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In this session we will explore the practical steps teachers can take to facilitate team building activities
including:

A. What needs to be dome before using an activity,

B. The teacher's role during the activity and

C. The very practical actions a teacher can take at the end of the lesson to ensure that students learn from their team work experience.

We suggest you enlist the add of a colleague who can act as a sounding board for your ideas and if time permits could be a second set of eyes and ears in your classroom. Remember, our goal is to strengthen our team work skills as we strengthen those of your students.

In the session that follows this we will outline 10 teambuilding activities that would work well at the beginning of the year to start preparing students to work effectively together .

A. Before Conducting the Activity
1. Select the most appropriate activity. Begin by identifying the activities that match your curricular purpose. Decide whether you want students to be working in teams and whether or not they have the skills to complete the task. Remember that team builders are designed to give students positive experiences while working with a team. Be sure to select the specific activity that best matches your available time, number of students and other logistic constraints.

You can use team-building activities to discuss (but not limited to) the following life-skill:

•    Teamwork

•    Trust

•    Cooperation

•    Respect

•    Support

•    Communication

•    Perseverance

•    Sportsmanship

•    Patience

•    Sharing

2. Review the activity.  If necessary, recruit a colleague to assist you.

3. Conduct a dry run. Walk through the steps of the activity with your colleague. Make suitable adaptations to better suit the needs and preferences of your students. Reflect on the variations you might have to make so that your students will have a successful experience.

4. Estimate the number of students and collect all the required supplies and materials. Make enough copies materials and handouts.

5. Specify the overall goals and objectives for your team-building session. Decide how to reach additional objectives that are likely to be achieved by the activity.

6. Plan your introduction. Decide whether to present a “mini lecture” before conducting the activity. Prepare an outline for this presentation along with suitable visuals.

7. Plan your debriefing procedure. Prepare a list of discussion questions to ensure that students will reflect on their performance, gain useful insights, and share the learning points with one another. Start with the questions we have included. But go beyond them so that you can connect their experience with your learning goals.

We have included questions in three area to help guide you but don't be afraid to try your own. (Send us a note if you would like a comprehensive list of processing questions)
Content (cognitive learning)
•    Why is it important for team members to share information about themselves?
•    Are there other good questions we could ask?
Social Skills (Social Learning)
•    How did you know others were listening well when you spoke?
•    How did this activity help our class get better acquainted?
Personal Learning
•    What were you feeling when you were speaking or listening?
•    What qualities about yourself did you discover?

8. Anticipate possible disasters. Ask yourself a series of  ‘what-if’ questions. Brainstorm preventative steps and contingency plans with your co-facilitator.

B. During the Activity

1. Get into the activity as quickly as possible. Keep your initial presentations and instructions to a minimum.

2. Present an outline of the important rules and steps of the activity. Assign roles to different students and distribute the materials.

3. Warn students that they may be confused initially. Explain that things will become clearer as the activity progresses.

4. Don’t interfere with participant behaviours once the activity has begun. Remind students of the rules when necessary. Implement time limits and other rules in a fair but flexible manner.

5. Move smoothly from one stage of the activity to the next.

6. Bring the activity to a definite conclusion at the end of the assigned time period or when the goal is achieved.

C. After the Activity

1. Conduct a debriefing discussion. Ask students to reflect on their performance and share their insights with one another.

2. Ask students to report on what they learned from the activity. One of the best parts of team building activities is the discussion that can follow up a group challenge. Some good questions to ask your students after participating in a team building activity include:

    * What worked well?
    * What did not work well?
    * Was the group successful? Why or why not?
    * What would you do different if you could try it again?

3. Invite students to ask you questions about the activity and the learning outcomes. Correct any misconceptions. Add suitable comments—conceptual material and/or lessons from your experience.

4. Suggest suitable follow-up activities.

And Always Remember…….

These activities are tools to help you achieve learning goals. Keep focused on these goals to prevent an activity from becoming an end in itself. Be flexible. Although games and activities have rules, don’t become obsessed with them. An important requirement for effective teamwork is to maintain your sense of humour.

We would love to hear your comments or suggestions. These ideas have been gathered through years of teaching students how to work in teams. You, of course, have insights or questions  that would add to our understanding.

• Which ideas presented do you consider most important?
• Which do you question?
• What ideas will you consider using? and why?