Session 4: Growing and Managing Teams (July 2023 Cohort)

Textbook Success Program July 2023 Cohort
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Key Links

Recap

Hi @july23-cohort ,
This session emphasized the importance of collaboration and teamwork in the Textbook Success Program (TSP). As we see it, collaboration is an Indigenous way of being that allows us to step out of the dominant Western mindset of individual, single hero-modes of working. When we share and when we work as a collective, we can have more impact and do more good in the education sphere. The learning objectives and activities in this session will prompt you to think about your role and contributions to the OER project and about how to effectively work in your teams through the rest of the TSP.

Collaboration works best when we adopt the following three principles:

  • work together as equals;
  • develop shared meaning about what we are doing;
  • show consideration for each other.

Many of our TSP graduates noted that the commitment of their team members to the OER creation process and the identity as a group have deepened over time, especially when rooted in a “shared power.”

We acknowledge that collaboration takes time. But who says it’s less efficient in the long run? Of course, in the short-term, meetings take time. We think shared ideas, feelings of being respected and being on the same wavelength, are a good investment for the future. It will enable everybody’s growth and connection on multiple levels, including institutional capacity and greater contributions to society. We, your cohort, and your teams learn from those collaborations, and all of us learn to collaborate better in the process.

The following activities were part of our fourth session (find session materials linked above):

  1. Individually reflect on your role and contributions in your team [slide 8]
  2. Indicate to cohort whether you can commit to the TSP team approach [slide 10],
  3. Discuss with your team the roles and responsibilities in your team [template linked above]

Homework Activity:

Please continue your conversation around your project roles and responsibilities when you next meet with your team. These roles and tasks may shift over time, but it’s critical you begin your project work with clear expectations on who joins your team and what contributions they bring as humans and professionals. The session template [linked above] can guide you in your discussion.

Instructions for next week’s 1:1 meetings:

Next week, your teams will meet with me 1:1 for 15 min each. This will give us the opportunity to talk about your projects in more detail, and for me as your facilitator to more clearly understand what you are working towards. I will spend some time reviewing your submitted materials in the forum, to guide your team in the next steps.

Please make sure to book a slot with me using this timesheet here. As you put your team’s name next to a timeslot to claim it, please also kindly answer the questions included in the sheet. Your answers will help me prepare for my interactions with you.

To prepare for your 1:1 with me, please ensure that:

  • Everybody in your team understands who is holding what responsibility, (if you’re not sure, please email Marilyn who can send you a Project Team sheet: Marilyn.billings@comcast.net)
  • Your team has set up a transparent organisation and documentation system,
  • A draft of project summary exists and has been shared on the Project Forum pages,
  • Your team has set up a regular meeting schedule,
  • Your team started to identify and review OER for your project,
  • Your team identified and addressed challenges within teams that have come up so far.

I look forward to seeing you all next week for 1-on-1s. :star_struck:

Have a productive week and relaxing weekend,

Amy