As you come in, get settled, take a deep breath and think about your teaching team.

1. Rank how well your team works together on a scale of 1-10 (10 being best).
2. What makes it work?
3. What could work better?

PARTNERSHIP

Spring Best Practice, 2020

Alex & Kalyan

Are you thinking, what I’m thinking??

We are our students role models.

Let’s show them how to work as a team, find the positives, ask for help, and have a good time while getting a lot done!

The Research

Ways to develop strong teams:

1. Good communication. Seek to clarify immediately.
2. Good inter-relations. Feeling respected and valued. Google’s research on the perfect team found that the way teammates treated each other determined whether the team was good or bad.
3. Individual development. On top of successfully reaching a goal, each member had the opportunity to develop new skills and experiences.
4. Support and trust. The team supported each other and helped when necessary. Lynda Gratton and Tamara J. Erickson found in their research on collaborative teams that support contributed to a sense of a community in a team.

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According to NY Times Magazine, “What Google Learned From its Quest to Build the Perfect Team” :

‘We had lots of data, but there was nothing showing that a mix of specific personality types or skills or backgrounds made any difference. The ‘who’ part of the equation didn’t seem to matter.’’

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“The researchers eventually concluded that what distinguished the ‘‘good’’ teams from the dysfunctional groups was how teammates treated one another.”

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“...there were other behaviors that seemed important as well — like making sure teams had clear goals and creating a culture of dependability. But Google’s data indicated that psychological safety, more than anything else, was critical to making a team work.”

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The Research Continued

People need to connect and feel vulnerable in order to grow.

Synergy. The sum is greater than its parts. Different points of view lead to a broader source of solutions. Together, the team can determine which one is most effective.

When people feel comfortable in a team, they experience heightened confidence, they communicate more freely, and they feel important and heard.

Respect individuality. Remember that each group is composed of different skills and personalities. Understanding what each person can bring to the table is critical to success.

You can’t always choose your team, but how can you make the best of it?

Promote your strengths, manage your weakness

For example: This presentation

• FIRST: We sat down and talked this idea out
• Kalyan began researching for evidence to support (or counter) our thoughts
• Alex began creating the presentation
• Then, BOOM! Here we are.

So what were OUR thoughts on this topic? How do we work so well together?

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

1. Clear Communication

• We are direct
• We actively LISTEN
• We ask for what we need
• Listen without judgement
• Don’t make assumptions

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2. Boundaries

• Saying “NO” when needed
• Not taking it personally if ideas aren’t taken
• SHARING the load
• And again, ask for what you need

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3. Empathy

Learning & reading your partner’s mannerisms and then acting accordingly!

“The good teams all had high ‘‘average social sensitivity’’ — a fancy way of saying they were skilled at intuiting how others felt based on their tone of voice, their expressions and other nonverbal cues.” - NY Times

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4. SUPPORT, “Culture of Dependability”

• Giving support
• Accepting support
• Using your intuition (i.e. reading past “I’m fine”)
• Bouncing ideas
• Getting another point of view
• “You take this one”

5. Checking In

DAILY about:

• School
• Ideas
• Problems
• Lessons
• Students
• Personal Life
• Wins
• Hardships
• LIFE

Important to Remember: You can’t always solve someone else’s problems. Sometimes you just need to listen.

← Kalyan’s FIRST selfie!

6. Dynamics

It’s not a competition. It’s COLLABORATION.

7. Appreciation

• General, daily, & special occasions
• Understanding how they need to hear it (Not sure? Try taking the Love Languages Quiz)

8. HAVING FUN & expanding

our comfort zones

On a post-it, make a list of things that your teaching partner does REALLY well and/or things your respect about them.

On the other side, consider if there is anything you need to discuss with your partner to improve your team. Consider unmet needs, clues for them to understand you better, etc.

Now, go sit with that partner and share your post-its.

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Then, discuss and agree upon the top 2 or 3 skills that you do well together.

Would anyone like to share their strengths?