Inquiry question:
To what extent will team building exercises positively impact student connection and behaviour?
To what extent will team building exercises positively impact student connection and behaviour?
Behind this project:
Before even setting foot into my PSIII classroom, I was informed that this group of students were a challenging bunch. Many of these students had suffered trauma, were defiant, argumentative, and closed off. Again and again, these factors resulted in mean, borderline bullying behaviour between students. No matter how many times students were verbally encouraged to make amends and consider their treatment of others, nothing was working. One morning, I was observing my Teacher Mentor control an outburst of inappropriate behaviour between two students when it occurred to me that perhaps the students were continuously working against each other because they had not been given the opportunity to genuinely work together outside of the curriculum. By providing opportunities where every single student in the classroom had to work together and be accountable in order to achieve success, I hoped to foster a more accepting and kind classroom climate. |
The Process:
I researched the benefits of team building exercises in the classroom as well as recommended team building activities for students. From the activities researched, I selected the activities which I believed would engage and challenge my students the most. Students completed a survey regarding their roles in the classroom, how well they trusted their classmates, and whether or not they felt bullied by their classmates. Students complete at least one team building activity a week. I introduce the activity, the rules, and what will indicate whether or not they have achieved success. Which strategies students use to complete the activity is solely up to them. I observed and documented student's successes and failures as they worked to complete the activities. I recorded the early results of these activities in my classroom, and acquired feedback on the project from my students, my Teacher Mentor, and our Education Assistant. |
Amelia Clark
Amelia will be graduating from the University of Lethbridge in May 2021 with her B.A and B.Ed in History and Social Studies Education. Amelia completed her final education internship, a combination of PSII and PSIII, at Heritage Hills Elementary in Sherwood Park, Alberta. This professional semester was comprised of a half-time teaching position, completion of the University of Lethbridge's academic requirements, the development of a Professional Inquiry Project.
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