Teamwork Marble Run Challenge

Third and Fourth graders at Walgrove began Studio Lab discussing and experiencing teamwork. We began with some basics: 

• Teams work together toward shared goals. 
• Families, classes and grade levels can each work as a team.
• The teachers at Walgrove are a team. The school as a whole is a team. 
• At school, the shared goal is to learn. 

 

In Council, students had an opportunity to speak about subjects they particularly enjoyed or an area in which they had a lot of practice or skill. They also had the opportunity to express what helps them when they are feeling challenged or having a hard time. 

When we are struggling, there is likely someone in the group who may have experience, skill or knowledge that we can turn to for help or support. We also have skills that come easily to us, subjects we enjoy or experience that may enable us to help others who might be challenged in our area(s) of expertise and teammates who can help us when we are struggling.

• Getting to know each others strengths and challenges helps us to be a more effective team.
• Teammates are not always friends and may not like each other. In order to be effective, they practice being polite, respectful and finding ways to work together.  
  
• What is helpful to one person may not be helpful to another. (We also briefly covered tone of voice)
• Before we began the marble run challenge, students were told that some pieces may be harder to maneuver than others. Then they were asked to think about what would be helpful to them or their classmates if they were challenged with a difficult section.   

Each student had a tube. The tubes ranged from very small sections of piping to long flexible tubes that took two people to maneuver. Students made a semi-circle. 

The challenge: to get a marble from one end of the semi-circle through each tube and then into a bucket at the end. Each student was only allowed to touch their own tube, but the tubes could touch each other. If the marble fell, we started over from the beginning.

After several attempts and some problem solving, we did it!!!

Back in the Studio Lab, students had the opportunity to write and draw their reflections on the marble run.

At the end of our time together, students were introduced to and left with the following ideas:

• We are all imperfect. 
• We are built for learning and problem solving. 
• We all deserve love, belonging and respect.

Mistakes are expected. They are an important part of how we learn. Our brains are wired for learning and problem solving. We are all capable of learning and problem solving. We all deserve love, belonging and respect. School is a place where we belong. Our class is a place where we belong. Studio Lab is a place where we belong, a place where we will learn and practice teamwork and respect. In our work together, we will all make mistakes and we will figure it out together. 

A special thank you to Walgrove parent Jason Sharman, who beautifully photographed our work together. http://jasonfotos.com/#

For more on Council go to: http://cis.ojaifoundation.org/ 

This lesson was inspired by:
http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html
and
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/105305519/Team-Building-link-eight