This is a session plan for a full-day workshop that I designed and facilitated for a small urban elementary school leadership team during the first week of school. The team bonded on Friday night through a sleepover and shared team building activities hosted by the principal and I came in the next morning and engaged the entire team in the activities listed in this agenda.

1. NOLA Urban Elementary School Leadership Training
High Level Agenda
10 August 2013
Session Plan crafted and facilitated by:
Nicole M. Williams,
Aspiring Principals Program Director
Greater New Orleans
Connecting Communicating Collaborating Concentrating
Life Maps
Objectives:
● To give participants an
opportunity to learn
about one another and
what they have in
common
● To provide
participants an early
opportunity to see
themselves as a team
● To set the stage for
more in­depth
leadership activities
● To begin to know
people’s names and
something about each
one
● To give participants
an opportunity to
reflect on important
Constructivist Listening
Dyads
Objectives:
● To create a safe space
to become better at
listening and talking in
depth
Key Concepts:
Communicating, trust,
leadership development
Framing (5’)
● Introduce the concept
and purpose of
constructivist listening
(2’)
● Provide clear
instructions and
address clarifying
questions (3’)
Marshmallow Challenge:
http://marshmallowchallenge.com/
Welcome.html
Objectives:
Key Concepts:
Barriers to team building;
identifying the
“marshmallow” for the team
­ common goal
Framing (10’):
● Introduce the
Marshmallow
Challenge (5’)
● Provide instructions
and address clarifying
questions (5’)
Airtight Activity (18’):
● Participants engage in
marshmallow
Focus Ring:
http://www.teachmeteamwork.com/
teachmeteamwork/2006/12/teambui
lding_ga_2.html
Objectives:
● To focus the attention
of the team to
accomplish an
important/challenging
task
Framing (5’)
● Introduce the Focus
ring challenge (2’)
● Provide instructions
and address clarifying
questions (3’)
Airtight Activity (15’)
● As a whole group,
allow the participants
to complete the task

2. elements in their lives
and present them to
others
Key Concepts:
leadership development,
self­awareness, community
building
Framing (5’)
● Introduce Life Map,
objectives and
connection to the
day’s activities
LifeMap Creation (30’)
● Members use time to
create life map
● 30 minute playlist
created for activity
Whole Group Share­out
(35’)
● Each team member
shares out the created
lifemap
Whole Group Share­out (5’)
● Each participant will
address LifeMap
questions at the end of
the task before we
move into next activity.
Airtight Activity (6’)
● Participants engage in
a debrief conversation
following the minefield
activity
● Participants address
the following prompts:
● What would you do if
you were not afraid?
● When did you not
speak up when you
should have?
● Why do you matter?
● What big lesson can
people learn from
your life?
● In the haste of our
daily lives, what are
we not seeing
● Based on your
current daily actions
and routines, where
would you expect to
be in five years?
● Are you holding on
to something that
you need to let go
of?
● What do you
sometimes pretend
you understand
challenge in teams of
two and one team of
three (18’)
Reflection (10’):
● Participants watch
debrief TED video at
http://www.ted.com/tal
ks/tom_wujec_build_a
_tower.html​ (7’)
● Allow participants to
reflect on their
experience in
anticipation of
large­group share­out
(3’)
Sharing/Group Think (10’):
● What were your initial
reactions after
completing this
activity?
● How did completing
this activity push or
challenge your
thinking around how
your team has worked
together on school
improvement in the
past year?
● What is the
marshmallow ( for the
(10’)
● As a whole group,
engage in
conversation around
strategy using verbal
start/stop/continue (5’)
Apply the Learning (10’)
● In two teams and as
a small group, ​allow
the team to complete
the challenge activity
(10’)

3.
when you really
don’t
Whole Group Share­Out (4’)
● What came up for you
using this structure?
● What came up for your
reflecting on the
prompts?
● What worked for you?
What was difficult for
you?
● What purpose do you
think it might serve?
leadership team’s
work in ‘moving Myrtle
Thibodeaux to the next
LifeMap Time: 70 minutes Dyads: 25 minutes Total Time: 55 minutes Focus Ring: 35
Every Person Has a Story to
Tell
Objectives:
● To give participants an
opportunity to learn
about one another and
what they have in
common
● To give participants an
opportunity to reflect
on important elements
in their lives and
present them to others
● To help build the trust
container within the
team
Minute to Win It:
Objectives:
● To bring the
temperature down in
the room
● To have some silly fun
Framing (1’)
● Participants will
engage in two silly
games as competition
Apply the Learning (8’)
● Participants will
engage in the
following two minute to
Whole Day Debrief: 15
minutes
Provide challenge
homework assignment

4. Key Concepts: trust,
leadership development,
vulnerability
Framing (5’)
● Introduce the concept
of storytelling and it’s
impact on leadership
and team development
­ reference the
Leadership Challenge
and how activities
such as these help to
encourage the heart
● Provide guidelines:
Airtight Activity (13’)
● Each person is given
two minutes to think of
the word that they
were given and to
prepare to share a
story.
● Each person must
share their story and
speak for the entire
1.5 minutes.
● All participants must
provide undivided
attention to the
speaker
win it games in two
rounds:
Whole Group Share­out
(11’)
● Participants will
debrief the morning ­
they will identify key
takeaways as well.

5.
Story Time: 20 minutes Shake it Off & Shimmy: 5
Break: 10 minutes Lunch: 60 minutes Break: 15 minutes
Minefield
Objectives:
● Brainstorm and share
communication strategies
to guide a partner in the
minefield
● To provide suggestions
and listen to ideas about
traveling through the
minefield
● Rely on others to get
through the maze
● Discuss the experience
and their feelings
Key Concepts: leadership
development, trust,
communication,
perseverance
Framing (5’)
● Teams will be
Picture Perfect:
http://www.freshtracks.co.uk/2012/01/f
ree­team­building­activity­perfect­pict
ure/#more­3163
Key Concepts:
Barriers to clear
communication, alignment
of vision and actions by
departments or individual
teams
Framing (10’):
● Introduce Picture
Perfect (5’)
● Provide clear
instructions and
address clarifying
questions (5’)
Airtight Activity (30’):
● Participants engage in
the Picture Perfect
challenge as
individuals with Freda
acting as liaison to
encourage alignment
Start Stop Continue
http://www.gogamestorm.com/?p=
645
Objectives:
● The object of Start, Stop,
Continue is to examine
aspects of a situation or
develop next steps
Key Concepts: Collaboration,
Leadership Development,
Team­building
Framing (5’)
● Connect the identification
of the team’s
marshmallow to how this
structure can be used to
examine and develop next
steps
Airtight Activity (10’)
● .Lead the team through
completing a minute to
win it game. They are
given two minutes to
complete the task.
● We stop do a start, stop
continue map
● They address the task

6. introduced to the
objectives and rules of
the minefield game.
● Teams will be broken
down into pairs and a
tethered triad
Airtight Activity (30’)
● Participants engage in
the activity
Whole­group sharing (10’)
● The entire group will
verbally debrief the
activity:
● How did you feel while
you did the activity?
● Discussion point:
Landmines are
metaphoric problems
the group faces either
personally or as a
team. They are
everywhere in life
(personal & public).
Some landmines are
big and some are
small, but hey all do
damage when we hit
them. What are the
landmines in your life
that you are choosing
to avoid?
Debrief Activity (15’)
● Participants will
debrief the activity
with guiding
questions leading
the conversation
Reflection (5’):
● Allow participants to
reflect on the activity
individually
○ One thing that
surprised me
most about
myself during
the activity
○ One thing that
surprised me
most about my
team
throughout the
activity
○ One key
takeaway that I
hope to guide
my steps in my
work this year:
Whole Group Share­out (5’)
● Participants who
would like to share
one takeaway or
reflection with the
again
● Whole group reflection on
process
In teams, the group completes a
more challenging minute it to win it
task following the same structure
Apply the Learning (10’)
● Team completes a
start/stop continue sheet
re: the team’s
marshmallow (10’)
Whole Group Reflection (3’)
● eam to assess their work
around the RPR structure.
Are there any burning
next steps they feel that
they need to make? (3’)

7.
Individual Reflection (5’)
● Participants silently
reflect on the activity in
their journals using the
following prompt:
● We can go through life
trying to avoid
obstacles, but it’s
easier when we have
help. Where do you
get help in real life?
Are you effective at
asking for help? Are
you good at
accepting/giving help?
● How do you know?
whole group is
welcome to do so at
this time.
Minefield Time: 50 minutes Picture Perfect: 65 minutes Start Stop …: 30 minutes
Team Building resources:
http://issuu.com/freshtracks/docs/ft_teambooklet_cover_5_merged