On the very first day of school, the fourth-grade students of Ashley Depew and Abby Depperschmidt’s classes are already learning about the importance of teamwork. The teachers organized a team challenge where students were given a story about a worm named Fred. Fred is in the ocean, stuck on a flipped upside-down boat, which his life preserver is stuck under. There’s one problem: Fred can't swim. The kids were challenged to save him, but they were only allowed to touch the materials with the four paperclips they were given, rather than with their hands.
Students attempted to lift the cup, otherwise known as the boat, with their paperclips without dropping Fred into the water. Then they had to pick up the candy ring and get it around Fred’s gummy worm body. Some students even used the new desks to their advantage, by using the gap between them as a way to grab the Life Savers candy from under the boat.
The teachers prefaced the candy-filled fun activity with a discussion about growth mindsets rather than fixed mindsets. Someone with a fixed mindset might attribute failures to their lack of skills and ability, while someone with a growth mindset views failures as an opportunity to learn from a challenge to expand their capabilities. For example, “I can’t do this,” versus “I can try a different way,” or “I don’t know how to do this,” versus “I can learn how to do this.”
During the challenge, Depew was proud to hear students saying things like “Let’s keep going!” and “It’s okay, we can do this!” Depperschmidt also mentioned that one of her favorite parts about the activity was hearing the kids encourage each other. “They were using kind words to help their teammates, instead of being negative if someone didn’t know how to do something. They were all very helpful,” Depperschmidt said. Depew said. Both teachers also mentioned that they loved watching how excited the kids were when they finally overcame the challenge.
When asked about practicing teamwork so early on in the school year, both Depew and Depperschmidt agreed. It is important to let the students know that it is okay to struggle and make mistakes. The kids will be working in teams throughout the year, and practicing working together with a positive attitude will help the students in any challenge they may face. “We want to show them how to face challenges in a fun way before we jump into the content,”
Without a doubt, the students had fun. Of course, once Fred was safe, everyone enjoyed the extra candies when they were finished.
