Overview For Teachers

TEAMWORK: The ability to work collaboratively and cooperatively with others toward a common goal or success of the team; participate appropriately as a team member by assisting others or requesting help when needed; handle criticism, conflicts, and complaints appropriately; demonstrate leadership; relate well to others; take an interest in what others say and do in order to build relationships; contribute to the group with ideas, suggestions, and effort; the ability to participate in group decision -making.

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PURPOSE: Upon completion of this module, the student will understand the importance of teamwork and being a team player in the workplace. In addition, the objectives listed below should be met.

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OBJECTIVES:

 Ability to be a great team player in different aspects of life

 Ability to recognize the different roles that are required for a team to be successful

 Ability to understand that team work and collaboration isn’t always easy

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OVERVIEW:

This module concentrates on teaching students the importance of teamwork and being a team player. The key to teamwork is collaborating and cooperating with others in many different settings. Teamwork and being a team player is not only a skill that is used in sports, but it’s also very important in the workplace. The ability to work well with others is a skill that will bring success in the future . In addition, students will have an opportunity to gain an understanding of the importance of teamwork by participating in various activities designed to stimulate thought and discussion.

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TEACHERS: WHAT ARE YOU OBSERVING?

What does teamwork look like in the classroom or in school in general? A great way to answer this and get things going is through engagement with the students. Ask your students these questions:

1. What does teamwork look like in class?

2. How does being a team player affect other students? Example: Co -workers, classmates, teammates, etc.

3. What does teamwork look like within your learning?

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RELEVANCY OF TEAMWORK:

Employers look to recruit employees who are great team players and are able to work effectively with others. Many companies and businesses expect co -workers to collaborate on projects and assignments so having these skills is beneficial to being successful in the future.

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LESSON:

Teamwork Self Evaluation
Time Allocation: 20  minutes
Materials/Resources: Self-Evaluation Worksheet pens/ pencils, computers/ tablets/ smartphones (students - optional), paper , whiteboard, markers

ANTICIPATORY SET IDEA:

 Ask students the following question:

     o Who is your favorite team?

           It doesn’t just have to be sports

 Then, ask:

     o What makes them a great team?

     o What makes them successful?

     o How do they recover when they aren’t successful?

 It’s important for students to know that all teams struggle at some point and come face - to -face with their weaknesses. The strong, successful teams know how to overcome their weaknesses.

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WATCH THE VIDEO:

DIRECT INSTRUCTION:

 Tell students: there is no such thing as a “perfect” team or “perfect” teamwork. All teams struggle in one aspect or another and they must find ways to overcome adversity. It’s important to know what type of team member you are and what strengths and weaknesses you bring to the team. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses so it’s important t o know how these can affect teamwork.

 Give each student a copy of the Self -Evaluation Worksheet and give them a few minutes to answer the questions on the worksheet.

GUIDED ACTIVITY:

 When students finish, come back together as a class and ask for volunteers to share some of their weaknesses and strengths with the class for a short discussion. You may want to ask some follow -up questions like the ones listed below:

     o What are some weaknesses that a team couldn’t overcome?

     o What are some strengths that some people might possess that could possibly hurt the team as a whole?

     o What are some strengths that would be crucial to the success of the team?

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING:

 Technology Use: You could create a Kahoot ( Kahoot.com) which is an interactive game that students can log into from their computers or smart phones and it will give you instant feedback.

 Non-Technology: “Take and Pass” – Students will get in groups and will have one piece of paper per group. The n pose the question, “How does being more productive affect your life?” One student will start and will write their response on the piece of paper. When they finish, they will pass it to the person on their right and they will then write down their response. Students will continue to write down their responses and pass the piece of paper until time is up. When time is up, students will debrief and will then share their responses with the class.

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ETHICAL SCENARIO--Optional (if not using, skip  to "review and closing")

The Ethical Choice Scenarios have been developed to provide teachers with the ability to make the material applicable to real-life and relevant to the students. Within this guide, directions and prompts for the teacher will be in BLUE for ease of facilitation.

 

READ THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO OUT LOUD TO THE STUDENTS: 

THERE’S NO “I” IN TEAM

Today is your lucky day! Your best friend got assigned to your group for the final group project of the year and both of you are very excited. What a great way to end the year by being able to work with your best friend every day in class. The teacher shares with your group that the topic of your project is to cover the positive and negatives of having autonomous vehicles on the road . You can’t wait to get started since you are very passionate about the ever-changing world and new advancements in technology . The next day in class, which is the first day of your group work, you come fully prepared with research and articles you did the night before. Your best friend shows up, completely unengaged and unenthusiastic about the topic you were given. From that moment on, your best friend basically refuses to help with the project, since they really don’t care or have an opinion about autonomous vehicles on the road. So, what do you do? If you decide to do all the work and not force your best friend to help, it’s going to take up almost all of your time, and with finals coming up, you have a lot on your plate already. Would you confront your friend and demand them to help? If yo u confront them, how would they react? Would the confrontation ruin your friendship? Would you talk to the teacher about your struggles on the group project?

ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: (display them to the class if necessary)

1. How many of you have already been faced with this scenario in real life?

2. What are the possible options for you in this situation?

3. What are possible positive or negative consequences for you, depending on your decision?

GUIDED DISCUSSION: ASK STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE SITUATION AND HOW THEY
ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS.

NOTE 1 : To help facilitate discussion, share any personal experiences you may have encountered with this same sort of issue.

NOTE 2 : Another option to foster further critical thinking is to then ask students , “ Whose actions do you control in this situation?”

NOTE 3 : Another option to foster further critical thinking is to then ask students , “ What values do you think are in tension here, why is it an ethical dilemma?”

CLOSING DISCUSSION: ASK THE STUDENTS , “ WHAT DOES YOUR DECISION TELL YOU ABOUT YOUR TEAMWORK SKILLS ?”

REVIEW AND CLOSING:

 Have students find a partner, discuss the following statement, and decide what would be the best word to fill in the blank. Then ask for volunteers to share what word they chose and why they believe it should fill the blank.

     o The most important aspect of teamwork is _____________________.

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CORRELATION TO OBSERVATION TOOL: The Frequency Observation Tool (FOT) has a category where students will be observed and rated on their ability to be a good team player and to collaborate with others . This lesson will give students the opportunity to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses as a team player and how these can affect their team overall.

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION IDEAS:

-Visual: Visual learners will benefit from having a printed copy of the worksheet.

-Auditory: Auditory learners will benefit from the group discussions and pair share.

-Kinesthetic: To benefit kinesthetic learner s, you could allow them to move around the room as they read and think. They will also benefit from the writing activities.

-ESL: ESL students would benefit from working with a partner on this assignment in case they have questions or need clarification.

-At-risk: At -risk students will benefit from the constant engagement in this lesson that will encourage them to stay on task.

-Advanced: Advanced learners could benefit from helping other students write down their schedules, or by assisting ESL or At -risk students who may need additional help .