Team Building and Visioning for Staff PD Days

As you know, it’s important for principals to build a sense of community on campus. Not only does a cohesive group achieve more together, but it also makes for a more enjoyable working environment.

But what exactly does that look like? Schools can be made up of multiple teams: the campus team as a whole, grade-level teams (horizontal), multi-grade level teams (vertical), site-based decision making teams, and the list goes on. So getting these different groups of people to make connections and align their work to a vision and mission of the campus is crucial.

Here’s some team building and visioning activities for teachers that can be done online or in-person to bring your staff together.

Building Relationships

With a new school year, you often have new staff to introduce. It’s important to make them feel welcome and connected to the rest of the group. Chances are that you also have new grade level or subject teams that will need to get to know each other as well. Here’s one activity you can use to build relationships called Little Known Facts.

Download our free resource guide for a step-by-step walk through of these team building and visioning activities for your staff!

Little Known Facts- Online

1. Randomly assign breakout rooms of two people each on Zoom or another videoconferencing platform.
2. Participants will introduce themselves and share a Little Known Fact (LKF) about themselves with their partner. (Ex. I’ve never broken a bone or I love to hula hoop.)
3. Repeat this a few more times, assigning different breakout rooms of two to three people.
4. For an additional round, combine one original group of two with another original group of two to make a group of four people. Repeat all previous information and share a goal for the year.
5. The outcome for this activity is for participants to make connections with each other, so the discussion and debrief is critical in the virtual environment. 

Little Known Facts- In Person

1. Participants put their LKF (without their name) on a post-it note and put it on a piece of chart paper in the room.
2. Give each person a LKF, but make sure they do not get their own.
3. Participants mingle about the room, asking others if the LKF belongs to them. (Ex: Were you a synchronized swimmer in high school? Did you climb Mt. Everest?)
4. Once all are “found,” make a circle with the group and share LKF and connections.
5. Additional option: Ask participants to put themselves in a straight line according to years of experience in teaching. Then ask them to huddle up with three others near them to share their own little known fact and a goal they have for the year. 

Reflecting and Gathering Input

In order to get a pulse on where your staff is and plan for the future, it’s important to set aside time for them to reflect and give their input. Chalk talk is a great way to get the conversation going about what has been working and what could be improved.

Chalk Talk- Online

1. Prepare four Jamboards titled: Things that went well last year, biggest challenges last year, hopes for this year, and concerns for this year.
2. Divide the group by alphabet into four groups, and assign each group a Jamboard to start with where they add their thoughts in 3-5 minutes.
3. Remind staff that this is a silent activity designed for all to have a voice. Play quiet music if desired.
4. Assign a different Jamboard to the groups until all have contributed to the four boards. Emphasize the building of the “conversations” with each change of groups.
5. Close with a whole group discussion of trends/highlights. 

Chalk Talk- In Person

1. Use chart paper or butcher paper posted in four areas of the room, one with each of these titles: Things that went well last year, biggest challenges last year, hopes for this year, and concerns for this year.
2. Participants may move at their own pace about the room, answering the questions in writing, using a pen or marker. 
3. Remind staff that this is a silent activity designed for all to have a voice. Play quiet music if desired.
4. Close with a whole group discussion of trends/highlights. 

Campus Vision and Mission

Core Values & Belief Statements- Online

1. Share the document Core Values and Belief Statements with participants.
2. Give individual reflection time for participants to complete the core values and belief statements (individual reflection) exercises.
3. Arrange breakout rooms on Zoom for grade level or other preferred teams.
4. Teams will complete the document Team Exercise: Aligning Beliefs with Values together. 
5. The leader facilitates consensus among the staff around the development of core values and belief statements for the school. 

Core Values & Belief Statements- In Person

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1. Arrange seating based on teams who will be working together (grade level, department, etc.).
2. Share a handout of the document Core Values and Belief Statements with participants.
3. Give individual reflection time for participants to complete the core values and belief statements (individual reflection) exercises.
4. Teams will work at their table to complete the Team Exercise: Aligning Beliefs with Values handout and put their response on a piece of chart paper.
5. Each group shares their statement as the leader facilitates consensus among the staff around the development of core values and belief statements for the school. 

These team building and visioning activities for teachers will get you started on creating your staff culture. But be sure to continue investing time in building up your team and revisiting your campus mission throughout the year!