School can be difficult and tedious, especially if we do little more than prepare to take tests. Do you ever wish that school could be more fun, like when you play games with friends? The interesting thing about playing games with others is that, besides having fun, we become stronger and smarter as individuals, build better relationships with others, and develop the discipline to help us become more successful in school, work, and society.

Why can’t school be more like that?

This is a crucial question as we explore how teamwork can increase our performance and satisfaction in college and develop collaboration skills to help us succeed in our relationships at work and in society. During this workshop, we will learn the rules of Team-Based Learning. TBL is a strategy for integrating teamwork with schoolwork. If you are used to sitting in lectures and preparing for tests, Team-Based Learning may seem very unusual. However, suppose you have the experience of playing on a team to accomplish shared goals. In that case, you will quickly understand the power of teamwork for making learning a fun and enriching experience.

Learning with a team can increase your understanding of course concepts by helping you apply what you learn to solve problems you face at school and work. The typical college classroom is lecture-based, meaning students listen to lectures and prepare for tests. In comparison, students in a team-based classroom spend the semester working with other students to learn, solve problems, make decisions, and accomplish shared goals. To understand why learning to collaborate with others in the classroom is important ask yourself the following question:

After I graduate, will my job involve listening to lectures to prepare for tests, or will it include working with others to solve problems, make decisions, and accomplish goals?

Your answer will help you understand why spending some of your college experience learning to develop skills for successful collaboration is essential.