walter,
Teams are important to help an organization be successful. It does not matter what industry you work in.
Philip Campbell
In classroom discussion I try to give examples of how teamwork is not complex unless you make it that way. I draw relevance to the workplace and life at home. I have them compare how the functioning of a household is much like the functioning of a business and show how everyone has their part and how other team members rely on that synergy to reach goals and objectives.
I teach culinary arts and throughout the lab classes I always point out examples as to what is needed from individuals to become a good team player.
I make teamwork, diversity and tolerance a topic of discussion and show relevance to coursework, curriculum, and the real workplace. I firmly believe in fostering a classroom environment that is similar to the workplace. I give projects, homework and classroom assignments that call for the students to complete it using a group and team structure. I sometimes assign a project manager but most times i give the task and allow the group to delegate duties and elect their own PM. Then I get with ech group and evaluate their delegation and PM to see if they have adequately matched student skill with project or group assignments. It seems to help in the student's understanding of group importance and dynamics in the classroom and the workplace.
I also find that group projects work to build soft skills in students. The students need to create their project and manage different schedules. Also, using group projects teaches conflict resolution. There is always one student who works different hours, or does not want to be part of a team, etc. The entire team needs to find a way to work together. One of my colleagues told me the story of how some students came to him to state they were kicking a student out of the team. His reply was, "This isn't survivor; you don't get to vote the person off the island". The students realized they needed to find a way to resolve their personal issues. I also provide an evaluation sheet to each team member to "grade" the participation of others in the team. This is an area to show how dependable each team member was; students who do not actively participate will lose points in this area. Halfway through the project I remind students of the rubric, and then advise the team to check their project to ensure all items have been met. This helps develop attention to detail.
I teach adults who are persuing a career in Dental Assisting. Team work is indiginous to the Dental Office environment. If you can't get along and work well with coworkers, you will not stay employed long.
I incorporate this dynamic in the classroom frequently by asking my students to work in groups to study instruments for different dental procedures. They spend time helping and supporting each other while learning the functions of and identyfing each instrument.
It works well because they are not only interacting with each other, but they are experienceing participation in a team effort.
Group discussions and projects are a great way to develop team work and to get the students to work more cohesively together. They build their relationships and strengthen the team as the class continues in the learning.
I always use teamwork and I always explaine to the students that they must participate. I further explain that working when in a medical office you are expected to work as a team. Teamwork will include things like critical thinking excersises, presentations, games and so on. It seems to bring the group together in some cases they end up encouraging one another to do well even when not working in groups.
Ben,
Group work is often the best type of work for students in strengthening their soft skills. However, it is also one of the hardest to coordinate and also something that most students do not want to do. Keep up the good work.
Philip Campbell
In my catering class students are broken into teams of three to four students and are given a cooking assignment. They may be preparing 3-4 dishes together and I leave it up to them to decide who will prepare each item. I do usually instruct them to elect a new leader each time and after that I let them make the decisions. I will step in if it looks like one person is being isolated or being consistently given the less desirable tasks. When conflicts arise I try to let the team leader resolve them. If the team breaks down I step in as the leader and model proper team building and conflict resolution.
Being a role model by first understanding onself and then relating to others empathetically with integrity and focus on goals
I also enjoy group activities. I like to have the students work together to solve problems. I like for them to meet other people that they would not normally talk to in a day. I usually have them arrange themselved by birthdate, middle name, etc. to have the entire class work together. The first time the class does this it may take awhile because they have to work together.
By modeling the behavior, one can influence the behavior of students in the classroom, as example, when instructors assist other instructor in curriculum delivery or prep for class demos it shows students the right behavior in a professional environment
Lisa,
Interesting approach. What kind of guidelines do you institute prior to the debate? How do you review the soft skills after?
Philip Campbell
I have the students debate topics and work in groups to promote soft skills.
Laurna,
Good idea on responsibility within the project. This si always a tough activity, because it takes involvement from everyone. Feelings are also very easily hurt if someone does not pull their own weight.
I like the idea of exchanging projects and especially presenting to help students gain a bit of perspective on the work and experience of other students.
I have found that group project are a great way to exercise and improved the soft skills of students. The trick is to create projects where the load is distributed evenly among the team members and the students are excited and inspired to work together. This is of course easier said than done, but I have found if they come up with grou/team names and goals together on the first day or even do a briefly interview of one another to get to know one another better it builds a better sese of team than just tossing them into a project.
Xin,
Sounds like it could be rolled into a review activity as well.
I usually have students ask each other questions about the content we've just learned. That way I can not only find out the weak areas students may have, but also promote the teamwork learning style.
