Leadership session for Year 7 students – Facilitators Handbook

The purpose of this handbook is to guide Year 7 students though Induction programme for Year 6 students. The handbook looks at each activity and gives step by step advice about how to manage each activity such as timings and the key learning aims of the activities within the course.

The activities are taken from The Student Leadership Programme which has been devised by The University of the First Age, National College of School Leadership and CSV Education.

Aims

‘Leadership and learning are indispensible to each other’

John F. Kennedy, 1963

This session has been adapted from The Student Leadership Programme, a three day course developed primarily by the University of the First Age. This leadership conference will focus upon the skills needed to develop as an effective leader.

These skills include –

Non-verbal and verbal communication Working as part of a team Leading and developing a team Developing an ability to lead by example Recognising and responding to different attitudes and skills Demonstrating an ability to influence others Motivating others Coaching skills Working to deadlines Giving effective presentations Giving and receiving constructive feedback

The aims of the course include –

To gain a greater understanding about leadership. To develop an ability to work with and influence others. To give opportunities for Sixth Form students from different schools to

work together. To understand issues relating to accountability and developing effective

working relationships. To develop key project management skills of identifying clear aims, the

steps required to achieve them and evaluate the end result.

Some advice as a session leader

‘Effective facilitating is being the guide on the side not the sage on the stage’

This course is designed to arm you with activities to help introduce new people with each other.

Your role in the Year 6 Induction Day is as a session leader. What this means is that you will introduce new people to the new Year 7 students and help them feel comfortable in their introduction to our school community. When the activities are taking place you should be on hand to give advice, ask questions and move around the group observing their work.

The session takes a predominantly active approach so you need to ensure that you use your space wisely and safely.

These notes should be seen as a helpful guide rather than a script to be learned. Things like timings are broad and don’t think you have to stick to this as a script. You have half an hour slot to work with the students and you can choose whichever activities you wish from this pack.

Of course, if there are any discipline problems during the course you need to refer them to Mr. Mitchell immediately. As facilitators, you are not expected to deal with any nonsense from those who do not wish to co-operate.

Birthday line-up

Work with whole group or large 2 or 3 groups. Ask everyone to line up in birthday date order WITHOUT SPEAKING. The person starting the line is the one with the birthday closest to January 1st. The last person will be the one whose birthday is closest to December 31st. When the group is satisfied that the task is done, ask the participants to call out their birthday in date order. Re-adjust the line if necessary.

Once the line is in order ask for some of the strategies that were used.

Count one to ten

Aim – Icebreaker activity.

Resources – none.

Time – 5 minutes

Discussion points

What strategies did the class use to complete the task? Was anybody cheating? How difficult did they find the task?

How important is non-verbal communication?

Aim – To get the group to work as a team.

Resources – None

Time – 10 minutes.

This task needs to be played in groups of no more than 15 people. The group is sat in a circle

The object of this task is to get the group to count to ten randomly around the circle without anyone interrupting each other. The task starts with one person saying ‘one’. Someone else in the circle must now say ‘two’. If more than one person starts to say ‘two’. The task starts all over again.

Pass the can

Aim – To get the group to work as a team.

Resources – None

Time – 10 minutes.

Discussion points

How did non-verbal communication take place in the task?

What strategies did the group use to complete the task?

Aim – Building team work skills.

Resources – A large empty tin.

Time – 10 minutes

The group is sat in a circle on chairs. The aim of the task is for the group to work as a team to pass the can around the circle from one to another until it returns to its starting point. Each time the can is dropped the tin has to return to its starting position.

Instructions are given by the group leader about the rules for passing the can – such as feet only, no hands, using only elbows. Several cans can be passed at the same time.

To introduce a competitive element to the task, groups can be divided into two and complete the task against each other in a race to pass the can.

Group juggle

Aim – Building team work skills.

Resources – A large empty tin.

Time – 10 minutes

Discussion points

How did teamwork help the group complete the task?

What strategies were used to complete the task?

Work with 2 or 3 groups of between 10 and 15 students.

Step one – One ball is thrown across the circle from person to person until everyone has received it once and thrown it once. As the ball is thrown, the individual says the name of the person they are throwing it to. One the first round only, arms should be folded after throwing and receiving the ball, to ensure everyone has had a turn. Everyone is then asked to identify whom he or she has thrown the ball to and received it from.

Step two – Step one is repeated to establish a pattern/sequence that can be repeated as many times as necessary.

Step two – Once the sequence is established, more balls can be introduced into the sequence at intervals to quicken thinking and to establish a juggling effect.

Aim – To work together as a team.

Resources – 3 or 4 soft balls.

Time – 10 minutes

Discussion points

What skills were needed to make this task a success?

How important is verbal communication?

Two truths and a lie

Ask everyone to think of two things about themselves that are true and one which is not.

In small groups, ask the students to reveal the two truths and a lie and then the rest of the group try to decide which is which. This allows groups member to share things about themselves in a safe and fun way.

Bob!

The group stands in a circle and the aim of the game is to get everyone bobbed down.

Only one person can bob down at once. If more than one person bobs down at the same time then everyone has to stand up and start again.

The first person to bob down says ‘One’, the second says ‘Two’ and so on. Once a successful bob has taken place, that person sits down.

Aim – To allow the team to get to know each other better.

Resources – None.

Time – 10 minutes

Aim – To work together as a team.

Resources – None .

Time – 10 minutes

Teach it!!!

The task should be completed in small groups of 3.

Step one – Ask each young person to think of something they can do that they can teach someone else. For example, a few words in a foreign language, a song or a dance.

Step two – Get the class into groups of three where they will experience three different roles –

Student Teacher Observer

Step three – Each person will be given no more than four minutes to teach their activity to the student in the group. The observer will then give advice on how well both the student and teacher fulfilled their roles.

Step four and five – Each person swaps roles until they have experienced all three roles.

Aims – To introduce the idea of what skills are needed for a peer mentor/facilitator role.

Resources – None.

Time – 15/30 minutes.

Discussion points

What skills were needed to successfully complete the different roles in this activity?

How do you deliver effective feedback? What questioning took place in the activity?

Trains

The task should be completed in small groups of 4 or 5.

The group stands in a line with their hands on the shoulders of the person in front. Each person is numbered 1 to 5. The line represents an engine and carriages –person 1 is the engine and the rest are the carriages. The person’s number will change according to their position in the line.

The group leader calls out one of three instructions during the activity –

CHANGE – this means person number 1 in the line moves to the back of the train.

SWITCH – this means people in positions 2 and 3 switch places.

ROTATE – this means the whole line turns round so that number 4 becomes number 1.

Once the group has practiced these moves at a slowish pace, the group leader speeds up the instructions and may link two instructions together eg. Rotate and Switch.

Once the group is happy in combining instructions the group leader can add the instruction TUNNEL, this means that the group must carry out the instructions with their eyes closed.

Aims – To develop co-operation and quick response.

Resources – None.

Time – 15 minutes.

Discussion points

How did teamwork help complete the task? What was challenging about the task? What skills were needed to complete the task

effectively?

Building trust

This task needs to be completed in groups of three.

The object of this task is that one person [C], with their eyes closed, is guided by another person [B] using verbal instructions only, which have been mimed by a third person [A], to drop a ball into a bucket placed a distance away.

Working in threes, person A faces person B and C and they are the only ones that can see where the bucket is. Person A cannot speak and can only mime actions. Person C stands behind Person B who is seated, and has their eyes closed.

Person A mimes the actions/directions needed to communicate to person B how Person C can move towards the bucket and the point where they can drop the ball into the bucket.

Aim – To develop effective communication skills and build trust in developing teamwork.

Resources – Ball, chair and bucket

Time – 15 minutes.

Discussion points

How did non-verbal communication take place in the task?

What strategies did the group use to complete the task?

How effective was the communication in completing the task?

What skills were needed to complete the task successfully?