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Guidelines for nominating students
What kinds of students are a good fit for the Teamship experience? As you think about which students to recruit, here are a few tips based on our experience working with all kinds of students from lots of different schools.
Below the radar
There are certain go-to students who regularly get recruited or nominated for these kinds of opportunities. The valedictorian, the captain of the debate team, or the editor of the school paper might be a perfect fit for Teamship, but the student who typically falls below the radar might also be a good fit. You may see potential in a student that they don’t yet see in themselves. Teamship could be the perfect opportunity to help that student find their voice. We’ve seen this happen time and time again.
Emerging mindsets
The goal of Teamship is to develop the mindsets needed for collective problem solving. You may have a certain student in mind because you see some of these mindsets in early, or emerging, form. Below are some behavioral cues that sometimes hint at emerging District C mindsets in a particular student. These can be good signs that a student is ready to take a big step forward through an experience like Teamship.
Analytical
Real problems are messy. Break them down before jumping to solutions.
Signs of emerging mindset:
+ I love playing around with formulas in Excel.
+ I sketched out how I think this system works.
+ My parents' coffee maker broke so I took it apart.
+ I started by reading as much as I could to learn more.
Design
All problems are human. Get to needs and motivations with an orientation to action.
Signs of emerging mindset:
+ That didn't work, so I changed it and tried again.
+ Let's see what people think before we do more.
+ Could you give me some feedback on this?
+ That seems weird. Why would they be saying that?
Collective
The best teams are diverse teams. Leverage the power of different perspectives.
Signs of emerging mindset:
+ I didn't think of it, but I see that it's better than my idea.
+ I didn't know that happened to you. How did you react?
+ Our rival school is going to help us with our food drive.
+ We haven't heard from you yet. What are your thoughts?
Self-Aware
You are responsible for you. Proactively manage your growth and productivity.
Signs of emerging mindset:
+ I know I need to get better at public speaking.
+ I found a way to do it even without clear directions.
+ I chose not to do a sport so I could focus on the play.
+ I have a better way in mind for next time.
Diversity
If we want to teach our students how to work in diverse teams, we need to give them more opportunities to work in diverse teams. This means that the diversity of the cohort is critical to the experience. When recruiting students, think about diversity in every sense of the word — strengths, weaknesses, race, gender, background, personality, interests, social groups, and more. Part of the magic in this experience is teaming students who bring truly unique strengths and perspectives.
Motivation & commitment
If a student isn’t excited about being a part of this, it won’t be a great experience. The most successful Teamship students come into the process anxious (and sometimes even very nervous) but excited to be a part of something that feels challenging and uncertain. They are 100% committed to being present and engaged, even if they don’t entirely know what to expect. All of this is to say, if you need to twist a student’s arm, it’s probably not a great fit.
