Warm-up Activity

In this activity, students will need to work as a team, in a group of 4. The aim of the activity is for students to recognize their own contributions and style of participation in a team activity. There are many ways to participate in a team environment, and there is not one effective team approach for the task. The purpose is for students to recognize both the way that they feel comfortable to participate, and to respond to their teammates who are also working toward the shared task. We will reflect on whether teams naturally moved into working in parallel (multi-disciplinary), communicating for a shared plan and then taking responsibility for on different roles (inter-disciplinary), or working in collaboration throughout the process (trans-disciplinary). Any of these approaches may be successful, but it is important to recognize the different ways in which team members are able to participate.

Instructor information for an online environment: This tutorial involves students working in a group of 4. Three students will give instructions to the fourth group member who will be asked to draw a picture (described below) in a certain amount of time. The person who will complete the task should not see the discussion taking place between their teammates, or the instructions that were given to the three teammates.

Instructions for 3 Teammates

Please tell your teammate how to draw this picture without using the word “owl” or showing them the picture. Between the three of you, you may decide how to give directions to your teammate. Once you have decided how to work together, you may reach out to the 4th team member (the artist). In real time, begin drawing. You have 5 minutes to try to complete the picture. Submit your results!

Download the (PowerPoint Document) Collaborative Team Instructions

The following picture was created using keyboard characters. Tell the artist how to draw the picture.

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Discussion Questions

How did you work as a team?
Did some people give more instructions than others, lead more than others?
Did anyone take over?
Did anyone sit back and let others do the work?
How did you feel about these roles? For those who were creating the drawing, what worked well for you?
What happens when different people take different roles? How does it impact you, in your capacity to participate?
Was your role based on your personality or did the group dynamic impact your participation?
Were you able to succeed? Why or why not?

Follow-up Questions

Have you had experiences with multiple leaders?
From your experiences have you seen different types of leadership?
What worked well and what did not work well in the shared leadership roles?
What did you learn about teams, and how do you think it might apply in your role as a resource consultant?
How do you think team dynamics, affect families when they are working with multiple professionals?

Page updated June 2026.