Valley pre-employment class learns teamwork techniques

By Joelle D

Last week DeAnn Lenth’s Pre-Employment class was given a task.  They were told they were going to be split up into groups of three or four and were to build a vehicle with limited supplies and limited time.  They were given five sticks of spaghetti, two rubber bands, scotch tape, five Styrofoam cups, three sheets of white paper, and two paper clips.  Their allotted time was 15 minutes. 

The group members worked together to create the best vehicle in the class. At the end of their time, each group presented their vehicle and talked about the techniques they used and how they used the materials they were given.  They were also given a worksheet where they explained what happened during this process.  They focused on who stepped up and acted as the leader of the group, how everyone contributed, and if they had a plan before constructing their vehicle.

Mrs. Lenth’s goal for this project was to teach her class about teamwork and getting her students to work with other students they may have never worked with before.  The students were reminded that there is no “I” in team, and that working in groups is important for problem solving. Mrs. Lenth then related this information to the workplace.  Katlin Kleve, senior, enjoyed the project and says, “We learned that people have different leadership and work skills.”  Teamwork is not only used in sports teams or school projects, but also in the workplace.  Employees are constantly working together and creating committees to solve their problems.  She hopes her class will use this as an example for when they start their careers in the future.