Journal of Education and Human Development

Working Effectively in Teams: A Necessary Skill in Educational and Professional Realms of Life
Philip Ray Jones, Ph.D.

Abstract
This paper presented is a critical analysis of Daniel Levi’s book entitled Group Dynamics for Teams, and Steven A. Beebe’s book entitled Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices. These innovative pedagogical texts highlight critical ideas regarding the importance of building successful teams in the classroom. Moreover, this paper highlights the clear definitions of successful teamwork that these authors present and the specific traits that a successful team must exhibit. The analysis presented herein also exhibits how successful teamwork is a skill that encompasses all realms of life including educational, as well as professional, and is only accomplished when a given team is inclusively engaged and focused on the goal of completion. In addition, this paper also features an interactive classroom activity entitled “Building the Highest Tower” that educators on all levels can use to introduce students to the art of teamwork. This activity illustrates how the teamwork utilized to complete the building of the tower ultimately connects to critical concepts presented in the literature of Levi and Beebe.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jehd.v8n2a1