I agree this method works well. When they go into their career they will have to work with a lot of people that are in different posistions. If they choose to work as a team they will be more successful.
Andy,
Tasks I groups that you can evaluate will give you good ways to provide feedback.
Philip Campbell
We Put studi in small groups & tell them to establish a business that requires team work to operate
I love having my students, as I say come alive in group discussions or projects. For example today, I had them play a learning game where they had to figure out a try of 15 items in a group of 3. There were two teams, the winner was the group that got the most right in the allotted time. They were fully engaged in the activity/game. I also felt in this setting, they would retain their learning.
Donna ,
Teamwork in the class will prepare them for teamwork in the field.
Philip Campbell
I agree with teamwork, I am an instructor for allied health. The didactic portion of the course is only part of their grade. The lab component is a team effort to get the job done. We have the students in groups of three role playing, and works out very well.
Michelle,
Keep using the groups. There is a lot they can learn from each other.
Philip Campbell
I use group work a lot in my classroom. I teach in the medical field so a sense of teamwork needs to be learned if it is not already inherent in my students. My group work tends to be problem solving and asking students what course of action they would take with the patient's best interest in mind. Thye very quickly learn that the best choice migh not always be the most popular one, but if they are coming to that conclusion as a group they are forming a bond over that patient as well.
nydia,
This does help students to develop communication skills for the workplace.
Philip Campbell
i often divide the students into groups,with one team leader amoung the group this team leader will give instructions to the group and gather respondes to be able to formulate an outline of the task at hand
ray,
Good point, we all need a balance when dealing with students.
Philip Campbell
We need to be careful that they are also learning and not just observing some one else learn.
I lead my class by example. As an instructor I am also a facilitator and in that I encourage each student to develop the soft skills needed to be a team player, not only in class, but their future career endeavors.
I see these students come in straight off the street with very few people skills and when they rgaduate the change in workplace behaviors, people skills, and hard skills is truly amazing.
Brittany,
Teamwork scenarios will help to develop those skills that students need to be successful in the workforce.
Philip Campbell
I have divided the students into groups to present material in the past. This gets the students interacting with their classmates. Also, hands-on type learning involves more of a teamwork approach.
Having students do group projects is a great way to bring home the importance of team work. There are instances when I allow the students to chose their own leader, and times when the roles are assigned. Natural born informal leaders emerge whether that is the role assigned to them or not. These are the students whose strengths could be harnessed to influence the entire class' take on certain things.
Rotating role assignments is also a good way to make all the members involved know the group dynamics and how to function in different positions within the group. The instructor is able to observe the strengths and deficiencies of the group as a whole and of each individual member.
Julie,
Group work helps many students get the concepts of teamwork.
Philip Campbell
I like to promote teamwork by putting students in groups and help each other. I like to do peer reviews when research papers are due to help bring them together as a team
I teach a capstone class in a culinary arts program. A lot of my practicals envolve group work and the ability to work in a team. I like to foster soft skill development in my students to make them better, "team players",as well as better future managers and leaders.
I also put my students in teams. But to get them all to work together and not with the same people all the time I put them with someone that I have never seen them interact with. That way they learn to work with others as a team also.
