The Power of Teamwork Inside (and Outside) of the Classroom

Presented by Darri Stephens, Director, Community Marketing, Wonder Workshop; and Carrie Willis, Technology Director, Valley Preparatory School, Redlands, CA
Sponsored by Wonder Workshop

Watch the Recording

When we look towards tomorrow’s job market, the essential skill sets that students need to develop today are around the 4 Cs: communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. These skills all underscore the value of teamwork, whether in the classroom or in a (future) boardroom.

In designing lesson activities for your students, there are some tips and tricks for guiding students to think about meaningful contributions, communication strategies, and collaboration tactics. How might we encourage group goal setting? How might we model ways for kids to learn their peers’ strengths? How might we encourage students to take risks and move out of their comfort zones in being team players?

There are many ways to encourage more teamwork in the classroom, from room design, to classroom procedures, to pedagogical strategies. The fundamentals of teamwork play into some of today’s popular teaching practices: project-based learning, design thinking, and makerspaces to name a few.

In this edWebinar, Darri Stephens, Director of Community Marketing at Wonder Workshop, and Carrie Willis, Technology Director at Valley Preparatory School in Redlands, CA, share some examples from both inside the classroom and those applicable from outside of our schools’ walls. Then, they take a look at how Wonder Workshop supports these goals in their annual Wonder League Robotics Competition. This global program, which is free and virtual, invites kids ages 6-14 to work on creative problem-solving challenges in teams.

Watch Darri and Carrie as they strive to bring more collaboration to students of all ages. Teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders from kindergarten to middle school will benefit from watching this recorded session.

About the Presenters

Having taught students from elementary to graduate school, Darri Stephens enjoys connecting those in the education community through her Director of Community Marketing position at Wonder Workshop. A lifelong educator, Darri melds her love of content development, instructional design, educational research, and the ever-changing edtech world daily. Her award-winning work with educational leaders, from those in the classroom to those at the state level, is helping K-12 classrooms integrate technology thoughtfully and meaningfully. Inspired by her teaching in Los Angeles and NYC public schools for over ten years, she has earned master’s degrees in education from both Harvard University and Stanford University. Darri started her career as a Teach for America corps member. Previously, Darri was Senior Director for Education Content at Common Sense.

Carrie Willis is the technology director and STEAM coordinator at Valley Preparatory School, a private school in Redlands, CA, educating students in grades preschool through eight. She was responsible for the design and implementation of her school’s recent STEAM lab addition, which was established in 2016. During her 17-year teaching career, she has developed a love for educational technology and project-based learning. Carrie helps to inspire educators not just on her own campus, but around the world, by sharing her love for coding, robotics, movie production, engineering and design, and all things STEAM and edtech, through social media and presentations at local and national conferences.

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Wonder Workshop creates engaging, hands-on learning tools, programming languages, and curriculum that bring STEM and coding to life for grades K-8. Robotics fosters critical thinking skills at an early age, encourages creativity, and turns students into makers rather than consumers. Wonder Workshop is the creator of the Dash and Dot robots. Let’s inspire students to be future leaders in technology. Find out more at makewonder.com