Working together as kids is hard. Like really hard!
My biggest struggle when I started in this position as the school STEM teacher was getting kids to successfully work together!
And the STRUGGLE WAS REAL!
Start building self-awareness from kindergarten
You've just got to put it out there - workin' together ain't easy, kids!
Let them know that it's normal to have conflicts in groups, but it's how you handle the conflicts that matter.
Young children need to be taught how to understand their feelings, that all feelings are ok to feel, and how to handle these uncomfortable feelings so they can be productive teammates. There are a lot of amazing social-emotional learning books out there to help you get the conversation started.
Two of my favorite social-emotional learning book series
"I" Statements
It's important to teach kids how to share their feelings when they are bothered.
We implement the “I FEEL, WHEN YOU, CAN YOU” strategy for this purpose. We dedicate time to explore the variety of emotions that may arise when collaborating with others, such as frustration, anger, feeling excluded, sadness, and annoyance. Following this, we emphasize the significance of being very SPECIFIC with the "when you" component of the statement. Often, students may not be aware that their actions could be bothersome to others; it might simply be a facet of their personality (more on this below). When students articulate precisely what is troubling them and express how they wish for the behavior to change, it increases the likelihood of everyone moving forward positively. Now, the “offender” recognizes how certain behaviors may need to be modified in order to foster productivity within their team.
Steps:
(1) STAY CALM with your voice and body.
(2) Share the bothersome feeling you are having.
(3) Be very specific and explain exactly what behavior is bothering you.
(4) Ask for a change. Again, be specific when offering a change in the behavior.
Examples:
I FEEL left out WHEN YOU don't let everyone share their idea for the design. CAN YOU let everyone share their ideas and please listen to what we have to say?
I FEEL mad WHEN YOU snatch things out of my hand, like when you just snatched the tape away from me. CAN YOU please ask me for the tape next time and I will give it to you when I'm finished?
Dealing with Feelings & tackling Teamwork
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There are also some amazing read alouds out there for building teamwork!
Teamwork Isn't My Thing, and I Don't Like to Share By Julia Cook
A Little Spot Series
I really like sharing this book with my 1st gradce kiddos because it explains HOW to work together and also gives examples. I use this book to help us create class criteria for teamwork.
Teamwork Anchor chart
Teamwork Anchor chart
Here's a look at one of our teamwork anchor charts from 2nd grade. We built it together as a class and added to it as we encountered needs for additions.
Putting Teamwork criteria to the test
I give my students very simplistic design challenges to tackle together, zooming in on one piece of our anchor chart at a time. We chat about what that piece should look like, then we jump into practice and reflection! We will even add new ideas as they arise during team challenges.
Want to see examples? Swing by my 1st Grade & 2nd Grade pages!
Need resources? Look below!
dive deeper with the older kiddos
Understanding personality conflicts
At this age, students may know that they and certain other students struggle to work together, but do they know why? It's all about PERSONALITIES!
The Enneagram Assessment is an excellent resource for helping students identify their personality type! Giving this simple quiz can not only help students determine their own personality type, but it opens their eyes to the various personality types that exist.
Allow students to explore their personality type and the others' to see what conflicts they may have with other personality types and why.
Have students brainstorm how they can show patience and understanding when they have to work with teammates with conflicting personalities.
Build team contracts that remind and reinforce teamwork expectations.
grab some "big kid" teamwork resources
Self-grading enneagram assessment
Self-grading enneagram assessment
Self-grading enneagram assessment
This is a self-grading version that I use in my classroom. It makes for a quick, easy way to determine your students' personality types.
Enneagram Personality Posters
Self-grading enneagram assessment
Self-grading enneagram assessment
These kid friendly-posters give at-a-glance information about strengths and challenges of each personality type.
Team contracts
Self-grading enneagram assessment
Teams recognize the various personality types within their group, then leverage the strengths and challenges associated with each type to create a team contract.
enneagram bundle
This bundle includes all of my Enneagram resources!