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Why is Teamwork Important in the Classroom

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Why is Teamwork Important in the Classroom

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For students to achieve a comprehensive, well-rounded education, integrated teamwork on several fronts is vital. Teamwork is necessary between students, between students and teachers, and among parents and educators. The more teamwork fundamentals exhibited, the more opportunity exists for students to learn the vital skills of compromise and collaboration.

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Why Is Teamwork Important in the Classroom?

For students to achieve a comprehensive, well-rounded education, integrated teamwork on several fronts is vital. Teamwork is necessary between students, between students and teachers, and among parents and educators. The more teamwork fundamentals exhibited, the more opportunity exists for students to learn the vital skills of compromise and collaboration.

Teachers and Paraprofessionals

Many classroom environments employ the use of paraprofessionals, teaching assistants, student teachers and even parent volunteers to help with fundamental classroom exercises. This assistance frees up the time for the lead teacher to focus on skills development and classroom management. To be effective, good communication and teamwork between the adults is vital to ensure that students are getting the time, attention and levels of instruction required. Typically, each adult in the classroom is tasked with carrying out specific duties and responsibilities in a collaborative manner.

Co-Teaching

In many academic settings, teachers in different departments team up to ensure a continuity of instruction for students. A fifth grade science teacher focused on scientific measurements and calculations might collaborate with a fifth grade math teacher who teaches volume and measurements. As a team, the teachers create a crossover educational experience in which students of both educators have the opportunity to see how statistical information can be used in the different disciplines.

Teachers and Parents

Parents play a vital role in a student's education, particularly during the formative years. When teachers and parents act as a team, it can reinforce positive behaviors and learning skills developed in the classroom and practiced at home. When students see educators and parental figures working together, they learn to value education and get academic and behavioral support both inside and outside the classroom. Parent-teacher teams that communicate well can share information about the student and help devise ways to individualize learning approaches to best meet the student's needs.

Student Collaboration

Team or group work in a classroom teaches students the fundamental skills associated with working as a collective unit toward a common goal. This type of teamwork introduces a variety of skills that will be valuable for students later in the workforce, such as communication, compromise and collective effort. In any type of group work, students must agree about who will handle various components of a project and work in tandem using one another's strengths to accomplish assigned tasks. This teaches time management, resource allocation and communication skills.

About the Author

Lisa McQuerrey has been a business writer since 1987. In 1994, she launched a full-service marketing and communications firm. McQuerrey's work has garnered awards from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the International Association of Business Communicators and the Associated Press. She is also the author of several nonfiction trade publications, and, in 2012, had her first young-adult novel published by Glass Page Books.

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Why Is Teamwork Important in the Classroom?

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For students to achieve a comprehensive, well-rounded education, integrated teamwork on several fronts is vital. Teamwork is necessary between students, between students and teachers, and among parents and educators. The more teamwork fundamentals exhibited, the more opportunity exists for students to learn the vital skills of compromise and collaboration.

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33 Awesome Team-Building Games and Activities for Kids

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33 Awesome Team-Building Games and Activities for Kids

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Here are some fun ways for students to learn valuable skills like cooperation and communication.

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43 Awesome Team-Building Games and Activities for Kids

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Students will have fun while learning how to cooperate and communicate.

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More fun ways for students to learn valuable skills like cooperation and communication.

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by Susan Verner 102,412 views

Are you stuck in a rut when it comes to group activities?

Is it time to teach new vocabulary, review for a test or just do something different in class? Try these 6 unique ideas for group work to mix things up.

Group Work is Very Effective When Used in the Following Ways:

1. Choose Your Own Vocabulary

For something different, why not have your students come up with a set of vocabulary words to learn for the day? Start with a topic of your choice. Tell your students that you are going to let them choose their own set of vocabulary words on that subject. Give your students one word associated with that topic and write it on the board. Then have your students take turns adding words to the list. You should write the words on the board as they give them. Their words can be anything as long as they are associated with the topic you have given them. Students should be allowed to use dictionaries and thesauruses to come up with their words. Once everyone has given a unique word to the vocabulary set, have groups of students write a paragraph or two using each of the words on the list.

2. Secret Descriptions

The next time you want to review adjectives with your class, try this group activity. Put your students into groups of about five or six, and have each group choose one person they will describe for the rest of the class. Without telling the class who it is, members of the group should take turns writing descriptive words or phrases on the board about that person. The other groups should try to determine who the group is describing as they write the adjectives on the board. Once each person in the presenting group has added a description, the other groups should write down who they think is being described. If they are correct, their group earns a point. After each of the groups have described a member, start again with the first group. The game is over once one or more teams have scored three points.

3. Play Ball

Is there a test coming up soon in your class? This is a fun way to review before it's time to put pencils to paper. Have your students arrange themselves in a circle. You stand in the center of the circle holding a ball. Ask a review question, and then throw the ball to one of your students. That student should answer your question and then throw the ball back to you. If the student with the ball cannot answer the question, he or she must say, "I'm sorry. I don't know the answer." He then passes the ball to another student. That student either answers the question and gives you the ball or says she doesn't know and passes the ball to another student. If at any time a student gives an incorrect answer say, "I'm sorry. That isn't the correct answer." Then pass the ball to another student who tries to answer. Play this way until someone gives the correct answer to the question. Then move on to another question and pass the ball again. Play until you have asked all of your review questions or until everyone in the class has answered a question correctly.

4. Memory Challenge

This vocabulary learning activity is fun for students of all levels. Collect several items on a tray (they can be around one theme or randomly selected), and show them to your students for sixty seconds. The more items you use, the more difficult the activity will be. Then cover the items and have groups of students work together to make a list of all of the items that were on the tray. When your students cannot remember any more items, uncover the tray and have them check their answers. This is a good time to review the names of the items on the tray or give alternative names for them. After checking their lists, have each group work together to write one sentence about each of the items. To extend the activity, remove one or two items and show the tray to your students again. Groups discuss what is different or what items are missing. This gives them a chance to use the vocabulary they have just learned. In addition, you can use this activity to review prepositions of location. Have your students write descriptive sentences about where the items are located on the tray. Then, rather than removing items, move items around and have groups discuss what changes you made to the positions of the objects.

5. What Will You Need

Tell your students they are going on a trip, and they will need to pack. You decide where they will be going or take suggestions from the class. Groups of two or three students work together to make a list of all the items they will need to bring with them. Give your students no less than one but no more than five minutes to make their list. (The shorter the amount of time, the more difficult the game will be.) Then, have groups compare what they have listed. Any items that another group has listed should be crossed out. Groups score one point for each of the unique items on their packing list. The group with the most number of unique (and appropriate) items wins the round. Play again, this time with another destination in mind. At the end of three rounds, the team with the most points wins.

6. Get Creative

Prepare for this activity by collecting 20-40 pictures of objects. You can use pictures from magazines or recycled picture books, pictures printed off the internet, take pictures of items yourself or buy a set of flash cards with random nouns. Shuffle the pictures and divide your class into groups of around three students. Then have each group choose five pictures without looking at them. The students must then work together to compose a skit that includes all of the objects they have chosen. Encourage your students to be creative and to have fun. Then, have each group perform their skit in front of the class.

P.S. If you enjoyed this article, please help spread it by clicking one of those sharing buttons below. And if you are interested in more, you should follow our Facebook page where we share more about creative, non-boring ways to teach English.

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by Susan Verner 102,412 views Is it time to teach new vocabulary, review for a test or just do something different in class? Try these 6 unique ideas for group work to mix things up. For something different, why not have your students come up with a set of vocabulary words to learn for the day?

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Classroom Activities: 5 Fun Ideas for Group Work

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Classroom Activities: 5 Fun Ideas for Group Work

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Many teachers like to have their students work on classroom activities collaboratively throughout the day in small groups. Group work is a great way for students to learn from one another and to build a sense of community in the classroom.

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Many teachers like to have their students work on classroom activities collaboratively throughout the day in small groups. Group work is a great way for students to learn from one another and to build a sense of community in the classroom. It also gives shy students the opportunity to open up and work on their communication skills in a smaller learning environment. Whether you want a fun way to review for an upcoming test or are just looking for a few new classroom activities to help mix up your groups, we have some creative ideas for you.

Is there an upcoming test that your students need to review for? If you are stick of your old review games like Jeopardy! or Family Feud, then you need to try playing "Pass the Ball." To begin, instruct students to sit in a circle and position yourself in the middle of the circle holding a soft ball. Ask a review question to the students and give them a second or two to think about the answer to themselves. Next, point to a student, then toss the ball to them. They must come up with an answer whether they know it or not. If they get the answer correct, they pass it to you. If they get it incorrect, they point, then pass the ball to another student to try an answer correctly. The game continues until every student has gotten at least one question correct.

Surprise Objects

This is a fun group work activity to get your students up and moving. You will need to find about 30 objects and place them into a tote or box. Make sure that the box is covered, so when students choose their objects, they cannot see what they are choosing. Divide students into small groups and have each group blindly choose five items. The students must work together in their group to write a skit, then act it out using the five objects that they chose. Many teachers like to correlate the objects with what the students are learning about. For example, if students are learning about the civil war, then the objects could include a sword, body armor, bell, frock coat, battle flag, etc. It's a fun way for students to work together while learning about important concepts.

Memory Challenge

Another fun review activity is to challenge students' memory by writing down several vocabulary words and placing them onto the table. Allow students while in their groups to view the words for about 60 seconds, then cover them up. The goal is to see which group can remember the most words in one minute. Make sure to set the timer for one minute after the words are covered up. After the lists are checked by you, then set another challenge for the students. This time, take away a few words to see if the students know which words are now missing. Once that challenge is completed, you can further extend the activity by adding additional vocabulary words to see if the students can figure out which words were added. Once the memory challenge is completed, the first group that can write down the definitions for each word on the table wins.

Guess Who

A fun getting-to-know-you activity is to play the game "Guess Who?" This group work activity forces students to work together to complete their task. Put students into small groups and challenge them to secretly choose one person in the group to describe to the rest of their classmates. Next, have students come up to the board and take turns writing one descriptive word about the secret student in their group, including the secret student they are writing about. After each student writes their description on the board, the other groups huddle together to take a guess at who they are talking about. The groups then write down their guess on piece of paper and hold it up after each description. The first group to guess the secret student wins.

Picture Puzzles

Another fun group work activity is to have students work as a team to complete a puzzle. This activity does not use any normal puzzle, but challenges the students to draw one. Print out any picture of your choosing, then cut the picture into nine pieces. Make sure that you cut the picture so that students will be able to put it back together like a puzzle. Give each student three pieces of the puzzle (so that means three students per group). Ask students to draw their pieces of the image as closely as they can on another set of three puzzle pieces. Once students are done, have them put the puzzle together again using their drawing this time.
Do you have any fun classroom activities for group work that you would like to share? Please feel free to tell us about them in the comment section below, we would love to hear your ideas.
Janelle Cox is an education writer who uses her experience and knowledge to provide creative and original writing in the field of education. Janelle holds Masters of Science in Education from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. She is a contributing writer to TeachHUB.com, TeachHUB Magazine, and Hey Teach. She was also the Elementary Education Expert for About.com for five years. You can follow her on Twitter @Empoweringk6ed, on Facebook at Empowering K6 Educators, or contact her at Janellecox78@yahoo.com.

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Classroom Activities: 5 Fun Ideas for Group Work

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1) Responsibility
2) Accountability
3) Positive teamwork

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Tuckman's theory focuses on the way in which a team tackles a task from the initial formation of the team through to the completion of the project.

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Teamwork Theory: Tuckman's Stages of Group Development
Probably the most famous teamwork theory is Bruce Tuckman's "team stages model".
First developed in 1965, Tuckman's model is widely known as a basis for effective team building. Yet how many people really know how to use it?

Below we explain Tuckman's model and offer some fresh insights on how to take it further.

But before reading on why not take the chance to "team-up" with our great range of e-guides . The complete set is now available at half price!

You'll find advice, tips, tools and new models which you won't find anywhere else. You can read about the real benefits of our teams bundle in our article on team building activities. Or why not download your half price offer right now! You're in good company with satisfied customers from over 30 countries around the world. Click the image below to view some of our most popular e-guides:

Tuckman's model is significant because it recognizes the fact that groups do not start off fully-formed and functioning. He suggests that teams grow through clearly defined stages, from their creation as groups of individuals, to cohesive, task-focused teams.

Our e-guide: Build a Better Team, has been specifically designed to help you understand and use a team stages model. It contains a tool for each stage to help you build a high-performing team - as quickly as possible.

Tuckman's Teamwork Theory

Tuckman describes working with a team of social psychologists, on behalf of the U.S. navy. The team studied small group behaviour, from several perspectives. In doing so, Tuckman reviewed 50 articles on group development and noticed that there were two features common to these small groups: the interpersonal or group structure, and the task activity. From this he identified that groups evolved into teams via four common stages.

Firstly an orientation, testing phase which often led to a period characterized by a degree of conflict. This then generally resolved itself, leading to a more socially cohesive phase. Finally, groups settled to a functional phase, during which they focused on role-relatedness. To summarize these four phases, Tuckman coined the oft-quoted terms: "forming", "storming", "norming" and "performing".

Tuckman's teamwork theory is best illustrated on a graph which shows the link between group relationships (the horizontal axis) and task focus (the vertical axis). The optimal or "performing" position is reached when relationships have developed within the group and it has started delivering with a clear focus on the task.

However, Tuckman's ideas clearly indicate that it takes time to reach the "performing" stage, and it's normal for these teams to go through ups and downs as they develop relationships. Particularly in the early period, which is perhaps why Tuckman called it the "storming" phase!

The 4 Phases of Tuckman's Teamwork Theory

Forming:
The initial stage of team development during which individuals have not yet gelled together. Everybody is busy finding their place in the team, sizing each other up, and asking themselves why they are here! Find out more in our articles: Team Building Techniques and Teamwork Tips. The first offers advice on starting a new team while the second will help you take over an existing team (perhaps a far more common situation).

Storming:
People begin to see themselves as part of a team. However at this stage they may challenge each other, and the team leader, about such things as what the team is doing, and how things should be done. As the stage title suggests, conflict and confrontation typify this stage, as differences surface. This may result in some loss of performance or focus on the task, as the diagram illustrates.

Norming:
This is the phase where team members start to come together, developing processes, establishing ground rules, clarifying who does what, and how things will be done. This phase is characterized by a growing sense of "togetherness". Find out more about both the Storming and Norming phases in our article: Team Building Concepts.

Performing:
This is the final stage where increased focus on both the task, and on team relationships, combine to provide synergy. Performance is delivered through people working effectively together. We have written two articles to further develop this stage. Team Building in the Workplace will help you build a performing team. Characteristics of Effective Teamwork will help you and your team sustain that performance.

The value of Tuckman's model is that it helps us understand that teams evolve. It also helps us to consider how they may encounter different problems at different stages of their development.

One limitation of the model may be that it makes team building appear too linear and sequential. Although it's a useful analytical tool, we must remember that some teams may "loop" around in their development.

For example, not all teams evolve smoothly through Tuckman's stages but may yo-yo between norming and storming until they either begin to function, or are disbanded! Regardless of limitations, all well-conceived models can be useful in helping us to understand and better manage our circumstances.

Beyond Tuckman

Read our new book:

Uncommon Leadership: how to build competitive edge by thinking differently
"a tour de force ... all integrated into a fascinating intellectual package"

Professor Dennis J. Garritan, Adjunct Professor, Harvard University

Tuckman's famous phases are part of a teamwork theory based on stages of team development. His theory may have gained popularity partly due to the catchy labels for each of his stages.

However, it also provides a useful and simple way to think about how we humans interact in team situations. Firstly by illustrating that it's normal for teams go through stages as they develop. Secondly, by highlighting the need to manage different aspects of team behaviour at each stage of that development. The beauty and usefulness of Tuckman's model is perhaps in its simplicity.

Team development theories such, as Tuckman's group development stages, recognise that teams develop through different stages, from forming through to performing.

Whilst these theories give a useful understanding of different team requirements at different times, there are a number of questions that aren't particularly well answered by the models. For example:

How should you lead at the different stages of a team's development?

How do you identify when you are progressing through a stage?

How does the team develop in the organisational setting?

How is it affected by other outside influences?

The theory of group stages alone doesn't answer these questions. To do so, and thus to build a more robust teamwork concept, ideas about team leadership and outside factors need to be introduced. We've done just this in our STAR team performance model. You can see how this model applies to group stages in: Stages of Team Development.

This is the first of ten articles in our teamwork series. But for some practical tips on using teamwork theory, look at our great-value guides (below), or at our Team Building Exercises for all team stages.

Team Building Exercises and Team Stages

The exercises in this guide are grouped according to our team stages model. Remember, each team is unique and needs to be led through several developmental stages. These include:
Creating a new team or taking over an existing team

Exercise 1: Being a TEAM together

Exercise 2: True or false

Exercise 3: Who does what in a team?

Exercise 4: Getting the mix right

Exercise 5: Doing something for the first time

Exercise 6: Two years from now

Developing a team

Exercise 7: A clearer vision

Exercise 8: Mad, sad or glad

Exercise 9: Seeing the bigger picture

Exercise 10: Positive feedback

Exercise 11: Conflicting views

Performing and achieving results with a team

Exercise 12: Did you notice?

Exercise 13: Limiting beliefs

Sustaining team performance

Exercise 14: Scarce resources

Exercise 15: Keeping going

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Probably the most famous teamwork theory is Bruce Tuckman's "team stages model". First developed in 1965, Tuckman's model is widely known as a basis for effective team building. Yet how many people really know how to use it? Below we explain Tuckman's model and offer some fresh insights on how to take it further.

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Dr. Belbin proved that closely knit teams of compatible members will get you much further than the group of highly intelligent but stubborn individuals.

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Why is your team successful? Why is your team failing? Dr. Belbin has an answer.

Dr. Raymond Meredith Belbin is the leading authority on team roles. His research, that spanned more than 40 years, showed that it is more important how members fit together than how smart they individually are.

Successful teams were comprised of members with different and compatible roles, while unsuccessful ones were characterized by constant conflicts between members with similar tendencies and personalities.

What happens when you make a team out of A players

Belbin's research produced several personality tests that enabled experts to determine if an individual will become a business superstar. Those who passed with flying colors were smarter, had better analytical skills, and were better than others in almost every aspect. Logically, the next step in research was to create a super team made up entirely of these outstanding individuals.

Belbin named them the Apollo team. Expectations were high as everyone thought the superstars of the Apollo team would achieve success effortlessly. However, it turned out that team made out of the strongest individuals is not as effective as it should be - what's more, it usually performed worse than a regular team.

The Apollo team members had spent most of their time debating and trying to persuade other members that their point of view was the correct one. However, no one was willing to change their point of view and each member loved to find holes in each others' arguments. The team couldn't reach a decision together while more pressing jobs were completely neglected.

Belbin team roles

The Apollo team experiment proved that good teams require balance. Over the course of years, Belbin defined nine possible team roles, which he categorized into three groups:
ACTION-ORIENTED ROLES
Action oriented roles focus on improving team's performance, putting ideas into action, and meeting deadlines. The three action-oriented roles are:

Shaper - extrovert that questions assumptions

Implementer - brings self-discipline to the team

Completer Finisher - pays attention to smallest details and makes sure things are done right

PEOPLE-ORIENTED ROLES
People oriented roles bring people and ideas together. The three people oriented roles are:

Coordinator - brings order into the team

Team worker - provides support to the team in a diplomatic way

Resource Investigator - develops outside contacts

THOUGHT-ORIENTED ROLES
Thought oriented roles analyze options and provide technical expertise. The three cerebral roles are:

Plant - comes up with innovative, ground-breaking solutions

Monitor evaluator - assesses team decisions analytically and critically

Specialist - experts in particular subject matter

Roles characteristics, contribution, and weaknesses

Each Belbin team role comes with its set of characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses (some of which are allowable and others that are not).

Roles

Characteristics

Strengths

Allowable weaknesses

Not-allowable weaknesses

Action oriented roles

Shaper

* Challenging
* Dynamic
* Thrives on pressure

* Has the drive to overcome the pressure

* Provokes others
* Hurts peoples' feelings

* Inability to recover situation with good humour or apology

Completer Finisher

* Painstaking
* Conscientious
* Anxious

* Searches out errors and omissions
* Delivers on time

* Inclined to worry unduly
* Reluctant to delegate
* A nit-picker

* Obsessional behaviour

Implementer

* Disciplined
* Reliable
* Conservative
* Efficient

* Turns ideas into practical solutions

* Somewhat inflexible
* Slow to respond to new possibilities

* Obstructing change

People oriented roles

Teamworker

* Co-operative
* Mild
* Perceptive
* Diplomatic

* Listens
* Builds
* Averts friction
* Calms the waters

* Indecisive in crush situations
* Can be easily influenced

* Avoiding situations that may entail pressure

Resource Investigator

* Extrovert
* Enthusiastic
* Communicative

* Explores opportunities
* Develops contacts

* Over-optimistic
* Loses interest once initial enthusiasm has passed

* Letting clients down by neglecting to follow-up arrangements

Coordinator

* Mature
* Confident
* A good chairperson

* Clarifies goals
* Promotes decision making
* Delegates well

* Delegates personal work
* Inclination to laziness once someone takes over

* Taking credit for the effort of a team

Thought oriented roles

Plant

* Creative
* Imaginative
* Unorthodox

* Solves difficult problems

* Ignores details
* Too preoccupied to communicate effectively

* Strong ownership of idea when co-operation with others would yield better results

Monitor Evaluator

* Sober
* Strategic
* Discerning

* Sees all options
* Judges accurately

* Sceptic
* Lacks drive and ability to inspire others
* Overly critical

* Cynicism without logic

Specialist

* Single-minded
* Self-starting
* Dedicated

* Provides knowledge and skills in rare supply

* Contributes on only a narrow front
* Dwells on technicalities
* Overlooks the big picture

* Ignoring factors outside own area of competence

Ideal team for a small business

To have a well-functioning team, it would be ideal to have a member for each role. However, to make that happen, you would need a team of at least 9 people. Since small businesses often work with smaller teams, it is only fair to ask: how would Belbin construct a successful small team?

Firstly, it would be ideal if the team had 6 members. Belbin's research has proven that teams with less than 6 members struggle with work and overlapping duties, while teams with more members (7+) tend to get lazy and do the same amount of work as the six-member team.

Secondly, Belbin claims that successful small team should have one Coordinator, one Implementer, and one Plant. Those are a must. Choose other roles as you see fit.

You are probably wondering: "If I have a task that requires creative solution, why don't I just gather three 'Plant' members and let them work their magic?" It turns out, you shouldn't do this.

During his research, Dr. Belbin wanted to know how teams made of people with similar personalities function in everyday business environment, and how they cope when it comes to problem-solving. To achieve this, he divided examinees into four groups based on their personalities:

Stable Extroverts - Excellent communicators. They are best as sales representatives or HR managers.

Anxious Extroverts - Ideal for high-paced working environments. They are most likely to work as sales managers, works managers, and editors.

Stable Introverts - Perfect for long-lasting, close-knit teams. Their usual occupations are administrators, solicitors, government officials, and corporate planners.

Anxious Introverts - They excel at individual jobs that require self-direction and self-sustaining persistence. These are extremely creative people, research scientists, and specialists on long-term assignments.

Each group was divided into a number of teams.

These newly formed 'pure' teams brought out extremes in behavior and effects. Results showed that purely extroverted teams had a higher rate of success than purely introverted ones. On the other hand, there were differences in results as each group had strengths and weaknesses:

Stable Extrovert teams - These teams work well together, enjoy group work, have a versatile approach, and use resources well. However, they are inclined to be euphoric and lazy. They had achieved good results overall, but are dependent on one another.

Anxious Extrovert teams - They are dynamic and entrepreneurial, good at seizing opportunities, and prone to the healthy disagreements. On the other hand they are easily distracted and can quickly stray off topic. They had excellent results in rapidly changing situations, but were utterly unreliable at other times.

Stable Introvert teams - Excellent planning and strong organization are their strong suits. However, they tend to be slow-moving and often neglect new factors in a situation. When it comes to results, team members didn't really care whether they were good or bad.

Anxious Introvert teams - These teams are capable of good ideas, but have a tendency to get preoccupied and often lack team cohesion. Naturally, their results were poor.

In some cases, different teams of the same group achieved different results. After closer analysis, Belbin determined that every 'pure' team that achieved a noticeable result had one thing in common: one of the members has taken the role of an Implementer.

Implementers were not simply team members who only did or arranged things (most work involves both). In behavioral terms, they were people who essentially worked for the company, rather than in pursuit of self-interest, and did so in a practical and realistic way. They could identify with the organization and would accept and look for goals in work that fell in line with its ideals and aspirations. There was never any question that jobs would not be done because they did not feel like it or it did not interest them. - R.M. Belbin, Management teams - Why do they succeed and fail

These Implementers were:

Disciplined individuals who got work done swiftly and systematically;

Tough-minded, practical, trusting, and tolerant towards others;

Conscientious and aware of external obligations;

Respectful of existing conditions and ways of looking at things;

With a well-developed sense of self-image and a high degree of internal control.

Belbin figured out that he finally found the secret sauce for the perfect worker. Therefore, the next logical experiment was to create a team made entirely out of Implementers.

Just like with the Apollo team, expectations were high. And just like with the Apollo team, these teams of 'perfect workers' turned out to be a disappointment. According to the findings, they produced average results at best. Implementers were well organised and diligent, but lacked any real ideas. They were strongly committed to anything they set in motion, but were disturbed if plans changed. Simply put - they worked well but failed to get good results.

Final words

Just like in the Group vs Team matter, Dr. Belbin proved that closely knit teams of compatible members will get you much further than the group of highly intelligent but stubborn individuals. So, when making a team, take your time with the recruitment process, and choose your team members carefully - because in the end, they will be the ones who bring you success or failure.

To find out your Belbin role, visit the Belbin web page and apply for an official test. You can also take this free Belbin test alternative.

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Belbin Team Roles: Theory and Practice | ActiveCollab Blog

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Why is your team successful? Why is your team failing? Dr. Belbin has an answer. Dr. Raymond Meredith Belbin is the leading authority on team roles. His research, that spanned more than 40 years, showed that it is more important how members fit together than how smart they individually are.

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Collaboration is a learned process. If managed correctly, it is a powerful tool that can allow educators to tap into new ideas and information; it allows for challenge and differentiation, enhanced confidence and self-esteem as well as strengthening social skills. In short, collaboration is a critical skill for life.

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Man is a social being. This basically means that he is unable to survive and thrive on his own, because it is in his makeup and nature to be with others - to interact with them, connect with them, and even develop relationships. This nature of his is what leads him to seek a sense of belonging, and partake of society.

Aristotle even quoted, "Man is by nature a social animal," and that "society is something that precedes the individual." The implication behind his words is that, anyone who is unable to naturally act socially is not human. This has been interpreted in several ways, and one of these interpretations equate humanity to the need to connect and interact with others in a social setting.

Several other notable thinkers came forward even long after the Greek philosopher had passed on, each with their own theories on human development and how the social factor figures into it. Their social learning theories have become the foundation of several disciplines and fields of study in psychology.

One of the most oft-discussed fields is cognitive development, which refers to the development of a person from infancy and childhood, through adolescence and adulthood, in terms of his thought processes, problem-solving, and decision-making.

One of these thinkers was Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, whose major contributions were his theories on social learning and how it impacts the development of a child. His thoughts and ideas on the subject were embodied in what is now known as the Social Development Theory.

THE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT THEORY

Vygotsky's name may not be as recognizable as, say, Piaget, Pavlov and Freud, who were his peers when he developed his theory, but ask anyone studying psychology and they are bound to know who he is. He may have died at the relatively young age of 37 in 1934, and it may have taken around 4 decades before his ideas were formally introduced and incorporated in psychology curricula across universities in the Western world, but they have since become integral to the study of psychology, particularly in the field of educational and early childhood psychology.

Among his contemporaries, the one whose theories were scrutinized closely in comparison with Vygotsky's was Jean Piaget, a Swiss child psychologist that came up with his Theory of Cognitive Development. We will try to point out the differences between these two psychologists' works as we move on with the discussion.

Vygotsky's Social Development Theory, or SDT, introduced two major principles:

1. Cognitive development is limited up to a certain extent or within a certain range, at any given age of the individual; and

2. An individual's full cognitive development requires social interaction.

These principles are encapsulated in three theories or themes: Social Interaction, The More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).

I. Social Interaction

Key concept #1 Social interaction plays a central role in cognitive development.

It is ingrained in every individual, even as a child, to seek meaning in everything. Curiosity sets in early on during childhood, and you probably noticed how, even from a very young age, a person starts asking questions. He will be looking around, wide-eyed, wonder and interest in his observant eyes. It is safe to say that the individual has started the process of looking for or "making meaning". And, in order to find or make that meaning, he has to look around him, be involved, and play an active role on the "road to discovery".

Cognitive - and human - development, according to Vygotsky, is a result of a "dynamic" interaction between the individual and the society. This dynamic relationship denotes a relationship of mutuality between the two. Just as society has an impact on the individual, the individual also has an impact on society.

Children are unable to learn and develop if they are removed from society, or are forbidden to interact with it. Take a look at the typical development of a child: his first teachers were his parents, who taught him his first words and guided him as he took his first steps, or as he went "potty". On play dates, he learned how to play with other kids his age, and slowly built a bond with one or two kids that he ended up being the closest to.

On the first day of school, he met his teacher, and several other teachers in the following years. The process of learning also required him to work closely with other people besides his teachers, such as older students and classmates.

Through these social learning experiences, he was able to gradually develop and grow. And that brings us to the next concept of the Social Interaction.

Key concept #2 Social learning precedes development.

Vygotsky claims that a child will not be able to develop unless he undergoes or experiences social learning first. He identified two areas, or levels, where the functions in a child's cultural development, appear in:

1. Social level, or interpsychological. The functions first appear between individuals first. This is where the person will have to interact, connect and reach out to other people. This is the level where social learning takes place.

2. Individual level, or intrapsychological. This is the area within the child or the individual. Once he has passed the social level, where he acquired social learnings, the functions will appear a second time and, this time, more developed and thus, leading to cognitive development.

To put it plainly, without learning, there is no way that that individual will be able to function and become fully developed.

However, that does not mean that people are born with absolutely zero abilities. Vygotsky is quick to point out that everyone is born with basic or elementary functions or abilities that will get them started on the road to their intellectual development.

The elementary mental functions include those that come by naturally with birth and growth, without influence by an external stimulus. In other words, these capacities are not learned, involuntary, and often do not really require any thought on the part of the individual. Vygotsky even went so far as saying that most of these elementary mental functions are acquired by a child through genetics

Examples of elementary or lower mental functions (LMFs) are:

Sensation. A child does not need to be taught that something is hot, cold, sweet, or bitter. His senses are will automatically deliver those messages to his brain, so he can react accordingly.

Hunger. There are bodily processes that are beyond a person's control, and one of them is hunger. When an infant is hungry, he is hungry, and so he will show it by crying or acting restless. He does not need to be told that he is hungry since his body will manifest the fact.

Memory. To be more specific, natural or unmediated memory. Young children are able to immediately commit things to memory in a natural manner. A baby will instantly recognize the sound of his mother's voice, or the taste of baby food. But that's it. He won't necessarily be able to associate - or subsequently recognize any association - the sound of his mother's voice to those times that she sung him a lullaby to sleep, and he isn't likely to identify that baby food to be the one that he really likes to eat.

As the child grows older, and as his social learning increased through more social interactions, his elementary mental functions evolved into his "higher mental functions" or HMF. Unlike elementary mental functions, they are stimulated. They are taught, and they are learned in social settings or environments, and they often come with social meanings.

The given examples include:

Language. As a child develops, so does his capacity for languages. The need to communicate to people around him - whether to express his discontent about something or to inform his parents that he is hungry or he has to go potty - will spur the need to learn languages. As he grows older and undergoes a multitude of other social processes, language learning will also advance, as well as his thought processes.

Memory. This refers to what comes after the child has gone past the natural memory stage. This time, his memory can be cultivated and controlled, and he now has access to memory aids and tools. He is now able to make the relevant associations, and he can pick the things that he deems must be memorized, using these tools. Examples of these so-called tools of intellectual adaptation, or tools that allow children to use their elementary mental functions more effectively, include mind maps, memory mnemonics, note-taking, and other visual cues and aids.

Voluntary attention. You may have heard toddlers and small children being described as having short attention span. That is because, at that age, their thought processes aren't stable enough to sustain concentration on one particular object or thought. Sure, they can focus on one thing at one time, but they won't really know what to do with that ability, and so they turn on to something else. Social learnings will arm the child with the ability of focus and concentration, and the ability to figure out what to do with it. He gets to decide which objects, actions or thoughts to focus on. Full cognitive development means that, eventually, he will be capable of selective or focused attention and shared or divided attention, and sustain it.

Perception. Through sensing, a child is able to recognize a sensory stimuli... but it ends there. His lack of perception skills will render him unable to interpret the meaning or significance behind it. Social interactions help the child's level of perception, increasing his awareness and capacity to understand why things are as they are.

The learning that Vygotsky referred to does not point to a specific type or standard, because he also acknowledged how cultural differences can cause variability when it comes to learning and how culture, in general, is influential and powerful in shaping or molding one's cognition.

Key concept #3 Language accelerates cognitive development.

It is a given that language is very important in any social interaction, since it is the primary medium of communication in any social setting. But that is not the only reason why language plays a very important role in an individual's cognitive development.

First, let us take a look at the three stages of speech development, according to Vygotsky.
Stage 1 - Social or External Speech
This covers the preverbal stage, usually under the age of three, when the child is still unable to transcribe his thoughts in complete thought messages. His thoughts are pretty simple, and his emotions basic, and there is no intellectual or thinking exercise involved.

However, despite that, he still wants to be able to control others' behaviors. Therefore, he makes use of his limited speech to express simple thoughts of hunger, pleasure, displeasure, satisfaction and dissatisfaction through crying, laughing, shouting, and gurgling. As he advances in age, he will start to use what we call "baby-speak", with phrases such as "Want milk" and "Go potty".
Stage 2 - Egocentric Speech

If, in the first stage, the purpose of the child's speech is to control the behavior of other people, the egocentric speech in the second stage is spoken as a way for the child to direct his own behavior.

This is usually demonstrated between the ages of 3 and 7, when the child starts to enunciate words more clearly and form more complete sentences, with more sense or thought. They practice this by talking out loud to themselves. It is actually normal behavior for them at this stage to do things, even the simple act of playing with a train set, with a running commentary of every little thing that they are doing.
Stage 3 - Inner Speech
The final speech development stage takes place once the child becomes older and starts growing toward adulthood, and he is able to use it to direct both his thinking and the resulting behavior or action. This does not require his thoughts to be voiced out loud, with all thinking processes done in his head. He can do mental calculations in his head, analyze a situation from all angles without saying a single word, and form an opinion without verbalizing his arguments.

It is during this stage that the individual is now able to engage in all the other higher mental functions.

Language involves speech - both its expression and comprehension. The two-way nature of communication requires that the language must be expressed or delivered, and it must also be understood. When expressed differently, or even erroneously, the recipient will receive a different meaning.

This essentially means that language can dictate the way people look at things, and how they process information. It is powerful enough to have an impact on the rate or speed of cognitive development, given how it is connected or related to the other cognitive functions. For example, language can affect how a person perceives something. A country with a culture that recognizes only the primary colors and are unaware of the color called "champagne" is likely to perceive the hue as simply "a shade of pink".

In the same manner that an individual is more motivated to memorize something that is in a language he understands, and ignore one that is expressed in a language that is completely foreign to him.

Learn about the benefits of a bilangual brain in the following video.

Key concept #4 Self-initiated discovery and collaborative dialogue aid in a child's cognitive development.

According to Jean Piaget, the inherent curiosity of young children pushes them to be actively involved in their learning, and motivate them to discover and explore new things by themselves. They are the ones to actively initiate the discovery and development process. For Piaget, this is self-initiated and hands-on approach in discovery learning is the best way for children to learn.

Vygotsky agrees mostly with Piaget, except for the last part. He postulated that the social and cultural settings that children's activities take place in requires social interaction and communication, and that the children learn best through these social interactions. They acquire knowledge and hone skills through these interactions, as well as the culture surrounding them, and these ultimately shape their cognition.

Through the concept of "cooperative or collaborative dialogue", a child may learn his first words, the alphabet, his first nursery rhyme and how to count from 1 to 10 from his parents. As he grows older, he will be interacting with tutors and teachers, who are likely to provide verbal instructions and model or demonstrate behavior that will, consequently, guide him.

II. The More Knowledgeable Other (MKO)

Meet the MKO, a person with a better understanding and considerably higher or superior level of ability, skill or knowledge about a particular subject, task or process, than the person who is attempting to learn (also called the learner).

It is common sense, really. Why would you seek to learn from someone who knows less than you?

The MKO often comes in the person of a teacher, a superior at work, or a peer with more experience. There are instances when he could be someone younger, but with more cultivated knowledge and skill. In this digital age, the MKO may even be a computer or any intelligent machine. In the eyes of a child, adults are the MKOs.

Take, for example, a father and his little boy headed to their backyard to play catch. He happens to know how to play baseball, and he plans to teach his boy the basics while he is still young. In this case, the MKO is the father, by virtue of his adult status and his knowledge and skills in the sport.

Twenty years later, the son is now a professional baseball player, and his father has just retired. Before a major game, the son hands his father the latest, most advanced camcorder model, so he can film the game from his VIP seat. He sits down with his father and teaches him how to operate the camcorder. This time, the MKO is the son, since he is more knowledgeable about the device.

To prepare for the game, the son had to leave, but before doing so, he downloaded an app on his father's cell phone that will guide him further on how to work the camcorder. The father was then left exploring the features of the camcorder, using the voice prompts from the app on his phone. The MKO is now the electronic device, his cell phone.

While learning and discovery that is self-initiated is effective, learning becomes more productive and contributory to cognitive development when acquired from an MKO.

The concept of the MKO is seen to always go together with his other concept, that of the Zone of Proximal Development.

III. The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Imagine a circle divided into three rings. The inner circle or ring represents what the child already knows, while the third, outermost circle or rings represents what he still does not know. Or we could use the inner circle to include those that the child can achieve or discover on his own. The outermost circle or ring includes those that he cannot achieve or discover independently, but can only do so with the help or guidance of someone who is more skilled or knowledgeable.

What about the second, or middle circle?

That gap, or that empty area between the inner and outer circles, is the Zone of Proximal Development. That is where the learning will take place.

Vygotsky said that the ZPD is where the child will be given the most sensitive instruction or guidance, coupled with a lot of encouragement, from the MKO. Take note that the words used were "instruction" and "guidance", as opposed to outright "full assistance". This is because the MKO will provide just the right amount of guidance, and then allow the child to learn and develop his skills. By letting him do it independently, the MKO will help the child develop his higher mental functions faster, thereby speeding up cognition.

Let us go back to the father and son example. The first few times, the father taught his son how to catch and throw the ball, holding his hand, teaching how to grip, pull back, and throw. After showing how it's done several times, he will step back and let his son do it on his own. From time to time, he will give pointers and corrections but, for the most part, he let his son practice on his own.

He did the same thing when teaching the other skills. Soon, the son learned how to figure things out on his own, so he starts practicing how to play ball by himself, not asking for help from his father unless absolutely necessary.

When the son gave his father the camcorder, he showed him how to turn it on, and what buttons to push to record, zoom in, zoom out, pause, and other key features. Then he handed it over to his father, who practiced what he was just taught.

Learning in the ZPD, as mentioned earlier, is facilitated with the help of an MKO, which is precisely why we said that these two often go together. The learning process, in itself, is a social interaction, which could be done directly or indirectly (with the use of technology, perhaps), between the learner and the MKO, who can be a teacher, professor, coach, mentor, or any older adult, or a peer or even someone younger, who happens to be more skillful, experienced, or knowledgeable in the area, subject or discipline that is being learned.

CONCLUSION

With so many psychological school of thoughts on cognitive development introduced, it came as no surprise that some concepts in Vygotsky's Social Development Theory are being questioned. Still, no one can deny the influence of his theories, and how they are widely accepted and applied in the field of education, particularly early childhood education.

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Understanding Vygotsky's Social Development Theory | Cleverism

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Learn about how the cognitive development of humans happens according to the famous psycholgist Vygotsky and his social development theory.

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1) Clear roles, team leadership and individual ownership.
2) A sense of ownership for team results.
3) Freedom, support and control to navigate competing priorities.
4) It’s not about punishment.
5)  It’s about improvement.
6) The expectation of evaluation.
7) Integrity counts.

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Don't you love that employee who goes above and beyond? She takes responsibility, shows initiative and really owns her projects, processes and problems.

Somewhere along the line, she learned that good things happen when you are accountable. But it's largely up to you, her boss, to be sure she doesn't have a change of heart.

But, you say, accountability is intrinsic! You can't force people to be accountable! True, but we learn from the people around us. When the work environment is designed for accountability, it will flourish. When it's not, you'll get stellar work from a few people - until they stop making the effort or leave for another job.

An accountable workplace won't appear overnight, but the right elements must be in place. Where do you need to invest your time and attention to build an environment of accountability?

1. Clear roles, team leadership and individual ownership. People struggle to be accountable when roles and processes are ambiguous. Removing as much confusion as possible about who is doing what and how they will proceed is an important step. If a team is truly accountable, members will identify gaps, learn new roles and processes, and ultimately build a more capable team.

2. A sense of ownership for team results. How does team accountability work? Focus on team processes. How is the team working toward goals and outcome? Are team members effective? Do they feel 100 percent accountable to improving the process? Each member should have the obligation to seek information, give and receive feedback and point out the need for corrective action at any time.

3. Freedom, support and control to navigate competing priorities. Most problems have multiple right answers, so give people the freedom and control they need to make decisions. The first solutions your teams and direct reports come up with will probably be pretty good. Improve upon them instead of inserting your own. Support is the key - be sure people have the resources, knowledge and assistance they need. With this approach, team members increase their skills, confidence and ownership.

4. It's not about punishment. If your goal in fostering accountability is to know who to punish when revenue targets are not met or budgets are missed, you will only succeed in creating fear. No one will be willing to step up, speak out or try something new. Innovation and risk taking will be lost. Once the rumor mill of an organization circulates a story of someone stepping out and being punished, hundreds, even thousands, of other employees will be skittish about taking initiative to find solutions.

5. It's about improvement. Accountability is the foundation for creating a learning organization. If you want sustainable high-quality processes, you need to be able to see what's working and what isn't - and analyze the cause. To that end, each person needs to honestly say what they knew, what they thought and what they did (or didn't do). One important thing you can do to support a learning atmosphere is to take a systems approach as well as holding individuals accountable. Seek to understand what aspects of the situation have influenced the process, system, culture or circumstances.

6. The expectation of evaluation. In accountable organizations, no one expects to "stay under the radar." In fact, people seek feedback because they know it is intended to improve the process and add to their knowledge. These organizations use multiple forms of feedback and evaluation to assess the health and success of a manager, process or department. Organizations lacking multiple feedback mechanisms only discover shortcomings when it is too late.

7. Integrity counts. People are called out if they don't do what they say they will do. When anyone falls short, they admit it and work to improve. Someone consistently falling short? A sure sign of low commitment and a clue that something is missing in your culture of accountability.
Next week: The accountable leader. Besides creating the right environment for accountability, leaders need to build trust and minimize fear. Henry Browning is a senior faculty member at the Center for Creative Leadership, a top-ranked, global provider of leadership education and research, and author of Accountability: Taking Ownership of Your Responsibility.

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7 Ways to Build Accountable Organizations

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By Henry Browning Don't you love that employee who goes above and beyond? She takes responsibility, shows initiative and really owns her projects, processes and problems. Somewhere along the line, she learned that good things happen when you are accountable. But it's largely up to you, her boss, to be sure she [...]

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"Great things in business are never done by one person; they're done by a team of people." – Steve Jobs

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"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller

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"None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful." – Mother Teresa