Student Perspectives
Introductory Survey:
Before beginning any team building activities, students were given a brief survey focused on how well students knew their classmates, trusted their classmates, how well they believed their classmates knew them, whether they believed they played an important role in the class, and whether they believed there was bullying in the classroom. Results: |
Mid-project Check-In:
Midway through the team building exercises, students were asked to answer the following questions:
1. Why do you think we have been doing group bonding activities?
2. Do you think you have gotten to know your classmates better from this experience? Yes or No
Results:
Most students responses to the first question were centred around the concepts that we were doing the group building activities so that students could get to know each other better, or so that the students would get along better as a class. From this, although it seemed that most students understood the reasoning behind the activities as well as the potential benefits, not all students thought that the activities were bringing them closer together. Of the student's whose responses were collected, twelve (12) students believed the activities had allowed them to get to know their classmates better, while ten (10) students did not.
Midway through the team building exercises, students were asked to answer the following questions:
1. Why do you think we have been doing group bonding activities?
2. Do you think you have gotten to know your classmates better from this experience? Yes or No
Results:
Most students responses to the first question were centred around the concepts that we were doing the group building activities so that students could get to know each other better, or so that the students would get along better as a class. From this, although it seemed that most students understood the reasoning behind the activities as well as the potential benefits, not all students thought that the activities were bringing them closer together. Of the student's whose responses were collected, twelve (12) students believed the activities had allowed them to get to know their classmates better, while ten (10) students did not.
Teacher Perspectives
Class Wide Activities
Early Results:
Early Results:
Observations During Activities:
The largest areas of growth I observed during the activities were centred around communication, willingness to help, and the intrinsic search for success.
When students first began the team building activities, many students lacked the ability to listen to others. This was a topic discussed by the students many times while debriefing activities, and towards the end of the project, most students were able to successfully listen and communicate with their peers.
Each team building activity presented to students could be successfully completed in many different ways. However, students would have the easiest time achieving success by working together rather than individually. This concept was not realized by the students until around the mid-way point of our activities. As students began working together rather than individually, their team building activities began taking less and less time to complete, demonstrating to the students that it was easier to all work together rather than against one another.
Finally, when the students were completing their first activity, the Human Knot, one group chose to cheat by unlinking their hands in order to solve the knot, because they believed that simply producing a solved knot was what would bring success. However, rather than expressing my approval to this group, I expressed my disappointment. Understanding that they were not being praised for finishing first, this group was quick to shoulder off my words, and declared that they had found the activity to be a waste of time anyhow. As the activities continued, less and less students continued openly complaining about participating. By the final activity, Bucket & Balls, students were quick to announce that one of their classmates had cheated by gripping the bucket to pour out the tennis balls. This demonstrated to me that the students were seeking to accomplish the task fairly, and as a team, for themselves instead of for my approval. When students tried the activity again, and were able to pour the tennis balls into the second bucket using the ropes alone, student celebration was much greater than when their success had been artificially achieved the first time.
The largest areas of growth I observed during the activities were centred around communication, willingness to help, and the intrinsic search for success.
When students first began the team building activities, many students lacked the ability to listen to others. This was a topic discussed by the students many times while debriefing activities, and towards the end of the project, most students were able to successfully listen and communicate with their peers.
Each team building activity presented to students could be successfully completed in many different ways. However, students would have the easiest time achieving success by working together rather than individually. This concept was not realized by the students until around the mid-way point of our activities. As students began working together rather than individually, their team building activities began taking less and less time to complete, demonstrating to the students that it was easier to all work together rather than against one another.
Finally, when the students were completing their first activity, the Human Knot, one group chose to cheat by unlinking their hands in order to solve the knot, because they believed that simply producing a solved knot was what would bring success. However, rather than expressing my approval to this group, I expressed my disappointment. Understanding that they were not being praised for finishing first, this group was quick to shoulder off my words, and declared that they had found the activity to be a waste of time anyhow. As the activities continued, less and less students continued openly complaining about participating. By the final activity, Bucket & Balls, students were quick to announce that one of their classmates had cheated by gripping the bucket to pour out the tennis balls. This demonstrated to me that the students were seeking to accomplish the task fairly, and as a team, for themselves instead of for my approval. When students tried the activity again, and were able to pour the tennis balls into the second bucket using the ropes alone, student celebration was much greater than when their success had been artificially achieved the first time.