Laurie Frank
Laurie Frank began her career as a special education teacher in emotional disabilities, working with students of all ages. Her path diverged upon the discovery of adventure education and
experiential methodologies. The need to develop a sense of community within the school setting was apparent, and the adventure philosophy seemed the perfect vehicle to achieve that goal.
Laurie is the owner/director of GOAL Consulting, working with people of all ages to create
environments where everyone is invited into the process of working and learning together. Her major focuses are creating a sense of community, collaborative leadership, experiential education, Social Emotional Learning, and Appreciative Inquiry. Workshops with Laurie invite engagement by
constructing knowledge through experience and exploration.
Laurie is the author of several books; Adventure in the Classroom, Journey Toward the Caring Classroom, an experiential approach to creating a sense of community in schools. She also collaborated on other books: Games (& Other Stuff) for Teachers, Adventure Education for the Classroom Community, and Leading Together: Foundations of Collaborative Leadership. She has
also written numerous experiential curricula for schools.
Master Class 1:
Creating a Sense of Community with Intention
We live in times where people feel less connected and even isolated. Creating a sense of community at home, work, in our classrooms, boardrooms, and neighborhoods can bridge the divides; but what does that really mean? Participating in activities, and simply being together can help, but may lack the necessary depth.
Through activity, discussion, and co-creation, this workshop explores the foundations of what it means to create a sense of community in our living environments. You will leave with the beginnings of a map and compass to navigate the divides and be a more conscious agent in bringing people together.
Outcomes :
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Gain information and insight to develop a facilitative mindset where a sense of community can develop
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Leave with a vision (why), mission (what), and a framework (how)
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Explore common values around community building now and, in the future
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Create a working definition of “sense of community”
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Leave with an awareness of some conditions that support the development of a sense of community
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Gather ideas for creating connections and a sense of community in one’s own living & working environments
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Inspire others and be inspired by others
Master Class 2
Thinking Experientially
Being an experiential educator requires one to think and plan experientially in order to design learning processes rather than isolated learning events. This workshop will provide an overview of brain research and its connection to experiential education in its many forms. We will explore how to put brain-compatible methods into practice using the experiential learning model as a planning tool to provide holistic learning experiences for your clientele. Whether you work outside, in a classroom, office or board room, you will leave with tools for being an intentional experiential educator.
Outcomes
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Create common understanding of experiential education, experiential learning, and experiential methodologies.
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Identify experiential practices already in use by educators, and how they can be strengthened through intentional use of models, theories and methods.
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Identify practices where experiential approaches are not currently practiced and explore how to initiate their inclusion.
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Introduce the Experiential Learning/Inquiry model as a tool for organizing intentional experiential practice in one’s situation.
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Create personal/professional goal(s) for intentional practice of experiential methodologies.