This interactive workshop explores brain-based techniques to inspire and motivate participants, create a positive and supportive learning environment, and facilitate meaningful reflection and dialogue. We will focus on ways to thoughtfully design and sequence experiences to increase engagement, meet specific educational and group development goals, and promote social and emotional skills. Participants will learn what the field of educational neuroscience is telling us about attention, buy-in, and creating lasting lessons. Attendees will explore methods for empowering participants to take ownership of learning and make connections between educational experiences and real-life situations. Participants will leave with creative inspiration and new perspectives on their role as a facilitator and educator.

We will explore:

  • Experiential, brain-based approaches to actively engage learners physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually
  • Research from the field of educational neuroscience that supports and informs experiential education practice
  • Practical strategies to impart the fundamentals of experiential group facilitation such as the importance of participant choice and control, sequencing, ongoing assessment, and meaningful reflection to create lasting lessons
  • Techniques for increasing participant involvement, buy-in, and ownership in learning experiences
  • Methods to help group leaders design, sequence, facilitate and adapt activities to enhance learning outcomes
  • Innovative reflection tools and techniques to increase relevancy, meaning, depth of understanding, and connection to future learning situations
  • The role of the facilitator as guide, and the importance of flexibility, attitude, adaptation, and awareness of group and individual needs and differences
  • Ways to enliven the traditional sharing circle with active methods to facilitate processing and dialogue that meet the diverse needs of learners

To Register email: Cathy Holt at The EDGE at edge@gmu.edu or (703) 993-4313

For more information email: jen@experientialtools.com