“The beginning is the most important part of the work”. -Plato   Starting Off with Style: Research on the brain and learning is demonstrating that the events or activities experienced the first time learners are exposed to information greatly impact their ability to retain the information. John Medina, author of Brain Rules states: “If you [...]

If you are reading this post, chances are you believe it is important to find ways to actively engage learners in your classroom, boardroom or group counseling setting.  However, when we have a lot of material to cover in our lesson plans or agendas some of us might find ourselves forgetting just how important movement [...]

The Disappearance of Neighborhood Games of Kick-the Can, Part Two: Strategies for Helping Participants of All Ages Learn Through Play.   In Monday’s post I mentioned that I had observed a trend of children and adolescents missing out the development of important social & emotional skills because of a lack of time for “free play” [...]

Experiential Approaches to Building a Classroom Community: Highlights from Jen Stanchfield’s Winter Workshops for Educators at the Southeast Vermont Learning Collaborative. This winter SVLC hosted two days of workshops for teachers and school counselors focused on experiential strategies for building a positive classroom environment and active approaches to differentiating instruction. Thanks to everyone who participated. [...]

Jen Stanchfield’s workshop The Art of Experiential Group Facilitation. Jennifer Stanchfield and Josh Meyer presented a Holistic Approach to Teaching focused on brain-based learning, differentiated instruction and positive behavioral supports.