I don’t know if you’ve ever had that moment at the start of a course when you tell students there are going to be teams. With roles.
The shoulder slumps, the eye-rolls, the sighs.
But I created just the opposite in a recent experience, where I transformed an “I don’t like to talk to people” into “I’d like to try those teams.” Here’s what happened.
I’m trying to get an extracurricular math course running at a local high school, but I’m new there and have to generate buy-in with individual students to get them to enroll. One student came to talk to me about the course (let’s call them J), but only out of obligation because they’d told the principal they’d check it out.
After making our introductions, I start telling J about the course, working to get their buy-in. I explain that the course will help them master math, that it has an individualized math tool, and that we work together in teams during the class.
“I don’t really like to talk to people,” J tells me.
I also suspected that J might have had some disappointing learning team experiences in the past. So I talked up how I help create strong teams using team roles.
I pulled out my role cards and showed them to J. There were come familiar roles, like Captain, Recorder, and Spokesperson. I shared that these roles really help when I’m in teams because it’s clear who the captain is, since sometimes there are teams where multiple people want to be the leader. (That got a nod, so I was on track and connecting with J’s past experiences.)
Then I pointed out some less-common roles, like the Reflector. This is someone who gives feedback to the team about what they’re doing well and how they can improve their performance. I also highlighted the Reflector’s responsibility to remind the captain of their duties, so that there’s someone who will help the captain do their job better. J’s eyebrow-raise suggested that this was intriguing.
I worked to seal the deal by explaining that my responsibility as a facilitator is to help make teams successful. I promised that I would observe teams and offer tips to improve their performance.
To make it more concrete, I gave an example of a constructive intervention. That if I saw the team getting stuck, I might ask the team if I could share an observation and offer a tip. And that if the team said yes, I might say, “It seems like several people on the team are frustrated and I think I can help. Captain, have you invited each person to share their idea so that the Recorder can make a team answer?” And that I could demonstrate if they’d like.
I also used one of my favorite lines about rotating team roles: We’ll rotate roles every class so that everyone gets the opportunity – and the challenge – of performing in every role. This received a sage nod. That it would put J out of their comfort zone, but would be fair by doing the same to everyone on the team.
J was now intrigued, willing to participate in teams, and willing to talk with teammates. I did a little victory dance in my head!
What’s your best practice for generating buy-in to your course? Share your tip with me at president@processeducation.org
Want to read more about these PE Practices? Check out these modules from the Faculty Guidebook:
3.1.5 Getting Student Buy-In
3.2.7 Constructive Intervention
3.2.8 Constructive Intervention Techniques
3.4.2 Designing Teams and Assigning Roles
Access to the electronic Faculty Guidebook is included with your Academy membership! Log on to the Member’s site connect. Log in credentials are available on the Member site.