Each team should include both boys and girls who have a variety of abilities, and, as much as possible, should represent the cultural diversity of your classroom. Three to five students generally make a good team. These teams should stay together for several weeks so the team members have time to learn to work well together. A goal is for each student to interact with every other student in the classroom by the end of the year. With this kind of structure, your students can learn to appreciate the cultural diversity of their classroom.
Interaction fosters tolerance and understanding, attitudes imperative in our future society.
To foster interdependence, it is often necessary to assign each member of the team a critical job. As you read each of the explorations for your grade level, you will see specific suggestions. Has the responsibility of completing the team exploration sheet. Must be sure that all team members have seen and agree with the report. Has the responsibility for picking up and returning all necessary supplies.