Testimonials Summer

  • I entered the ISEEN Teacher Conference with a bit of knowledge about experiential education. I left with an enormously expanded mindset brimming with new ideas and a renewed sense of myself as a teacher and learner. Each segment of the conference was packed with meaningful pedagogy and specific design tools to utilize with my students. I can't wait to try these new strategies when I return to the classroom in September! -Nancy Kirby English Teacher, Riverdale Country School, Bronx, NY
  • The ISEEN institute was an eye-opening, energizing experience, and hands down the best professional development experience I have ever had as a teacher. I came away from the week with all kinds of new ideas and protocols for the classroom, new teaching resources, and a great new approach to facilitating service learning at my school as a whole. I can't wait to share what I learned with my colleagues. The Institute provided me not just with new activities for my discipline, but with an overarching philosophical framework for the kind of meaningful, interactive work upon which the best language instruction is based. - Marine Bethel, English & French Teacher, Albuquerque  Academy.
  • It is a MUST for every teacher at some point in their career. - Graham Lilly, Economics and Business Educator, St. Michaels University School.
  • The ISEEN Institute for classroom teachers provided a phenomenal opportunity to share ideas with great teachers from across the country. It is wonderful to glean ideas from colleagues who are leaders in their schools in connecting academic content with real-world application. It is one of he very best professional conferences I have ever attended. - Michael McElreath, History Teacher and Assistant Upper School Head, Cary Academy, Cary, NC.
  • The facilitators and experiences deepened my understanding of the pedagogy and practice of experiential education. There were lots of hands-on activities and time to debrief these and plan with like-minded colleagues from across North America. Santa Fe is a lovely little town. The food was bountiful and gorgeous. Angus Henderson, Geography teacher, St. Michaels University School, Victoria, BC, Canada.
  • This was the best classroom teacher conference I've ever been to. The facilitators were extraordinarily experienced, thoughtful, and engaging. It was extremely high on the scale of practical takeaways that one could really use in the classroom. I've never felt so emotionally connected to that size of a group, in a conference setting. Incredible. I would give the whole experience an 11 out of 10! -  Ashley Tidey, English Teacher, Laguna Blanca School, Santa Barbara, CA
  • I have never attended a professional development opportunity that was this well-organized and executed. The Institute put into practice the values of Experiential Education. I learned while doing, and I am energized to begin a new school year. I feel strongly that I grew as a professional and as a person. I gained a priceless toolbox of knowledge, activities and professional connections. -Ann Marie Hardy, English Teacher, Whitfield School
  • This was by far the most useful Pro D I have done in my 13 years as a teacher. It was the perfect mix of knowledge and fun and I left knowing that I am a better teacher as a result of the learning and sharing that took place. What a great conference with great people. Thank you ISEEN! - Clayton Daum, Spanish Teacher, Saint Michaels University School, Victoria, BC, Canada.
  • Tired of being a passive workshop attendee beholden to keynotes and breakout sessions where somebody else is the expert and you are not expected to step up as a professional? ISEEN offers the best "hands-on" conference available in education. Their experiential education workshops involve participants throughout in a wide range of best practices that focus on the quality of our students' learning experience. Well rooted in theory and research, these practices work equally well inside the four classroom walls, in our communities, on travel adventures, or in the wilderness.- Ben Wheeler, History Teacher, Bush School, Seattle, WA.
  • I was surrounded by the most passionate, kind and brilliant professionals who were all so like-minded that they felt like collegial soulmates. Each day inspired, invigorated and exhausted me. And I have never attended a professional institute in which we were in tears at the end because it had been so transformative. - Maggie Sullivan, Social Studies Department Chair, Whitfield School, St. Louis, MO
  • The ISEEN Summer Institute provides the best kind of professional development and renewal. By participating in the thoughtfully constructed and expertly led experiential activities provided, I have not only deepened my knowledge of experiential education and how to apply experiential pedagogy to academic courses, I have also gained a greater understanding of how to facilitate excellent experiential learning with adults as well as young people. Attend this institute! You will meet great educators, learn a ton, and have a fabulous time! - Lisa Haney, Humanities Instructor Dean of Faculty Development, The Athenian School, Oakland, CA
  • The ISEEN summer institute is a wonderful opportunity to learn about various facets of experiential education and to connect with other teachers. It is amazing what can be accomplished in just over three days. I left the institute excited to return to the classroom and to reflect on my own pedagogy. I highly recommend the institute for this interested in experiential education!
  • The ISEEN Summer Institute provided me with the groundwork to make experiential education a key component of my day-to-day classroom lessons. I see so much clearer now that experiential education only begins with the experience, but must be deepened through cohort building, reflection, processing, and direct action with some new understanding. I left the conference feeling inspired, validated, and connected to an amazing community of educators who on the cutting edge of making learning both authentic and relevant for their students. I feel like my journey towards truly understanding experiential education just got off to an incredible start.
  • I teach English at a school where "experiential" mostly refers to the outdoor ed and study abroad programs. This summer's ISEEN conference was utterly transformative. It not only gave me dynamic tools for making my own classroom more "experiential," but more importantly, convinced me how important it is to create shared experiences in which students can participate actively and authentically. Honestly, I feel freed as a teacher to let my students direct their own learning.