Team-Building in Education
While teachers generally exercise control over their classes, many schools are placing a new emphasis on teamwork. By working cooperatively, educators can better identify students' needs and plan for their success. If you work in education, consider how to build teams and the ways in which these teams could make your school more successful.
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Benefits
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Working cooperatively is an effective choice because it allows teachers to benefit from each others' experience and expertise. When teachers who educate the same students in different courses take time to communicate with one another, they can share information gleaned from their young people. Educators who work cooperatively can also bounce ideas around and more effectively identify and solve problems that crop up during the academic year. Additionally, by working together, teachers can create cross-curricular lessons -- lessons that extend beyond the walls of one classroom and are central to several subject areas.
Professional Development Practice
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If you want teamwork to be effective in your school, professional development may be necessary. Before you attempt to get your teachers to work together, hold a team-building professional development session in which you engage your teachers in physical and mental team-building challenges and acclimate them to working cooperatively.
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Crafting Purpose
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Purposeless teams are counterproductive and can lead to frustration, reports Pete Hall on Education World. To ensure that your teachers see the teams you are creating as a useful tool and not a hindrance, immediately work toward creating a purpose for your teams by setting goals for each or allowing the team members to do so.
Community Member Buy-in
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Although administrators can prescribe teamwork, teams only produce successful outcomes if the teachers commit to them. Increase the likelihood that your teachers see their teams as useful by celebrating team successes. Share positive stories with your teams. Regularly offer feedback on positive outcomes, such as student improvements. Reinforcement like this can help team members feel good about their efforts.
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