In my work with students in a variety of schools and treatment programs I have noticed over recent years that they increasingly seem to struggle with group decision- making. I often observe students on the playground during recess coming to ask teachers for help in resolving even the simplest disagreements or conflicts. They often depend [...]

Jen Stanchfield’s Upcoming Workshops Designed for Advisory Group Leaders:
Advisory group leaders report that they are always looking for new ideas for facilitating advisory sessions with students. Many educators are planning for the remaining few months of school, summer programs and the start of next school year. The Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset Maine and the [...]

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. Your [...]

(Excerpt from Tips & Tools: The Art of Experiential Group Facilitation, Wood ‘N’ Barnes Publishing 2007)

Group facilitation is like cooking….
When you first start cooking, you follow the tried and true recipes from family, a friend or colleague, or a cookbook. As your skills increase you start to improvise and vary the ingredients. Successful [...]

Every Friday in October I’m offering a new free downloadable lesson regarding experiential-based group facilitation and processing. This week’s lesson focuses on increasing involvement and facilitating “buy in” and trust with group participants Click here to check it out.