help you come up with new handshakes, or present their own. I have integrated participant’s creativity with “rock on” partners, “butterfly” partners and “pop a wheelie” partners. Allowing participants to come up with handshakes enhances ownership and involvement.
  • For a deeper introductory activity, or a kinesthetic reflection or review mix get to know you questions or sharing of quotes, or reflective questions into the exercise. For example with your high 5 partner you might state: “A high 5 is a celebratory gesture: share something that has happened at school or work recently that is worth celebrating”.
  • Later on you can use these partners to form groups. As a closing at the end of a class or program have participants go through this sequence and revisit their partners to reflect on their thoughts regarding a lesson. For example, when using this as a closing activity you might have high 5 partners share something from our program that was worth celebrating, or a highpoint for them.

   
  Facilitation Tips:

  • Use handshakes that are appropriate for your group taking into consideration age, space, social atmosphere and setting (but don’t be afraid to experiment!). Have participants make up their own.
  • Even more introverted or “too cool for school” group members “buy in” to this activity. Probably because it starts with familiar and simple greetings like high 5 and low 5, it moves quickly, and everyone is doing the activity at the same time. No one person or pair is in the “spotlight”. Also, individuals can participate at their own pace or comfort level. If they want to opt out of a handshake or adjust it they easily can and still participate.
  • This can be used multiple times with a group. First you might introduce this as a community building/ice breaker. Later on in a group’s time together you could use it to reflect on specific questions/ academic content.
  • Recent research on the brain demonstrates that engaging in appropriate touch such as handshakes is important for social and emotional learning and attention (release of dopamine and increase of brain activity).

   
  Whether you are an adventure educator, a primary or secondary classroom teacher, a college professor, corporate trainer, or counselor, you will find that incorporating movement into your presentations and reflective group discussions will increase participant engagement and potentially help learners better retain and synthesize information from your lessons. Look for more ideas to keep them moving, talking and reflecting in upcoming posts.
   
  References:

   

  Medina, John. (2008). Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home and School. Seattle, WA: Pear Press.

   

  Ratey, John. (2008). Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. New York: Little Brown and Company.

   

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

   

  Stanchfield, Jennifer (2007). Tips & Tools: The Art of Experiential Group Facilitation. OKC, OK: Wood ‘N’ Barnes Publishing

   

  Willis, Judy. (2006). Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.www.radteach.com (Judy Willis’ website)

   

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“A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary” - Thomas Curruthers

Last week I was inspired by discussions with educators and counselors about the philosophy of experiential education and dug into the blog archives with a post on “What is Experiential Education”. Today I am adding to this discussion by revisiting the idea of the “Educator as Guide”.

Educator as Guide(from September 2010 Inspired Educator Blog)

When I work with educators from all backgrounds I often find myself encouraging them to reflect on the idea of a “student centered ” or “participant centered” view of teaching and group facilitation. In this approach an educator/counselor/facilitator thinks of themselves as a “guide” in the process of learning, discovery and group development rather than as an all-knowing teacher and center of knowledge and direction. I have come to embrace this idea in my own work and have found it has really improved my practice.

In the learner centered approach, the educator aims to gradually shift responsibility for the success of the learning experience from him/herself to the participants/students. As learners progress, the teacher or group facilitator fades more and more into the background allowing participants to take more ownership and control over their learning.

As was mentioned in last week’s post, one of the basic tenets of the experiential approach to teaching and group facilitation is allowing people to grow and learn through the process of struggling through problems together. Experiential educators maximize their effectiveness by designing ways to give learners control and responsibility for this process.

Educators sometimes have a hard time allowing learners to labor through difficult group problems. Often, when I engage students in problem solving activities in the classroom the adults in the room are itching to jump in and solve the problems or direct students in the process. When this happens, opportunities for students to gain valuable problem solving skills or take responsibility for the success of the experience can be missed.

With that said, there are times when struggling or laboring through the problem becomes too hard, or even paralyzing for learners. John Dewey referred to this as a “miseducative*” experience (1938). There is a delicate balance between participants learning from struggling through a challenge or problem and being paralyzed by frustration. This balance has to be discovered and maintained with each teaching situation as it arises. This is what makes teaching and group facilitation an “art”.

In the learner centered approach educators are willing to put forward as many questions as answers and allow participants to learn from problems and conflict without jumping in too early to help or give answers. For interesting reading on this subject see Plato’s Theatetus. In this work, Plato uses the metaphor of the teacher as the “midwife” of ideas. He emphasizes that a midwife acts as a guide, coach and supporter. She cannot give birth for the mother-to-be; she can only help and encourage. She intervenes with the process of labor only when she is really needed-if the situation becomes dangerous or too painful.

In educational experiences when participants feel responsible for their learning, they are more empowered to take ownership and be more capable of future learning, growth, and change.

Principles of Student/ Participant Centered Teaching and Group Facilitation

• Create opportunities for learners to take leadership and direction and responsibility for decision making within lessons or group experiences. Remember that the learner is a participant in learning rather than just a receiver of information.
• As participants progress, you can take less of a leadership role allowing participants to take more responsibility and therefore a stronger sense of personal accomplishment for their successes.
• Effective educators initiate learning and let students/participants take it from there.
• Structure appropriate experiences and lessons, but remain flexible, acting as guide and role model.
• Learners should feel fully valued, respected, and supported.
• A sense of choice and control on the part of the learner is essential.
• In group team-building sessions and classroom discussions I have found that both encouraging participants to volunteer rather than calling on them to share and allowing them to “pass” during group discussions is imperative-especially at first. This empowers them with control over their learning and the ability to practice sharing at their own pace. When participants are given the power to pass, or they are able to share with partners or in small groups before engaging in dialogue with the whole group they learn to trust the teacher or group leader and peers before being “put on the spot”. When they are encouraged to share at their own pace those who are quiet at first often end up offering a great deal to the group once they have built that trust.
• Encourage spontaneous learning; participants may take lessons in many different directions. When possible, “go with the flow” and move with the lessons the group is creating.
• Be prepared for unexpected learning opportunities and welcome teachable moments that arise when lessons go differently than planned.
• Be willing to let go of your agenda to meet the needs of the group. I realize this might seem tough in the age of standardized testing, but within the frameworks of standards or within the goals of a program find ways to weave in opportunities for flexibility. You might find that your students or participants discover ways to reach educational goals you hadn’t thought of.
• Be aware that you might have to artfully help them navigate back to the present moment in order to meet the group needs or curricular content.
• Direct questions back to the students or group members. When questions come to you as a teacher or group facilitator try to let participants help each other.
• Try activities that do not involve you as the teacher or facilitator by dividing the group into smaller reflection groups. During processing/reflection discussions the educator or group leader doesn’t have to hear everything said in the group processing discussion for it to be effective. Sometimes learners will share more in smaller groups without a leader present.Trust the learning process!
• Carefully structure your lessons but remain flexible and allow learners to take activities and lessons somewhere different from what you had in mind. Be prepared to learn something new yourself!

*John Dewey used this term to refer to experiences that get in the way of growth or further education. For example, a lesson that is too overwhelming for a student or too frustrating and causes them to dismiss the lesson entirely.

References:

Dewey, John. (1938) Experience and Education. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.

Stanchfield, Jennifer (2007) Tips and Tools for the Art of Experiential Group Facilitation. OKC, OK: Wood ‘N’ Barnes Publishing Co.

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During a number of recent conference and workshop sessions I have taken part in some interesting conversations about the philosophy of experiential education and the relationship between experiential approaches and brain based learning. Here is a post from the Inspired Educator Blog archive from March 2010 that explores the principles of experiential education.
 
What is Experiential Education? How is it relevant to my work as an educator or counselor?

The experiential approach to education and group work is based on the idea that change and growth take place when people are actively (physically, socially, intellectually, emotionally) involved in their learning rather than just being receivers of information. The philosophy of experiential education was promoted by John Dewey, an educator and philosopher in the early 20th century along with others during the progressive movement in education. The progressive movement aimed to move educational practices out of what many thinkers believed had become the narrow and limited realm of modern education.
 
John Dewey felt that “modern education” was ignoring the common sense observation that people learn most when they are actively involved in their learning and find the material relevant and attractive in some way. He emphasized that learners need to feel a sense of control and ownership over learning situations. A tenet of experiential education is that in order for learning to truly occur, students should be provided with opportunities to reflect on their learning experiences so they relate, connect and transfer to real life. This philosophy emphasizes the importance of focusing on the “whole person” in education including one’s physical, emotional and intellectual growth. Learners are encouraged by educators to experiment and think independently.
 
These ideas put forward nearly a century ago are now being supported by studies of the brain and how people learn. In the past few decades, new technologies such as brain imaging have become available, allowing neuroscientists to identify optimal conditions for learning. Many educators call approaches that take advantage of these optimal conditions for learning “brain-based” learning.

Brain-based approaches emphasize many of the same principles of experiential education such as the value of combining physical action and reflection in learning, giving learners choice and control over their learning and creating novel and relevant learning situations. Studies of the brain and learning are showing that physical, emotional and social involvement in learning increases engagement and retention (Sousa, 2005, Willis, 2010).  Like experiential educators, proponents of Brain-based learning stress the importance of creating opportunities for reflection on learning experiences to apply them to future learning, and regular feedback from peers as well as teachers.
 

Principles of Experiential Education

• In experiential education the learner is a participant in their learning rather than just a “receiver” of information.

• Experiential learning or therapy is active: engaging a person emotionally, socially and physically as well as intellectually.
• Learners are actively engaged in solving problems, using creativity, posing questions, interacting with others, experimenting, taking responsibility for themselves and others and finding meaning in their experiences.
• The learner needs to feel intrinsically motivated to learn.
• Students must perceive internal freedom and independence. They need to feel like they have the ability to make choices about their experience, take responsibility in the experience and feel in control of their learning.
• Relevancy is imperative to the learner- lessons and concepts taught must feel relevant and meaningful to the learner. Lessons need to have intrinsic value and relate to real life both in the future and present situation.
• In order to truly learn, participants must have time to reflect on experience. Reflection involves thoughtful time connecting the experience to real life situations. When learners develop reflective skills, they are practicing the skill of insight that will help them in many areas of their lives.
• Experiences should be carefully chosen to meet the needs and differing styles of the learners. This requires creativity, flexibility and intention from the teacher.
• Effective teachers create opportunities for reflection on learning experiences- helping create lasting lessons meaning and relevance. Processing helps the learner transfer these skills to other parts of their life.
• Experiential educators encourage spontaneous learning; students may take lessons in many different directions. Effective teachers “go with the flow” and move with the lessons the group is creating. The educator structures appropriate experiences but they must be flexible, and act as a guide and role model. A teacher initiates learning- the student takes it from there.
• Learners need to feel fully valued, respected and supported.
• An atmosphere of fun helps open doors to learning. Learners can practice communication, cooperation, trust, problem solving and insight in a milieu of fun.
• Educators must sequence lessons so they can be built upon each other. John Dewey stated that one can learn from any and all experiences, but growth through experience must create conditions for future growth.

 
References

Jennifer Stanchfield March 2010 Issue of the Inspired Educator
 
McDermott, J. (1981) The Philosophy of John Dewey. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
 
Stanchfield, Jennifer (2007) Tips & Tools for the Art of Group Facilitation OKC, OK: Wood-n-Barnes Publishing
 
Willis, Judy. (2006). Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD

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

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In my last post I shared highlights from my recent travels to conferences throughout the U.S and Japan. I returned from these trips energized by the co-creative sharing that occurs when passionate educators come together to focus on the art of teaching and group facilitation. During these conferences I worked with some very large groups in rooms where the acoustics were challenging. This created a perfect opportunity to call upon the resources of the group to find ways to effectively share directions and manage transitions. Hence, today’s entry on tips for large group facilitation.

Attention Getters

When facilitating large groups in interactive activities it can be helpful to have some “attention-getters” so that you are not yelling at the group when leading an activity, facilitating a transition from one activity to the next or sharing directions. Many facilitators and teachers use a raised hand, hand signal, or the ubiquitous call and response method “Clap once if you can hear me, clap twice, and clap three times”.

This method can be effective, but I find many of the adult groups and middle schoolers I work with can find it patronizing. It has also been a bit overused in schools and youth programs so you sometimes see older students roll their eyes. Like in many other aspects of facilitation and teaching, mixing up your methods keeps it interesting.

I am continually learning new approaches from the groups I work with. Whenever I facilitate a large group workshop I use one of my favorite attention getters at first and then ask the group to jump in and share the techniques that have been working for them. This becomes a ongoing co-creative conversation throughout the workshop.

Here are a few favorites:

One attention getter I have been using since learning it from a participant in a 2008 AEE workshop is “A Hush Fell Over the Crowd”. The facilitator says, “A hush fell over the crowd”, and the crowd responds with husssshhh. I have been pleasantly surprised to find that the middle school students I work with particularly like this one (I think it is the shhh sound).

Another method, brought to me by a teacher last summer at the Vermont BEST Institute conference, is a simple rhythmic call and response method. She vocalizes a Chi Chi Chi Chi Cha and her group responds with Cha Cha Chi Chi Cha. Last month in my Facilitator’s Toolbox workshop at the Association for Challenge Course Technology conference Marci Charles shared that the youth in her BRIDGES Experiential Learning Center program in Memphis use step dance as a call and response attention grabber. Step Dance is a form of percussive dance popular in urban Memphis in which people use their body as an instrument, producing sounds and rhythms through a mixture of footsteps, hand claps and vocalization. Another participant in the workshop shared that they use humming. The facilitator starts and others join in. I have tried that a few times since and it has worked!

A simple and appealing visual cue that my colleague Katsumi Namba used recently in our workshops in Japan is the sign commonly used for applause by people in the deaf community. The raising of hands with outstretched fingers and twisting hands back and forth in the air.

I have found that using a combination of visual and auditory cues can be helpful to group members. It is best when the group has some ownership in creating the cue they are going to use or that it is socially or culturally relevant in some way such as the step dancing in the Bridges Program.

Please weigh in and share your favorite techniques for grabbing attention and managing transitions with large groups.

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February was an incredible month. It began with travels to Chicago to present at the T.E.A.M (Teachers of Experiential and Adventure Methodology) conference. The next weekend was spent in Boston where I celebrated the 10th anniversary of my Facilitator’s Toolbox byline with pre and post conference sessions at the Association for Challenge Course Technology. This was followed by an amazing trip to Japan to facilitate workshops on experiential learning and reflection tools and techniques. The month ended in Houston with workshops focused on group facilitation for Therapeutic Recreation Specialists at the annual TRAPS conference. In all of these places I had the pleasure of facilitating sessions filled with enthusiastic, committed educators and counselors who are passionate about their work.

The three days I spent facilitating professional development programs at Tamagawa University in Japan are a highlight of not only the month, but of my career. Weeks later I am still feeling energized by the experience and continue to think about the wonderful people I met and places I saw throughout the trip. My hosts from Tamagawa University, Katsumi Namba, Ryoji Fujikashi, and all of the staff from the education department and TAP program were incredibly generous and gracious hosts.

At Tamagawa University I had the opportunity to work with teachers, mental health counselors, adventure educators and college students from all over Japan. The participants in my workshops were some of the most appreciative, playful and thoughtful audiences I have encountered. I felt so warmly welcomed by these enthusiastic educators in search of new tools, strategies and perspectives on experiential learning. Many were very interested in not only gaining new activities and tools but also exploring the philosophical foundations of experiential learning. These discussions, many taking place through an interpreter, re-emphasized for me the power behind the words we use to define our practice as educators.

The workshop days in Japan were my most extensive experiences so far of facilitating alongside an interpreter. The professional interpreter hired for the programs unfortunately came down with the flu, so my colleagues from Tamagawa University jumped in to take on this role throughout the weekend.

This experience of facilitating through an interpreter stimulated reflection upon the words I choose to describe concepts in experiential education. When presenting with an interpreter I obviously had to slow down and think more deliberately about formulating my words to effectively share an idea and concisely make a point(a good exercise for me). I found that it forced me to come up with clear explanatory words for some of the jargon we use in our field.

One example is consciously choosing to use the word reflection or reflective practice in place of the word debriefing. This has been a topic of ongoing reflection and discussion in my workshops over the past year here in the U.S. and in Canada (Reflection or Processing vs. Debriefing Post)and came to the forefront of discussions in my recent workshops in Boston and Chicago as well as Japan.

For me the word reflection is not only easier to translate, I think it better describes what we are trying to do in education. We are working to engage learners in meaningful reflection on their experiences so they can tease out the lessons and apply them to other aspects of their lives. Debriefing implies a one-time report out of what happened in an experience to a superior (a commanding officer) so they can react to the information. In education we want the learner to take ownership of and synthesize the information for themselves and their peers. Reflective dialogue should not be about their “report out” to us as the leader, but rather an interactive discussion to help learners find meaning in their experiences so they can carry the learning forward.

The word “debriefing” in its traditional use in the military and early adventure education programming implies a one time action (usually a question and answer session) led solely by the leader/teacher/facilitator: You facilitate the activity and then you debrief it. You teach the lesson then you debrief it.

Instead of this limited model I like to think of reflection as an ongoing “practice” that we begin with our groups from the moment they walk in the door(or maybe even before with pre-group journaling or questionnaires). Meaningful reflection is something that can be woven throughout the entire experience through a variety of methods including the use of art, movement, objects as well as dialogue(see previous posts for specific examples).

Meaningful reflection can be initiated or guided by the facilitator/teacher but not “led” or “directed” by the facilitator. Instead learners should be engaged in ways they can take ownership of the interpretation and application of learning. Reflection can be intentionally incorporated into the icebreakers we facilitate, it can happen in the middle of lessons or group initiatives as well as after the lesson or activity.  With this type of ongoing practice the group begins to initiate reflective discussions on their own and the facilitator can step into the background. Most importantly, this approach helps participants continue reflective practice long after the experience is over.

Ideally as experiential educators we are trying to help learners become more reflective and insightful every day of their lives not just when they come to our program or into our classroom. By approaching reflection as an ongoing organic practice that we weave into experiences in engaging ways instead of a contrived “follow up” or even a forced “chore” that follows a lesson, we help our participants understand and buy into the process and become more reflective thinkers.

This was just one of many interesting philosophical discussions about experiential learning that I encountered in my month of interactions with educators from diverse backgrounds. In Japan I had interesting discussions about the word “practice” and its many meanings and applications in education as well as dialogue about creating new visual models for describing reflection in experiential education.

In workshops we experimented with some helpful facilitation tips and tools and activity variations. In upcoming posts I will share more about some of these discussions and tips and tools. Please share your thoughts on the power of the words we use as educators and the importance of reflecting on the why behind what we do.

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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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