Team Building in Early Childhood Programs: Teachers, Parents, Support Staff, and Community Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Questions to think about: Why is this a relevant topic? What is the definition of a team? What are the characteristics of quality teams? Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Effective teams result in… Better quality of work Increased productivity More positive morale Better attendance An increased feeling of autonomy Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Teams are a group of people who… Possess a variety of backgrounds, abilities, and skills (Who are we?) Share a common goal (What do we want to accomplish?) Work together to achieve a goal (shared power, planning, and cooperation) What is our team structure? Communicate well (How will we operate?) Celebrate together! (Let’s continue to improve!) Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Your Turn Read the handout titled, Team Building Tips Discuss the handout at your table Make a list of three to five ideas that your group particularly likes Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

I.Who are we? Birthplace, previous places lived Education Hobbies and interests Work experiences Unique expertise and skills Best and worst prior team experience What you want to accomplish in this team Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

2. What do we want to accomplish? Develop a list of goals Each person rate the importance of each Determine the results, negotiate, and establish the initial team goals Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

3. How can we structure ourselves to meet the goals? List the goals Decide what needs to be done to meet each goal (specific tasks) Working backwards from final deadline, construct a timeline for when each task must be completed Decide who is responsible for each task (decide who has primary responsibility and who is supportive) Realize that time needs to be built in for problems and other issues that may arise Celebrate as tasks are completed! Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Facilitator’s Role: Keep the team on target toward the tasks and goals Elicit input from each team member Deal directly with any personal attacks that may occur Make suggestions to get the team moving in case of a stall Clearly summarize all team decisions Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Bright ideas: Stay as neutral as possible Stick to a specified time frame Articulate out loud what you hear happening (“everyone seems to be tense about what Jan said”) Be willing to confront problems in an open manner Listen carefully Allow people to remain silent if they really don’t want to contribute Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

How will we operate? Plan the meeting agenda Distribute the agenda before the meeting (follow it but allow for some flexibility) Make sure there is a time-keeper The first item of business asks each team member to tell what is most on their mind Allow time at the end to talk about the team process Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

How will we operate? Brainstorming Clearly specify the item that needs to be brainstormed Ask each team member to first write responses individually All ideas are O.K.; ask people to call out their suggestions Write them down Allow plenty of time for discussion Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

How will we operate? The best idea Each person votes on their top four choices of ideas Closely examine the top three-five (positives and negatives) Combine ideas if possible Each person vote again on the top two priorities Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Bright ideas Acknowledge the different cultures that may be represented on the teams Make sure disruptions are minimized Avoid complex language Distribute meeting notes Provide optimal amount of time for the meeting Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

How can we improve? Assess how the team is doing at the end of each meeting (a three-minute check-out) Periodically evaluate the team process (use a structured team assessment) Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

The “Glue” for Team-Building The deep-rooted value of respect and appreciation You must be a model Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Cognitive Style What is it? The way someone approaches problems and challenges One’s perspective Part of one’s personality Helps us organize thoughts and actions Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Why is it important? There are bound to be differences in the workplace Interactions will run more smoothly if one understands cognitive styles Multiple perspectives are beneficial Multiple perspectives must be understood in order to be integrated It can help us respect others Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Let’s Do It! Now you will get a chance to determine your cognitive style! When you finish, compare yourself to others at your table Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Beware! Avoid stereotyping Cognitive style is only one small part of personality We can’t predict behavior based on cognitive style information Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Quote “Be careful how you judge others… As Scottish author J.M. Barrie said, ‘Never ascribe to (another) motives meaner than your own…’ We tend to judge others based on their behavior, and ourselves based on our intent. In almost all situations, we would do well to recognize the possibility – even probability – of good intent in others… sometimes despite their observable behavior. Steven M.R. Covey Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Communication How do you respond? An early childhood teacher in your pre-k unit says to you, “You know, I’ve looked at the ECERS and I don’t think it applies to my classroom. My focus is academics, and all of that room environment information just doesn’t fit with what I’m all about.” Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Active Listening (revisited) Be approachable and open Listen and watch for clues All feelings are acceptable Realize that anger is often masking an underlying feeling Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Active Listening The listener reflects back what she thinks the other person is feeling The active listener uses a non-judgmental, neutral voice tone The goal is to help the person identify how they are feeling and work through it Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Example You “ know, I’ve looked at the ECERS and I don’t think it applies to my classroom. My focus is academics, and all of that room environment information just doesn’t fit with what I’m all about.” “It sounds like you are frustrated about being asked to use the ECERS.” Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

You try! A teacher, staff member or parent says to you… “Rachel’s mother is in denial. She just won’t face up to the fact that her daughter needs medication to calm her down.” “These 3-year-olds are driving me crazy. They won’t sit still to do the language arts activities I plan. “I think that you need to do more academic work with your class. They seem to get too much time to do whatever they want.” Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

You try! A teacher, staff member or parent says to you… “I can’t stand it when we have parent volunteers in our class. I end up supervising them as well as the children!” “As usual the administration is making decisions about our curriculum without giving us enough input.” “Some of the primary teachers make me so mad because they just don’t understand early childhood classrooms!” Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.