A Teachable Moment: A Facilitator's Guide to Activities for Processing, Debriefing, Reviewing and Reflection [Paperback]

Jim Cain (Author), Michelle Cummings (Author), Jennifer Stanchfield (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Co-Authored by Michelle Cummings, Jennifer Stanchfield and Jim Cain

About the Authors:

Jennifer Stanchfield, M.S.  is principal of Experiential Tools, a company dedicated to providing resources for the art of experiential group facilitation and teaching. In her 20 years as an experiential educator she has worked as a classroom teacher, a recreational therapist in treatment programs for children and adolescents, and as a challenge course facilitator and trainer. Through these diverse experiences she has developed a repertoire of practical activities, tools and strategies that she enthusiastically shares with other educators and group facilitators in her engaging workshop sessions and publications. She is author of Tips & Tools: The Art of Experiential Group Facilitation.

Michelle Cummings, M.S. is the Big Wheel at Training Wheels, Inc. and has created a truly unique collection of facilitation, debriefing and reviewing props that have changed the way adventure programmers work. She has facilitated a wide variety of programs from therapeutic populations, corporate and school groups, to train the trainer programs for professionals. Michelle is the author of Bouldering Games for Kids, an educational guide for traverse walls.

Jim Cain, Ph.D is the author of the adventure-based teambuilding books, Teamwork & Teamplay, The Book on Raccoon Circles, Teambuilding Puzzles and is the creative force behind Teamwork & Teamplay- The Adventure-Based Training Company. He has created a wide variety of adventure-based learning activities and has facilitated programs in 38 states and 9 countries.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Kendall Hunt Publishing; 1 edition (January 4, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075751782X
• ISBN-13: 978-0757517822
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #464,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In her 20 years as an educator Jennifer Stanchfield has worked as a clinician in treatment centers for children, adults and adolescents, as a teacher, and in the professional training setting. Through these experiences she has developed an extensive repertoire of experiential activities, tools and strategies she brings to her workshops, publications 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, enhance learning outcomes and develop positive assets and social emotional skills.

Along with her work in schools, Jen provides team-building and staff development programs for community organizations, college staff and faculty as well as open enrollment and customized training for counselors, trainers, classroom teachers, college programs, coaches and human resource professionals. She is an instructor at the Southeast Vermont Learning Collaborative, a coach for the Vermont Center for After School Success, and offers open enrollment trainings on teaching and group facilitation at the UNH Browne Center for Innovative Learning.

Jennifer 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 along with Jim Cain and Michelle Cummings. She is also creator and regular contributor to the byline "Facilitators Toolbox" published by the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT). She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of New Hampshire in recreational therapy and outdoor education and a Masters of Science in Experiential Education and Educational Leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Consulting Services:

Jennifer offers a holistic approach to training and consulting. Rather than providing a prescriptive curriculum or program, her style as a consultant involves ongoing collaboration with educators and program administrators to develop curriculum and methods that meet the specific needs and goals of their school or program. Providing a combination of staff teambuilding and professional development along with direct service classroom mentoring and coaching sessions leads to the development of sustainable ongoing experiential learning programs and practices that will be part of the school or organization for years to come.


Facilitation and Teaching Tools:

A passion and focus of Jen's work has been promoting methods to engage learners in meaningful reflection and group dialogue. At the request of the teachers, facilitators and counselors she has worked with she now offers some of these tools as products.

Jen carefully hand selects the items that make up her facilitation tools focusing on usability, quality and aesthetic appeal. She "field tests" the products regularly in her own work as a facilitator with students and adults. She seeks out locally made sustainable green products such as the lead free pewter charms found in her miniature metaphors kits and the hand made in Vermont hemp bags that hold the "conversation starters". All of the Experiential Tools products can be tailored for your specific needs. Larger and smaller quantities and customized

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical Guide, December 21, 2010

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AdEdKelly - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Teachable Moment: A Facilitator's Guide to Activities for Processing, Debriefing, Reviewing and Reflection (Paperback)

This guide is not only packed with engaging activities not found in other activity books, but it explains how to facilitate processing, debriefing, and reflection, some all too frequently abandonded elements in group activities. The book is organized in a user-friendly manner. It first gives a brief history and then explains sequencing and the value in processing, debriefing, and reflection. Even as an experienced facilitator, I still experienced a few "ah-ha" moments throughout the introductory chapters.

The activities detailed in this guide are relevant and engaging for groups ranging from board retreats to adjudicated youth. I plan to use these activities for both types of groups and additionally in my project-based classroom. This book provides insightful information for the novice and for the experienced facilitator looking to enhance her repertoire.