Teamwork is an important and strong aspect whether at school or work, for it has the ability to promote personal and professional growth. 

Research shows that by working together in small groups, students can develop critical thinking skills, exchange knowledge, share expertise, increase motivation and improve their attitudes toward learning.

Elias Shema a substitute teacher of English at Lycée de Kigali believes that allowing students to work in teams teaches them a lot and opens up the ones who feel like they can learn on their own.

Every student has different thinking, learning, and understanding capabilities. Therefore, it is best to share knowledge, he says.

"I cannot count how many times I give assignments in groups because then, even students that didn’t understand well what I taught get to understand better in the group. It helps a lot because they all know each other and are comfortable around each other so learning becomes easier,” Shema says.

Alliance Umuhoza who teaches creative arts in high school says that teamwork improves a student’s communication skills.

"Communication can be a big challenge in school especially for students who don’t know how to express themselves correctly or even at all. Teamwork helps those students that fear talking in a group of many people or those who don’t know how to communicate well. I have witnessed that in my class, teamwork allows them to feel safe and not pressured and they turn out to be good communicators,” she says.

Diane Umuhoza a high school student says that teamwork helps her a lot with learning and understanding well some topics she can’t comprehend well in class, and it helps her revise, therefore teamwork is an essential thing in her learning process.

Benefits of teamwork for students’ development

An article by Marlborough shares some benefits of teamwork in school as below:

Teaches essential social skills. Teamwork teaches essential communication and social skills, such as active listening and effective speaking. When working as a team, students learn how to listen to their leaders and coaches in order to perform their individual roles. Students learn how to listen to one another in order to function as a cohesive unit.

Improves self-confidence. Teamwork teaches students that their voices are respected and valued.

Knowing that she will be heard helps build a student’s self-confidence while encouraging further participation in group activities. This becomes a self-sustaining cycle: participation in team activities teaches students how to be better communicators, which in turn helps every member of the team feel valued and respected.

Reduces bullying. One of the biggest benefits of teamwork is its potential to dramatically reduce the effects of bullying on students. When a student knows she is valued and respected by others, she will be able to rise above the hurtful acts or comments of a bully. Being a part of a team that genuinely cares about its members will also give a student a strong support system.

Sets students up for future success. The benefits of teamwork almost always translate into success outside the classroom. There are very few career paths that operate in isolation. As an employee in almost any industry, people are required to work closely with others. That’s why employers prefer to hire people who have demonstrated their ability to work as a part of a team.

How to properly groom students for teamwork

According to insidehighered, to make group work more palatable and more successful for your students, you must first acknowledge that group dynamics are important. 

Then you should provide your students with tools to establish and improve how they work together. Here are some tips:

Call them teams, not groups. A group consists of people who coordinate their individual efforts. A team, however, has a common purpose and a shared responsibility for success. And although it may sound corny, having a team name is the first step to thinking as a team.

Nurture team relationships from the start. Asking students to come up with a team name is a simple team-building activity. By creating a name for themselves, they will start developing a group identity. It’s also easy to ask new student teams to answer several questions about themselves. 

Provide opportunities for teams to reflect on their dynamics and decide on ways to improve. A midterm "learning cycle” requires students to ponder the success of the team and its individual members thus far in the course and to consider changes that may improve their outcomes.