We never master teamwork.

Synthesis students know teamwork is a process, not a product. This month we’re putting Team Dynamics in the spotlight. Each upcoming session asks your child to step out of their comfort zone in order to help them form a more nuanced and dynamic approach to teamwork moving forward.

Here's a look at the month ahead:

Week 1: Defining a Team

Not all groups of people are a team. Students will create their own list of “essential ingredients” to make a team through a series of high-chaos challenges.

Week 2: Leadership Styles

Each student takes the mantle of “team captain” and experiment with two opposing but highly opinionated leadership styles: entirely bottom-up vs entirely top-down.

Week 3: Division of Labor

“A house divided cannot stand” or “divide and conquer” — which philosophy produces the most effective team?

Week 4: Peer Feedback

Students play the role of “coach” and provide feedback to their teammates to answer the question: how do teams improve over time?

No right answers.

We don’t have an ideal archetype we’re aiming to push every student towards. Good team dynamics are contextual — depending not only on the environment and the team’s goals, but also the strengths of the individual team members. Our goal for the month is not that all students walk away with the same opinions about how they should operate in a team, but rather that they have a deeper and more articulate opinion about how they personally work well on teams.

What you can do:

Eager to keep the learning going outside of class? Visit Team Dynamics: Continuing the Conversation With Your Student for tips about how you can support their exploration of team dynamics at home. Children 8 and older can also practice with teams from across Synthesis during Play.

Your child receives feedback from teachers during weekly sessions, and now we’re pleased to invite parents to join the conversation. Interested parents can email us at questions@synthesis.com and your teacher will share their feedback based on observations of your child’s behaviors in class.

You can also watch the webinar below to learn more about how we'll explore first principles with your student.

Play now open 3-5 PM PT every Wednesday.

Play is our moderated, on-demand arena that brings the Synthesis community together to have fun, make new friends, and practice the skills they learn in their weekly classes. Students join directly from their portal at any time 3-5 PM PT Wednesdays, 8-11 AM PT Saturdays and stay for as long as they like to try new games and challenges.

READ OTHER CONCEPTS

Continuing the Conversation: Team Dynamics