1. Entry Level Training Module IV: Professional Relations Lesson Three
Teamwork
Entry Level Training Module IV: Professional Relations
Lesson Three
Ice-breaker: Television Commercial (team-building activity)
1) Divide into teams with no more than six members each.
2) Develop a 30-second commercial (or print ad/bulletin board) that advertises Early Childhood Education.
3) Include a "slogan“
NOTE: You may want to discuss the characteristics and effectiveness of well-known commercials before the teams begin. How do they get your attention? How do they get their point across? Etc…
MATERIALS:
Powerpoint Slides, Handouts (Thinking about teamwork, Consensus Building)
Poster Board (for ice-breaker, optional and for Consensus survey)
Conflict Management information
Easel paper, markers
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2. Why work as a Team? Teams help you to: Get organized
Communicate better
Achieve common goals
Involve everyone
Enhance performance
Together
Each
Accomplishes
More
* See next slide for details of professional standards
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3. Why work as a Team?
Research shows that collaboration/ teamwork enhances children’s care and education/well-being
Professional standards require it *
Together
Each
Accomplishes
More
* See next slide for details of professional standards
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4. Early childhood educators must…
Understand families as the primary context for children's learning and development
Respect diversity in family structure and values
Parents are valued as educational partners. Early childhood teachers recognize that their educational objectives cannot be fully achieved without collaboration with families. Early childhood education also recognizes itself as an important component of a family's support system (Galinsky & Hooks, 1977; Goffin, 1988,; Kagan & Holdeman, 1989). The ability to collaborate with families and be a support to their childrearing efforts demands understanding and respect for cultural and familial diversity.
With the expansion of shared decision making in these settings, early childhood teachers also should be able to reflect on their own professional development. Early childhood teachers often function as members of a professional team. As team members, the model adult interactions and cooperative decision making for children. In such circumstances, their coordinated efforts are also needed for the smooth functioning of their classrooms.
From NAEYC Position Statement on Early Childhood Teacher Certification, Adopted July/August 1991
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5. Early childhood educators must…
Develop skills in interacting with parents in ways that enhance children's educational success
Coordinate their teaching with other adults.
Parents are valued as educational partners. Early childhood teachers recognize that their educational objectives cannot be fully achieved without collaboration with families. Early childhood education also recognizes itself as an important component of a family's support system (Galinsky & Hooks, 1977; Goffin, 1988,; Kagan & Holdeman, 1989). The ability to collaborate with families and be a support to their childrearing efforts demands understanding and respect for cultural and familial diversity.
With the expansion of shared decision making in these settings, early childhood teachers also should be able to reflect on their own professional development. Early childhood teachers often function as members of a professional team. As team members, the model adult interactions and cooperative decision making for children. In such circumstances, their coordinated efforts are also needed for the smooth functioning of their classrooms.
From NAEYC Position Statement on Early Childhood Teacher Certification, Adopted July/August 1991
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6. Team Members Co-workers, support staff, supervisors
Parents, families *
Classroom volunteers
Specialists, consultants, outside professionals
* With parents, our major roles are to:
Build trust, demonstrate respect and support, and educate/model appropriate practices. We must be sure to be non-judgmental, respectful, and supportive of all families, at all times. While each family situation may be unique and sometimes appear quite different from what we view as “normal”, each family has strengths and the closer the partnership we can have, the better off the children will be.
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7. Team members need to… Practice self-control
Put work ahead of likes and dislikes
Acknowledge mistakes and correct them
Do not assume, jump to conclusions
Expect disagreement and don’t take it personally
Show courtesy to fellow team members
ACTIVITY: Ask students to find a partner and discuss the following questions…
Can you practice self-control in order to work effectively?
Can you put work ahead of personal likes/dislikes? Why or why not?
Why is it important to acknowledge and correct mistakes?
Have you ever jumped to the wrong conclusion?
Can you take constructive criticism without taking it personally?
Can you show courtesy to fellow team members? In what ways?
Are there other skills you think team members need to have? If so, what are they?
Reconvene the large group and discuss…
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8. 10 Commandments for Enthusiastic Teams
Help each other be right, not wrong.
Look for ways to make new ideas work, not for reasons they won’t.
If in doubt, check it out! Don’t assume.
Help each other win and take pride in each other’s victories (think “we, us, our”, instead of “they, them their”, and “me, mine”)
Speak positively about each other (and the program).
From – Ian Percy, Management Consultant
Good communication is the key!
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9. 10 Commandments for Enthusiastic Teams
Maintain a positive mental attitude no matter what.
Act with initiative and courage as if it all depends on you.
Do everything with enthusiasm, it’s contagious.
Whatever you want, give it (power, respect, etc.).
Don’t lose faith, never give up.
From – Ian Percy, Management Consultant
Good communication is the key!
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10. Disagreements/Conflicts are…
Inevitable from time to time
A struggle over values or scarce resources
Opportunities to learn (and model) problem-solving and negotiation skills
Opportunities to get to know yourself and teammates better, become closer
Remember, children learn conflict resolution by watching how the adults around them resolve them!!
Disagreement by itself is usually not the cause of antagonism, hostility and conflict. More often, failure to listen and allow alternative views to be heard causes these feelings.
ACTIVITY:
Are you a team player/consensus builder? Number 5 colored poster boards (9 x 12), 1 = Never, 2 = Seldom, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Frequently, 5 = Almost always
Lay them across the floor and read the statements provided to find out how students typically deal with conflicts in their lives… discuss
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11. Approaches to Managing Conflict
Competition
Collaboration
Avoidance
Accommodation
Competition is useful when quick action is required, it protects against those who take advantage of non-competitive behavior, achievement doesn’t always include everyone, generally only a temporary solution.
Collaboration is a mutual process that can lead to a permanent solution, but it can be time consuming and it requires everyone’s commitment and participation.
Avoidance is useful when another person can solve the problem better, when risk outweighs gains, it can postpone tension/action, but it restricts input and is also only a temporary solution.
Accommodation is useful to preserve harmony, avoid disruption, and when the issue isn’t all that important to you, but you sacrifice your own point of view and it limits creative resolution.
ACTIVITY: Group to Group Exchange
1) Divide class into four groups (competition, collaboration, avoidance, accommodation) and provide each subgroup with background information on their topic (see ConflictMgmt.doc). Give 10 minutes to create a presentation and select a spokesperson for the group...
2) Allow for questions after each presentation...
3) Compare/contrast the views in the large group.
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