Inspired Educator Inspired Learner: Experiential, Brain-Based Activities and Strategies to Engage, Build Community and Create Lasting Lessons

This book explores experiential, brain-based techniques for engaging learners emotionally, physically and intellectually in academic or training content while practicing important social-emotional skills and building a productive and supportive learning community. Educators will find creative strategies to differentiate instruction and cultivate 21st century learning strategies that will get participants moving, talking, reflecting and keep them engaged with multiple pathways to learning, reviewing, and synthesizing lessons. The innovative reflective techniques offered throughout increase relevancy, meaning, depth of understanding, and create connections between educational experiences and real life.

Jennifer Stanchfield s depth of experience, creativity and knowledge of educational theory and practice is evident in her innovative yet practical workshops and publications in which she incorporates the art of facilitation and teaching with brain-based and pedagogical research. In her 25 years as an educator, Jen has worked as a classroom teacher, a clinician in mental health treatment centers for children, adolescents and adults, as an adventure educator, and in professional training, adult education, and organizational teambuilding. Jen earned her masters degree in Experiential Education at Minnesota State University, Mankato and continues to pursue the latest research on the brain and learning, pedagogy and the emerging field of educational neuroscience. Through these experiences she has developed an extensive repertoire of evidence-informed experiential activities, tools, and strategies she brings to her engaging and informative workshops, publications, and teaching resources. She works with schools, colleges, community organizations and training organizations all over the world helping educators increase engagement, promote social-emotional skills and facilitate meaningful reflection and group dialogue to increase learning outcomes.
Jen is founder and director of Experiential Tools, an organization focused on helping educators fill their toolbox with quality, unique, and user-friendly methods to enhance learning. Her group facilitation and teaching tools include the Pick-A-Postcard Reflection Kit, the Miniature Metaphors Processing and Reflection Treasure Chest, Quotables, and the Conversation Starter Pin-Back Button collection. She is author of Tips and Tools: The Art of Experiential Group Facilitation and co-author of A Teachable Moment: A Facilitator s Guide to Activities for Processing, Debriefing, Reviewing and Reflection. She is also the creator and a regular contributor to the byline Facilitators Toolbox published by the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) and The Inspired Educator Blog at experientialtools.com.
Along with training educators and working directly with schools, Jen provides team-building and professional development programs for community organizations, businesses, college staff and faculty. She offers custom as well as open enrollment workshops for counselors, trainers, classroom teachers, college programs, coaches, and human resource professionals looking to enliven their curriculum or group work with experiential, brain-based approaches to increase engagement and create lasting lessons.
For more information on workshops, consulting services, The Inspired Educator Blog, and facilitation and teaching tools visit jenniferstanchfield.com or experientialtools.com.