Fostering Teamwork

In this section, we explore how and why to foster teamwork among young people. Teamwork is defined as the ability “to collaborate and coordinate action with others.” 

This will involve young people: developing group trust and cohesion; participating in successful collaboration; and managing challenges to creating and maintaining effective working relationships. 

This module will support you to: 

  • Define teamwork and understand its role within an SEL framework​; 

  • Apply 2-3 norm-building techniques; 

  • Understand common challenges of group dynamics; 

  • List 2-3 facilitation skills that build group identity and trust among young people; 

  • Apply scaffolding techniques that guide youth to build awareness of, and manage challenges related to, their communication styles; and 

  • Apply conflict resolution techniques. 

The key staff and volunteer practices that support this skill area are: 

  • Providing opportunities with norms and structure for effective group work; 

  • Modelling sensitive and high-level interpersonal functioning with staff-young person and staff-staff interactions; 

  • Facilitating or intervening as needed to foster or sustain youth-led group dynamics and successful collaboration. 

We will explore and practice these approaches in the training. You can find more detail in your participant notebook (see below) as well as on page 69 of the Thrive Guide. 

Resources

A series of resources exploring how and why to foster teamwork among young people. 

Fostering Teamwork: participant notebook

In this workbook, you will find the following activities: 

  • Starburst Identity Chart | Trust and Cohesion 

This is a tool for setting group norms, focusing on trust and cohesion. Use the star diagram to map out your group’s strengths, qualities, and limitations. 

  • R.O.P.E.S. | Team Challenge 

This is a tool for setting group norms, focusing on team challenge. Create group norms around handling conflict that may arise (e.g. miscommunication, differences, etc.), using the ROPES acronym to come up with other words/rules that represent your group. 

  • Head, Hand, Heart | Collaboration 

This is a tool for setting group norms, focusing on collaboration and how each person can and will contribute at different levels: Head (knowledge, understanding, and values); Hand (skills and abilities); and Heart (motives and passion). 

  • Robot Construction Planning 

Use this worksheet for your group’s robot construction planning - decide on a robot idea/design that will help you become more efficient in the kitchen, assign roles to members in your group (there may be more than one member assuming the same role), and then spend time planning. 

  • Application: Common Conflicts Brainstorming 

What are some common conflicts that come up when young people are working together in teams? Using the staff practices discussed in this section [Structure - creating group norms and rituals for trust and cohesion; Modelling - staff model teamwork skills with young people and amongst staff interactions; and Facilitating - staff intervene as needed to foster or sustain collaboration], think about the ways in which you could utilise these practices to address the conflicts you listed above. 

  • Implementation Guide 

Reflect on and develop a plan for implementing (or continuing to implement) effective ways of fostering teamwork with the young people that you work with. 

  • Reflection Questions 

Three questions to help you consolidate and capture key take-aways from this section. 

See more

Further Reading

A selection of articles, books and websites offering additional resources designed to deepen your understanding.

SESD Resource Hub: Developing Socio-Emotional Skills

For more tools and resources, check out the ‘Developing Socio-Emotional Skills’ section of the SESD Resource Hub. 

Explore here