Building Teamwork

One of the best resources a teacher can use is sitting in the classroom, underutilized. When teachers can get students to work together to help each other, learning is greatly enhanced. Unfortunately, many students will not readily take advantage of the potential help surrounding them. Teachers can use a number of ways to encourage students to build teams that will foster success in the classroom.

Helping Hands

Students can take care of many mundane parts of classroom life. By forming communication networks, they can quickly share news about the course, provide reliable sources for assignments (especially those missed due to absence), or help clarify confusions about assignments. Here are some ideas that might work in your class.

Telephone Trees. Create a telephone tree for your class. Instead of using it only for emergencies, have students use these contacts whenever they have a question about the course or an assignment.

Class Partners. Create student pairs. Partners should exchange phone numbers or email accounts. If one partner misses a class, the other can be responsible for helping him or her get missing information, assignments, or even collect returned papers. Partners should call each other when confused; if both are uncertain they should call the instructor.

Home Groups. Form groups of 5-8 students. Allow them 10 minutes a week, usually at the start of a class, to share information and address their concerns. Circulate between the groups and answer their questions. These groups provide a safe place for individuals to voice problems and suggestions for the teacher.

Class Council. Appoint or elect a class council consisting of 3-5 representatives, assigning a group of students to each one. Meet regularly with the council, ask the representatives to serve their constituency by keeping in touch with their needs.

Quality Teams. Use quality control teams to assure that everyone involved in the learning environment is able to work optimally. The team can be introduced to ideas and methods connected to total quality improvement.

In-class Help

Allow some time in class for students to work together. Peers can often help their colleagues work through individual difficulties. If cooperative learning models are not suited to your class, try some of these tips.

Pair Share. Create opportunities for pairs to work together. They can prepare a response to the assigned reading, discuss a question to ask the teacher, summarize lecture points, or review assignments. Even when these activities are not too long, they encourage active thinking.

Peer Editing. Use pairs or trios to critique individual work. Students can edit written drafts a class before the assignment is due. They can evaluate steps used to solve math problems or perform lab experiments. This is more effective when instructors develop standards for assessing the intellectual processes involved.

Study Help

Teachers can help build teams that reinforce academic efforts outside the class. Students may not be able to start these without teacher help but they can take advantage of them if they are set up.

Study Buddies. Have students select one or two partners (use compatible schedules). Encourage or assign them to meet outside of class. Meet with buddy teams during office hours to answer their questions.

Discussion Groups. Create an electronic meeting place. You can require students to participate in planned discussions or use it for informal questions. If you don't want to read through the email, assign students to discussion teams and let them create their own mail distribution lists for discussing class questions.

Review Groups. Offer to meet with groups of students to review the course material. Avoid repeating lectures they already heard. Offer opportunities for students to work in teams to develop review guides or identify questions to ask you. These more active approaches will aid learning.

Project Teams. Have students become involved in working together to develop projects that apply course material. Projects may range from classroom presentations to community service. They may be a major part of the grade or done as extra credit. In any case, allow some time to reflect on teamwork and academic skills.

Final Comments

There is little question that students who work together are more successful. The real tip is to help students develop connections that allow them to help each other. The techniques are not that complicated. However, teachers should not underestimate how important it is for them to encourage, provide organizational support, and promote the kind of reflection that helps students learn how to work together better. Call the CIRT if we can help you work through your ideas.

This Teaching Tip was first published by Indiana State University’s, Center for Teaching and Learning on September 1, 1997.