BEST
Summer Institute 2013BEST
Summer Institute 2013
Students participate more actively and retain lessons more readily when they feel safe and supported in their school and classroom. Join in this fun and interactive course and learn practical ways to engage and motivate students, create a collaborative and supportive learning community, and maximize social and academic learning outcomes.
This strand explores:
• Strategies for creating a positive environment for learning, starting on day one and maintaining it throughout the school year
• Practical tools, methods, and engaging activities that develop a healthy climate of respect and trust, peer to peer, teacher to student, and teacher to teacher
• New research from the field of cognitive neuroscience and its impact on learning, teaching, and social and emotional skills development in students
• Ways to promote collaboration, positive rapport and consistency between staff
• A variety of brain-friendly teaching approaches and interactive games and activities that will help educators motivate students, promote creativity and collaboration, inspire a sense of discovery and instill a desire to learn.
• Experiential techniques to help students build positive peer relationships and practice social and emotional skills such as problem-solving, empathy, communication and conflict-resolution skills.
• Reflective techniques to create lasting lessons and help students find meaning and relevancy in their school experiences
• Practical Action Research methods to help educators sustain and continuously improve on the implementation of experiential approaches in their classrooms
• Ways to help students take more ownership of their learning and responsibility for themselves and others
Leave with useful activities, creative inspiration, and strategies to empower students of all ages and abilities to build and inspiring and supportive classroom and school community.
Check back around May 15th for pre-readings
Jennifer Stanchfield, MS
In her 21 years as an educator Jen has worked as a classroom teacher, a clinician in treatment centers for children and adolescents, and in the professional training setting. Through these experiences she has developed an extensive repertoire of experiential activities, tools and methods she brings to her engaging and informative workshops and training sessions. Jen is known for her work helping schools and community programs throughout the country use experiential methods to develop a positive learning environment, increase student engagement and develop positive assets and social emotional skills. She has a master’s degree in Experiential Education from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Jen is author of A Teachable Moment and Tips & Tools for the Art of Experiential Group Facilitation.