Teamwork at University
How to improve team work at university
Teamwork is an important part of university study and usually students will have to work in a team on projects, presentations and/or seminars. These skills are fully transferable to future careers so it is important to learn strategies to develop a productive team atmosphere.
The lesson
AEUK have created a great lesson to help students integrate into teamwork more easily. If you about to embark in any kind of group work it is a good idea to teach key teamwork skills and also do a team building activity. The teamwork lesson includes a discussion of possible problems, creating a good team guidelines, a team-building activity (The Marshmallow Challenge) and a TED Talk lecture (with questions). See Example lesson – The download is at the bottom of this page.
Team-building Activity: The Marshmallow Challenge
This activity is based around a TED Talk. Put the students into groups of four. Give each group a set of items to build the tallest structure that will hold a ‘marshmallow’ on top. They have a set time and must collaborate in a team effectively. The activity helps to break the ice and develop a sense of shared experience.
Teamwork Download
This is the full lesson download. This lesson has been used with over 500 international students on a variety of academic English courses and has proved to be very successful.
Teamwork Lesson – 1x reading, 1x activity & 1x listening.
This lesson develops an understanding of teamwork. The lesson includes a discussion, a reading on creating a good team, a FUN ‘Marshmallow Challenge’ team-building activity and a short TED Talk lecture worksheet based on the findings of the activity. Example. Level: ***** [B2/C1/C2] / Video [06:44] / PPT / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
Listening Download only
This is just the TED Talk comprehension question sheet. Students listen and take notes on the TED lecture twice and then try to answer the questions. There is a PPT included if needed. The lecture discusses what is the rationale behind the Marshmallow Challenge, who is most successful and the reasons why it is good for team-building.
Build a tower, build a team – Tom Wujec
TED TALK: This talks discusses how a team-building activity called the ‘Marshmallow Challenge’ helps develop team cohesion. Example Level: ***** [B1/B2/C1] / Video [06:44] / PPT TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
