Monday, January 24, 2022

Learning to Work Together

Working as a team is not something that comes naturally to most people. This is a skill that has to be taught. As we move into a world where many students are learning remotely from home, this skill becomes harder to learn. Specific lessons need to be planned where teamwork is expected and encouraged. Group projects should be planned where each person has a specific role to complete the project.

The teacher can group students according to unique strengths, common interests, or ability levels. Each group should be carefully formed and can be changed for different projects. Groups should be 3 - 4 people.

Projects should be carefully planned where there are specific tasks to be completed by different members of the group. The final goal should be clearly stated so students will know what is expected of them. In addition to the specific tasks for each member, there needs to be a Leader of the group to bring everyone together at the beginning and the end. There should also be a Timekeeper to make sure everyone is keeping on track according to the time allotted. In addition to those roles, there needs to be a Presenter who will present the final product to the class. If a fourth person is in the group, this person could be the Organizer who puts all of the parts together in order.

Students need to be taught how to come together and check on the progress of the project. They need to learn how to brainstorm and support each other when obstacles are encountered. They also need to learn how to give constructive criticism to each team member without offending the person. Then they need to learn how to bring all of their parts together to make the final product.

Rubrics work well for evaluating group projects and individual members of the group. I like to have each student self-evaluate using the rubric in addition to my own evaluation. This teaches students to look carefully at their own work and the group’s work as a whole.

How do you teach teamwork? Please share.

Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash

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