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ENGAGE . INSPIRE . CONNECT
Welcome to the REiL Blog
Tricky situations teach us how to be flexible, creative, and connected. And - they can be tough and scary. Here, we look at practices and ways of being which support us in complex situations. If you're looking for ideas and insights when situations are unsettling, you've come to the right place.
E-mail us your thoughts or if you have a topic you'd like covered at REiLlearning@gmail.com
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Liking is not rapport
Why do we hold, especially with younger children, this expectation that they’re all friends? If someone insinuated that this was...
Katy Bigsby
Nov 14, 20241 min read
Ways to strengthen engagement
1 Learner participates 3 Learner co-creates activity 2 Learner enjoys activity 4 Learner leads activity Many of us want to increase...
Katy Bigsby
Apr 3, 20242 min read
The power (and frustration!) of "No"
I was asked for my thoughts on the notion of never saying "no" to a child at a session I facilitated recently. I responded that I was not...
Katy Bigsby
Jun 27, 20232 min read
What we can learn from the Arts
The Arts provide a bridge to being heard, sharing one's truth, being connected with others and working to change structural inequities....
Katy Bigsby
Jan 4, 20231 min read
Co-creating learning
In sessions I facilitate I'm often asked two questions when it comes to co-creating learning: 1) Is it okay to co-create learning with...
Katy Bigsby
Oct 7, 20221 min read
Sister song
I'm so pleased to share my first guest post written by my mom! I'm grateful to her for sharing her piece and to Sister Song for their...
Katy Bigsby
Sep 16, 20222 min read
What is REiL Learning?
A play on words for what is “real” – infusing imagination & creativity into the experience of learning. Think BIG picture. REiL Learning...
Katy Bigsby
Apr 29, 20221 min read
Being proactive
Proactive approaches, such as co-creating guidelines do not eliminate challenging behaviors, but can reduce the number of occurrences....
Katy Bigsby
Apr 14, 20221 min read
Is your default learning model empowering?
You may have heard of Paulo Freire's banking model. Here, the teacher or instructor holds all the wisdom and knowledge. The student is...
Katy Bigsby
Apr 7, 20221 min read
Building rapport
Rapport can be dismissed or seen as not essential in some spaces. My research found it is key to facilitating engaging, meaningful...
Katy Bigsby
Mar 31, 20221 min read
Rapport - the ground we walk on
In the work I do supporting learning facilitators, I've noticed that they tend to have a strong capacity to build rapport. I define...
Katy Bigsby
Mar 24, 20221 min read
Infusing imagination & creativity into practice
I'm an educational consultant, but a more apt title would be learning designer. I’m like an interior designer, except instead of...
Katy Bigsby
Mar 17, 20221 min read
Reclaiming creativity
In grade 3, I was not chosen to be part of the Gifted, Talented, and Creative ("GTC") group at school - and I so wanted to be. I remember...
Katy Bigsby
Mar 9, 20221 min read
Engagement in action
Many years ago, when I was an educator, I sat watching a school play and thought – what if the students created the story and wrote the...
Katy Bigsby
Mar 2, 20221 min read
Engagement - Beyond participation
So glad you’re reading my first REiL learning Blog entry!
Every Thursday, I’ll post a new one. Something about learning, the magic of...
Katy Bigsby
Feb 24, 20221 min read
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