Teambuilding

Just as class building is an essential strategy to building whole class synergy, teambuilding is integral to creating high performance teams. Teambuilding serves many purposes:

•To help students get to know one another within the team
•To create low risk opportunities for social interactions amongst all students
•To gain appreciation for team members strengths and challenges
•To build a team bond

Teambuilding should always occur when teams are initially formed. Consider doing 3-4 quick (under 5 minutes) teambuilding activities within the first week or two of initial team formation. Also remember that teambuilding activities, like class building activities should start out as low-risk and transition to activities that are content-based. An example would be a Round Table activity where students are asked to brainstorm favorite foods (low-risk). The same Round Table Activity can be morphed into a content-based activity by asking students to brainstorm examples of shapes that polygons. Throughout the 6-9 weeks that the teams are together, it is important to remember to continually weave in quick teambuilding activities.