This book provides teachers with a lesson plan of team building activities for use in the classroom. The book is organized by quarters - starting with introductory activities and games during the start of the school year - and building to trust activities by the end of the year. Each activity is followed by a list of processing questions. These can be used to help the teacher and students get the most from the activities. There are also variations described for each activity. Activities require little or no equipment, and most can be done within the classroom. This book provides instant lesson plans that can easily be tied to today's classroom issues such as bullying, self-esteem, and diversity. These initiatives are a powerful tool for the teacher to help students work together, get to know each other, understand differences, and improve self-awareness.
Did you know that games can be a terrifically effective way to build team spirit, communication, and trust among people who work together day in and day out? Now you can spark morale in any work group by choosing from 70 stimulating games and activities specifically designed for the manager who's looking to raise sagging morale in a department, liven up boring staff meetings, enable team members to collaborate smoothly and effectively, and much more!
Use technology to increase loyalty and productivity in your employees 50 Digital Team-Building Games offers fun, energizing meeting openers, team activities, and group adventures for business teams, using Twitter, GPS, Facebook, smartphones, and other technology. The games can be played in-person or virtually, and range from 5-minute ice-breakers to an epic four-hour GPS-based adventure. Designed to be lead by managers, facilitators, presenters, and speakers, the activities help teams and groups get comfortable with technology, get to know each other better, build trust, improve communication, and more. No need to be a "techie" to lead these games—they're simple and well-scripted. Author John Chen is the CEO of Geoteaming, a company that uses technology and adventure to teach teams how to collaborate. How to lead a simple, fast, fun team building activity with easy-to-follow instructions How to create successful "virtual" team building that requires NO travel and little to no additional expenses How to engage standoffish engineers, "hard to reach" technical teams, or Gen X/Y teammates with technology they enjoy using Successful technology-based team building can build buzz for your company, build critically important relationships and communication internally, and keep your team talking about it for weeks afterward!
The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.
Team-Building Activities for the Digital Age will help you promote interpersonal communication and encourage young people to express their individuality and build face-to-face relationships. The activities use the technology that today's young adults thrive on (including cell phones, social networking sites, MP3 players, blogs, and digital cameras) as an opportunity for education and enlightenment.
Teamwork is critical to the success of any group—students, athletes, businesspeople, community members, and others. Team Building Through Physical Challenges: A Complete Tool Kit, Second Edition, takes a proactive approach to building teams as it explains the concepts of team building, shows how to set up teams to facilitate growth, and provides 67 mentally and physically challenging games and activities that will foster team building and the development of numerous social and emotional skills. These activities are an ideal way to start the school year, a sport season, corporate training, an adventure trip, or any endeavor that requires working together. New and updated materials for this resource include the following: Updated content on how to implement the activities A new emphasis on social and emotional learning A new web resource with video demonstrations, reproducibles, and a sample team-building course outline Team Building Through Physical Challenges features 67 ready-to-use, field-tested activities and challenges for introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels. They are presented in a clear and practical format that addresses setup, rules, equipment needs, and variations for each challenge. The web resource offers video clips showing team building in action, as well as reproducible forms to make implementation easier. The web resource includes challenge and organizer cards for all challenges; these cards give the teams all the information needed to begin the activities. Another important feature of the book is the rationale it offers to obtain support and funding for the implementation of team building in schools, organizations, and businesses. Participants will focus on and build a variety of skills and character traits: Trust building Conflict resolution Leadership Self-control Collaborative problem-solving Effective communication Critical thinking Creativity Optimistic thinking Listening skills Appropriate risk-taking Resilience Growth mindset Team Building Through Physical Challenges assembles the best team- and character-building resources developed by the authors since the first edition of this popular book was published, plus new activities and supporting material. The authors are recognized experts in the field who have been creating, compiling, and experimenting with team-building activities for nearly 50 years. Team Building Through Physical Challenges is the only comprehensive book of team-building activities that focus on physical challenges. Through the clear instruction and guidance on team building, the useful web resource, and the exciting and challenging activities, participants will learn to become respectful competitors, valuable problem solvers, selfless leaders, and high-character members of their school, team, company, or community.
Successful implementation and completion of team activities requires instructors and students alike to confront challenges not present in individual work. To maximize learning, group projects need a solid lesson plan that helps students understand the benefits of group work, develop ground rules and assign responsibilities, value everyone’s contributions, and resolve potential conflicts. Teacher, curriculum designer, and “teacherpreneur” Patrice Palmer offers thirteen easily implemented, robust group-work activities formatted to foster the development of life skills. Designed with secondary and postsecondary students in mind, Palmer’s workbook takes students through the team-building process, from getting to know one another to a final evaluation of the group’s work and success. Written in a user-friendly format, Successful Group Work: 13 Activities to Teach Teamwork Skills allows teachers to choose activities that best meet their students’ needs. Make group work a powerful addition to your teaching repertoire. You may be surprised how your students rise to meet a new challenge!
The 36 activities in this book make learning about leadership a hands-on, active experience. Kids are called on to recognize each other’s strengths, become better listeners, communicate clearly, identify their values, build trust, set goals, and more. Each activity takes 20–45 minutes. Digital content includes all of the book's reproducible forms.