WHY WORK IN A TEAM SESSION PLAN

SESSION: WHY WORK IN A TEAM
Expected Progress:
Young people understand the advantages of working in a team
Young people can identify the problems they might face when working in a team / Description:
This session supports young people to understand the importance of working as part of a team and how they can be good team players.
Resources required:
Flipchart paper
Whiteboard
Pens
Paper
Teamwork Hats resource / LLN Opportunities:
Spell words correctly
Add and divide numbers
Manage money / STEM Opportunities:
Analytical/Systematic thinking
Organisation and task setting
Problem solving / Qualifications Opportunities:
Teamwork
Interpersonal & Self Management Skills
SCQF Teamwork
SCQF Interpersonal & Self Management Skills
DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY / RESOURCES / SUGGESTED LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Introduction and icebreaker
Ask the young people to work in teams to solve answer for this question:
A cat needs to bring a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage across the river.The boat is tiny and can only carry one passenger at a time.If he leaves the wolf and the goat alone together, the wolf will eat the goat.If he leaves the goat and the cabbage alone together, the goat will eat the cabbage.
How can he bring all three safely across the river?
Once the YP have some answer ideas, reveal the solution. Then, ask them to consider: would they have wanted to complete a logic puzzle on their own? What was the benefit of working with others to complete the logic puzzle? / Pen/Paper / Solution: Take the goat over first.
Then you can take either one, and bring the goat back. Take the cabbage over to accompany the wolf. Then take the goat back on the last trip.Cat, Goat, Wolf, Cabbage
Going it alone – memory game
Compile a selection of random objects or pictures and something to cover them with. Show the young people the objects for 10 seconds and cover them up. Ask young people to write down on a piece of paper the objects/pictures they remember seeing, giving them just 2 minutes to write their answers – they should not speak to each other or let others see their answers.
Use objects/ pictures with different levels of spelling. For example, some objects/ pictures may include two or more syllables, common spelling rules (‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’, silent letters such as ‘gnome’) and/ or homophones (words with the same sound but different spelling e.g. which/ witch, knot/ not). Provide dictionaries so they can check their spelling at the end of the task.
When they have finished, ask them if they found this easy or difficult to do on their own? Did they remember everything?
Now, repeat the exercise (or use different objects/pictures) and allow them to complete the tasks in small groups. Let them discuss how they will complete the task before setting them off e.g. will they all write things down individually, will one person write and all give ideas.
Ask young people whether they found it easier to work as part of a team? If so, why? What else has to be considered when you work as a team? Did everyone have the same idea about how to go about the task? / Pen
Paper
Objects or pictures / Entry Level 3/Scotland Level 3
Assessment Criteria: identify an advantage of working in a team
Level 1/Scotland Level 4
Assessment Criteria: identify the advantages of working in a team
Level 2/Scotland Level 5
Assessment Criteria: describe the advantages of working as a team
Assessment Criteria: outline characteristics of an effective team
Team hats
In this game, young people will explore the different problems that might occur when working as part of a team.
Split your group into teams of 4/5 and tell each group that they have been given £200 to spend on anything they like, but the whole team must agree on what the money should be spent on.
Get the groups to work out how exactly the £200 will be divided between different items/ purposes, ensuring that they come within budget. The young people could draw up a brief plan of what this would look like.
Assign each member of the group a different role to play/hat to wear. They shouldn’t tell anyone else in the team what their role is!
  • Mr/Miss Difficult - Won’t agree with anyone on anything. Always finds a problem with other people’s ideas
  • Mr/Miss Keen - Super positive, even for the silliest ideas!
  • Mr/Miss Quiet - Doesn’t contribute to a discussion unless they have to
  • Mr/Miss Lazy - Doesn’t pull their weight. Might even wander off during a discussion!
  • Mr/Miss Talkative - Doesn’t stop talking, even if it’s got nothing to do with the task!
Give each team 10 minutes to come to a decision. Then ask whether they found working in that team easy or difficult? Did they work out what each person’s role was?
Discuss as a group:
How can you be a good team player? Are there certain things that you should avoid doing or make sure that you do to help the rest of your team? Where other members of the team difficult to work with, if so why? / Teamwork hats / Entry Level 3/Scotland Level 3
Assessment Criteria: identify a problem that could occur when working in a team
Level 1/Scotland Level 4
Assessment Criteria: give examples of the problems that could occur when working as a team
Level 2/Scotland Level 5
Assessment Criteria: describe the problems that could occur when working as a team
The importance of teamwork
Discuss the following situations and whether they are better done alone or in a team. Get young people to think about why they may be done alone or in a team:
Play rugby
Ride a bike
Operate on a patient in a hospital
Be a mechanic
Serve a customer in a restaurant
Some of these situations could be done alone or with others (e.g. ride a bike, be a mechanic); however there would be advantages/disadvantages to doing it alone or with others e.g. you could serve a customer on your own in a restaurant but would it be easier if you had others making the food/drinks for you? Similarly riding a tandem bike would be teamwork but it would take practice!
During the discussion learners should be encouraged to let others give their views and opinions.Ask young people to think about 2 other situations in which teamwork is essential to complete a task i.e. it couldn’t be done by one person, or it is better to have more people involved. These situations could be from their own personal experience, or from something they have seen on TV/in movies etc. / Pens
Paper / Level 1/Scotland Level 4
Assessment Criteria: identify two situations where teamwork is essential
Level 2/Scotland Level 5
Assessment Criteria: explain why teamwork is essential in two situations
Wrap Up
What have you learnt as part of this session? How do you feel about it? Do you feel better prepared to work together as a team? / Entry 3/Scotland Level 3
Assessment Criteria: identify what went well when working as part of a team
Assessment Criteria: identify a task that could have been improved
Level 1/Scotland Level 4
Assessment Criteria: give examples of how the team worked well
Assessment Criteria: give examples of skills you have developed while working as a team
Assessment Criteria: state ways to improve own team working skills
Level 2/Scotland Level 5
Assessment Criteria: explain how the team worked well
Assessment Criteria: describe skills you have developed while working as a team
Assessment Criteria: describe ways to improve own team working skills

1 (April 2017)