S'more GeorgiaBEST

Teamwork is an essential part of workplace success. Like a football team working together to execute a play, every team member has a specific role to play in accomplishing tasks on the job. Although it may seem as if one player scored the touchdown, that was made possible by many people’s planning, coordination, and cooperation to get that player the ball.

Get inspired with this short clip from the movie Remember the Titans.

Teamwork involves building relationships and working with other people using a number of important skills and habits:

• Working cooperatively
• Contributing to groups with ideas, suggestions, and effort
• Communication (both giving and receiving)
• Sense of responsibility
• Healthy respect for different opinions, customs, and individual preferences
• Ability to participate in group decision-making

Let's watch another example of people working together successfully as a team.

What examples of teamwork did you see in these two videos?

How did the team members have to learn to work together?

The first video ended with "A Team." A team is what? Fill in the blank - "A Team is _________________"

Teamwork involves building relationships and working with other people using a number of important skills and habits. People in teams need to...

• Working cooperatively
• Contributing to groups with ideas, suggestions, and effort
• Communication (both giving and receiving)
• Sense of responsibility
• Healthy respect for different opinions, customs, and individual preferences
• Ability to participate in group decision-making

How well can you work as a team? Check out this activity - watch about a minute.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Roll of masking or duct tape
  
• Marker
  
• Paper
  
• Bandana or something to act as a blindfold
  

DIRECTIONS:

• Break into groups of 6-8 students per group.
  
• Get 3 or 4 long strips of tape per group - masking tape, duct tape, whatever is in the classroom.
  
• Put a marker or pen in the middle, as shown in the video.
  
• Work together to try and write the word TEAMWORK on a piece of paper.
  
• Take a picture of your team's success and tag @whhswbl on Twitter!
  
• Was that too easy for you? Grab an extra shirt and blindfold half of the group (using the sleeves tied over the eyes).
• Optional: Time how long it takes each group.

DISCUSSION:

Did your group cooperate and work well together?

What were some of the challenges?

How important was communication in this activity?

Was it important to listen to everyone's opinions? Did you find that a leader emerged in your group?

Were there any important decisions that you had to make together as a team?

The ability to work as part of a team is one of the most important skills in today’s job market. Employers are looking for workers who can contribute their own ideas, but also want people who can work with others to create and develop projects and plans. Without team work, companies cannot be successful.

Last week, you wrote letters to military service members thanking them for their service. Training to work in the military is HARD! See how these members helped a basketball team grow as a team.

What are some unexpected places that you find yourself having to work as part of a team?

What are reasons that you DON'T like working as part of a team at school?

Do you think it will be better working on a team in a work environment?

**CHALLENGE: Do you think you could do the team pushup in your class, like in the video? Try it out with groups of 4-6 students.

(Be sure to post on Twitter and tag @hallcountyWBL!)

Today's lesson was brought to you by the Hall County Work-Based Learning Coordinators!

If you have questions about how to offer the GeorgiaBEST certification to your students, please be sure to ask your WBL Coordinator about it today!