May 12th • Springfield, MA • Inspired Educator, Engaged and Connected Learner Hosted by NELMS

Experiential, Brain-Based Approaches to Enliven Teaching, Group Facilitation, and Community Building • Hosted by The New England League of Middle Schools and Haverhill Cooperative Middle School

*Special rate for educators who are a district NELMS membership school. Find out more at NELMS.

May 12, 2026 - American International College, 1000 State Street, Schwartz Campus Center Auditorium, Springfield, MA

Registration starts 8:30 am. Program Hours: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm 

Tuition includes lunch and Jen's Inspired Educator book..

Join this interactive workshop and expand your toolbox with experiential, brain-based strategies that inspire engagement and create meaningful, lasting learning. Explore techniques to build joyful, connected, and inclusive learning communities by fostering belonging, student voice, choice, and ownership. Take away practical methods to integrate 21st-century life skills into advisory, counseling lessons, group circles, morning meetings, staff meetings, and classroom instruction. 

Participants will explore active, student-centered methods grounded in neuroscience and experiential learning to teach, practice, and assess academic content while strengthening collaboration, communication, and social-emotional competencies.

Bring learning to life and deepen student involvement, relevance, and understanding. Educators will leave with creative inspiration, new perspectives, ready-to-use strategies, and valuable connections.

Attendees will take away:
•  Strategies to empower participants of all ages in all kinds of learning and groupwork situations

•  Collaborative, learner-centered ways to create and maintain joyful and inclusive learning, communities

•Experiential, brain-based techniques to teach and review academic, counseling and training content

•Engaging ways to deepen learning through emotional connection and ongoing active reflection

•Intentional approaches for promoting involvement, voice, choice, and ownership of learning

•Practical strategies to integrate social-emotional and life skills with academics or youthwork program content that you can facilitate with simple materials and adapt to various audiences

•Groupwork, advisory, morning meetings, and circles facilitation ideas

•Games and activities that teach empathy, self and social awareness, communication, and other essential social and emotional skills

•Facilitation strategies to make experiential learning successful.

•Practices for becoming an intentional, responsive, and reflective educator/facilitator

Join us for an inspiring day of networking and meaningful conversation with other educators.

Tuition includes lunch and a copy of one of Jen Stanchfield's books: Inspired Educator, Inspired Learner: Experiential, Brain-Based Activities and Strategies to Engage, Build Community and Create Lasting Lessons. or, Tips & Tools for the Art of Experiential Group Facilitation.

What participants are saying: 
"Jen Stanchfield's warm, authentic, gentle, and engaging style makes everyone feel welcome and supported - even online. Jen creates an atmosphere where participants feel like they are partners in the learning experience. I have attended multiple sessions with Jen over the last decade and always take away something new that I can use right away in my teaching and counseling."


" I appreciate that along with sharing your useful tools and techniques, you have helped us engage with and learn from each other. Your style gives everyone ownership in the learning process."