Team Triangle Count
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Author
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Clif Kussmaul, Muhlenberg College, clif@kussmaul.org
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NA Name
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Team Triangle Count
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Summary
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Students work in teams to count the number of triangles in a
complex figure, and the experience is used to prompt discussion of
a variety of team issues.
Instructor assigns students to teams of 3-5.
Instructor tells teams to count the number of triangles in a
complex figure.
Teams work for 5-10 minutes, instructor circulates to see what is
happening.
Instructor tells teams to stop counting and consider the following
questions:
· Who did what on the team? How did you choose these roles?
· What strategy(s) did your team consider?
· How did you choose the strategy(s) you implemented?
Teams briefly report their answers to the entire class.
Instructor leads additional discussion if time and interest permit.
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Topics
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team dynamics, decision making, problem solving
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Strengths
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· duration of activity is flexible, depending on content, student interest, etc.
· requires little preparation
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Weaknesses
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· focuses on short-term rather than long-term team issues
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Variants
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· use other tasks
· follow with a reflective writing assignment
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