Experience, Facilitation & Leadership UWGB: June 24-27, 2012

Day 1: Foundations Introduction Community protocols and norms opening activities Experiential Learning & Experiential Education Constructivism Experiential Learning Model Creating a sense of community What & Why Container Concept Intentionality Conditions

Best Workshop Ever Facilitator Clear and understood directions Stay Prepared Interested and engaged Present

Best Workshop Ever Everybody Building and inclusive community Respect time Attentive listening Be supportive Respectful open dialogue Engaged and participate Right to choose Be aware of our humor

QUESTIONS/WONDERINGS I wonder what I need to know… I wonder how to bring this back to a larger group. How do you maintain the position of directing without presenting yourself as an authority? Why it works or doesn’t – how to be intentional with learning community. Buy in?

QUESTIONS/WONDERINGS How to get the group tasks/experiential learning to be the picture and not the scatter, disconnected stuff. How to be/promote structure and purpose without creating or allowing complacency. How can we bring experiential learning into our Native American 4 th grade curriculum? What does experiential learning entail?

Constructivism Constructivism is a philosophy of learning founded on the premise that, by reflecting on our experiences, we construct our own understanding of the world we live in. Each of us generates our own “rules” and “mental models,” which we use to make sense of our experiences. Learning, therefore, is simply the process of adjusting our mental models to accommodate new experiences. From: Retrieved 6/3/09.

Experiential Education

Experimented Explored Learned from someone else’s example Put yourself in the place of someone or something (empathy) It was a process Safe place to take risks It was challenging or a “stretch” Reflected or thought about what you were learning Related to your life experiences and/or interests You were ready to learn it Knew it was Important to learn

Happens all the time Is a natural way to learn Experimentation Exploration Example Empathy Happens all the time Is a natural way to learn Experimentation Exploration Example Empathy EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING…

Harnesses the natural power of EL Is a formal way to support learning Shared philosophy, different methodologies Harnesses the natural power of EL Is a formal way to support learning Shared philosophy, different methodologies EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION

Wilderness Education Adventure Based Counseling Inquiry Service Learning Art, Play, Music, Drama Therapies Simulations Experience Based Training and Development Environmental Education Internships Expeditionary Learning Adventure/Challenge Education Experiential Education And more…

Process-based Safe environment that supports risk taking Student/learner centered Experiential Learning Model Commonalities

FRONTLOADING ASKING QUESTIONS GATHERING INFORMATION & CONSTRUCTING KNOWLEDGE MAKING KNOWLEDGE VISIBLE PRESENTATION & FEEDBACK

Creating a Sense of Community

From Group to Community “In genuine community there are no sides. It is not always easy but by the time they reach community the members have learned how to give up cliques and factions. They have learned how to listen to each other and how not to reject each other. Sometimes consensus in community is reached with miraculous rapidity. But at other times it is arrived at only after lengthy struggle. Just because it is a safe place does not mean community is a place without conflict. It is, however, a place where conflict can be resolved without physical or emotional bloodshed and with wisdom as well as grace. A community is a group that can fight gracefully.” M. Scott Peck M.D. The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace

Thomas Sergiovanni states that “the need for community is universal. A sense of belonging, of continuity, of being connected to others and to ideas and values that make our lives meaningful and significant -- these needs are shared by all of us.”

Sergiovanni goes on to say: “… Communities are collections of individuals who are bonded together by natural will and who are together binded to a set of shared ideas and ideals. This bonding and binding is tight enough to transform them from a collection of “I’s” into a collective “we.” As a “we,” members are part of a tightly knit web of meaningful relationships. This “we” usually shares a common place and over time comes to share common sentiments and traditions that are sustaining. When describing community it is helpful to speak of community kinship, of mind, of place, and of memory.”

“The people in one’s life are like the pillars on one’s porch you see life through. And sometimes they hold you up. And sometimes they lean on you, and sometimes it’s just enough to know they’re standing by.” Anonymous

Community is consciousness of connection, combining and comprising: Courtesy, communication, collaboration, cooperation, consideration, caring, compassion, curiosity, commonalities, common goals, confidence, creativity, courage, challenge, camaraderie, and conceivably chocolate. CTC Group, 2004

A “sense” of community: An intangible place where one feels safe -- shared experience, goals, and feelings, interests in an open minded manner. Space where honesty and authenticity are honored which provides opportunity for reflection and growth. A sense of community is present when balance is fostered at the individual and group level with an effort toward (a) shared vision(s)

VISION AT PEACE CARING COMPASSIONATE CONFIDENT CONTRIBUTER CREATIVE CRITICAL THINKER EMPATHETIC EMPLOYED FORGIVING GET ALONG W/ OTHERS GOOD COMMUNICATOR GOOD PARENTS GOOD SELF ESTEEM HAPPY HEALTHY HONEST INDEPENDENT INTEGRITY LITERATE LOYAL MOTIVATED PATIENT PERSEVERENCE POSITIVE ATTITUDE PROBLEM SOLVERS PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS RELIABLE RESILIENT RESOURCEFUL RESPECT RESPONSIBLE SELF RESPECT SELF SUFFICIENT SENSE OF HUMOR SUCCESSFUL WELL-INFORMED

“Recent research showed that teachers only intervened in four percent or one out of twenty- five bullying incidents, although teachers thought they’d intervened in 71%. Youth can be very good at hiding bullying behaviors from adults.” “Recent research showed that teachers only intervened in four percent or one out of twenty- five bullying incidents, although teachers thought they’d intervened in 71%. Youth can be very good at hiding bullying behaviors from adults.” Creates a Safe Environment: It’s about Prevention From: Sticks and Stones…: Changing the dynamics of bullying and youth violence (1999) by Katherine J. Kocs., MSW. Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Prevention Resource

Frees the Brain for Learning Caine and Caine refer to “relaxed alertness” as when the brain is at it’s best for learning. Brain-Compatible Elements for Learning Absence of threat Meaningful content Choices Adequate time Enriched environment Collaboration Immediate feedback Mastery (application) *From ITI: The Model, Integrated Thematic Instruction, by Susan Kovalik, 1994

Supports Academic Learning From: Zins, J.E., Weissberg, R.P., Wang, M.C., and Walberg, H.J, eds. (2004). Building Academic Success on Social and Emotional Learning: What does the research say? New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Safe, caring, and orderly environments are conducive to learning. Caring relations between teachers and students foster a desire to learn and a connection to school. When students can self-manage their stress and motivations, and set goals and organize themselves, they do better.

Helps Youth Gain Assets & Life Skills From: The Search Institute: Protection from High-Risk Behaviors Promotion of Positive Attitudes and Behaviors The more assets, the better.

CASEL Study* * Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning … four-year study confirming that school-based social and emotional learning programs that help students build positive relationships, develop empathy, and resolve conflicts respect-fully and cooperatively also have a positive effect on academic performance. (from article by International Institute for Restorative Practices:

Supports Social Emotional Learning (SEL) See

Teach SEL Competencies Self-awareness Social awareness Self-management Relationship skills Responsible decision making Greater Attachment, Engagement & Commitment to School Less Risky Behavior, More Assets, More Positive Development Better Academic Performance and Success in School and Life Safe, Caring, Challenging, Well- Managed, Participatory Learning Environments How SEL Supports Good Outcomes for Young People

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Retrieved from:

The Container Concept

Not all Containers are Alike

We Have Choices… We have Influence… What are the qualities of your container at work, school, home?

Safe and Trusting Environment Physical/Emotional Safety and Relational Trust Balancing “Me” and “We” Empowerment and Social Commitment Conditions for Creating a Sense of Community

The central message of the consumer culture in which we live is: You’re the most important thing on earth. You’re the heaviest object in the universe and everything orbits around you. And we’ve enshrined this idea as ‘human nature.’ Not remembering that most people in most places have had other things very near the center of their identity – the tribe, the community, their relationship with the natural world, or the Divine – something that gave them more of a sense of identity not obsessively rooted in themselves. Bill McKibbon (Interview aired on May 26, 2007)

Positivity Positivity ratio of 3:1 Nurture the positive Conditions for Creating a Sense of Community

Resiliency through Positivity Joy Gratitude Serenity Interest Hope Pride Amusement Inspiration Awe Love From: Fredrickson, B. (2009) Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive. New York, NY: Crown Archetype.

Positivity 1. Broadens our minds and our hearts 2. Transforms us for the better 3. Fuels Resilience 1. Asking questions and focusing outward (open to new ideas) 2. Connectivity and attunement of the team. More responsive to one another 3. Bouncing back from adversity rather than getting stuck in self- absorbed advocacy

Positivity Ratio The Tipping Point Flourishing = 3 to 1 “… only when positivity ratios are higher than 3 to 1 is positivity in sufficient supply to seed human flourishing.” (Fredrickson, 2009)

A Place for Negativity Specific negative emotions help us focus and take action (such as in resolving or transforming conflict). Global and unfocused negative emotions overwhelm and poison us. The difference between anger and contempt or guilt and shame

Ownership Focus (goal setting) and the 3 R’s (Routines, rituals, responsibilities) Conditions for Creating a Sense of Community

Ritual A routine is merely something we do, a ritual has emotional significance. “Rituals are powerful because they speak to a different part of the brain than we use for thinking,” says Joyn Borysenko, Ph.D., author of Inner Peace for Busy People. That’s because rituals bypass words, connecting us to what matters through symbols or gestures.

Intentionality Being intentionally inviting and making Time for relationship building Conditions for Creating a Sense of Community

The Wisdom of MAXINE GREENE Educational philosopher from the Dewey & Existentialist traditions

Community This is what we shall look for as we move: freedom developed by human beings who have acted to make a space for themselves in the presence of others, human beings become “challengers” ready for alternatives, alternatives that include caring and community…

Community … We want to discover how to open spaces for persons in their plurality, spaces where they can become different, where they can grow.” Maxine Greene

Community It is important to hold in mind … that the person – that center of choice – develops in his/her fullness to a degree he/she is a member of a live community. Maxine Greene