Teamwork and Collaboration

Year Level

Year 11

Duration

59 minutes

Class Size

15 students

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NSW Curriculum Alignment

Syllabus Outcomes

• ACPPS116: Accept and perform leadership and other roles to enhance group performance in physical activities.
• ACPPS117: Identify the benefits of social and competitive participation.
• ACPPS118: Design and implement strategies in physical activities to achieve specified goals.

Content Descriptions

• Evaluate the impact of leadership and team roles on group performance.
• Analyse social and competitive contexts for promoting physical and mental well-being.
• Develop, apply, and critically evaluate strategies to improve performance in physical activities.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify and accept team roles — leader, builder, designer, communicator — and explain their importance in achieving group goals.

2. Apply leadership and teamwork skills to enhance the performance of their group during a collaborative problem-solving activity.

3. Design and implement a strategy as a team to construct a protective device to prevent an egg from breaking when dropped.

4. Reflect on individual and group contributions to teamwork using the ACER Collaboration Development framework for self-assessment.

5. Recognise benefits of social and competitive participation through group engagement in a physical challenge.

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Materials Needed

• Raw eggs (15, one per group as backup)
• Variety of materials for constructing egg protection devices, including:
• Straws
• Popsicle sticks
• Tape (masking/tissue tape)
• Paper (scrap, newspaper)
• Cotton balls
• Rubber bands
• String
• Cardboard pieces
• Plastic bags
• Scissors (one per group)
• Measuring tape or ruler (for drop height validation)
• Clipboards and pens for assessment
• ACER Framework Teamwork Self-Evaluation Rubrics (printed copies, one per student)

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Lesson Structure and Timing

Time	Activity	Description	NSW Curriculum Focus
0-5 min	Introduction & Lesson Intent	Brief explanation of teamwork importance in physical activity and today's challenge. Outline the goal: design a device to protect the egg from breaking.	ACPPS116, ACPPS117
5-10 min	Assign Group Roles & Discuss	Students divided into 5 groups of 3. Roles assigned/discussed: Leader, Builder, Designer, Communicator. Groups discuss how roles support teamwork.	ACPPS116
10-20 min	Planning Phase	Groups brainstorm and design their egg protection strategy. Leader facilitates discussion; Designer sketches ideas. Communicator keeps group focused, shares ideas with teacher if needed.	ACPPS118
20-40 min	Construction Phase	Groups build their devices using available materials. Builder leads construction. Leader manages progress and resolves issues. Communicator updates and negotiates roles if required.	ACPPS118
40-50 min	Egg Drop Challenge	Each group drops their egg device from a predetermined height (e.g., 2 metres). Observations made on whether the egg breaks or not. Discuss what worked/didn't work.	ACPPS117, ACPPS118
50-55 min	Group & Individual Reflection & Assessment	Students fill out self-evaluation rubric using ACER collaboration framework. Focus on aspects of communication, participation, regulation and role engagement.	ACPPS116, ACPPS117
55-59 min	Class Debrief & Summary	Final discussion on teamwork benefits and leadership roles. Teacher summarises key learning points aligned to NSW curriculum objectives.	ACPPS116, ACPPS117, ACPPS118

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Detailed Activity Descriptions

Introduction & Lesson Intent (0-5 mins)

• Teacher introduces the lesson objective connecting teamwork, leadership, and strategy in physical activity.
• Emphasis on the importance of effective communication and role acceptance in achieving group success.
• Quick explanation of the egg drop challenge: Protect the egg so it survives being dropped.

Assign Group Roles & Discuss (5-10 mins)

• Groups of 3 assigned, each student takes one role:

• Leader: Facilitates discussion and keeps team on task.

• Designer: Creates the plan/sketch for the protective device.

• Builder: Gathers materials and constructs the device.

• Communicator: Shares ideas, negotiates between members, reports progress.

• Teacher guides discussion on how these roles can contribute to efficient collaboration.

Planning Phase (10-20 mins)

• Teams brainstorm potential designs.
• Leader ensures all voices heard, encourages justifications for ideas (ACER Aspect 1.1).
• Designer sketches final design, considering materials available.
• Communicator notes materials needed, negotiates roles or plans as necessary.

Construction Phase (20-40 mins)

• Builder leads device assembly guided by the design.
• Leader checks progress, resolves issues, reorganizes strategy if needed (ACER Aspect 3.3).
• Communicator facilitates communication, updates group members, addresses questions.

Egg Drop Challenge (40-50 mins)

• Teacher supervises drop height for consistency.
• Groups drop their egg devices sequentially.
• Group observes whether the egg survives or breaks; notes impact on design.
• Teacher facilitates brief discussion on performance, highlighting teamwork impacts.

Group & Individual Reflection & Assessment (50-55 mins)

• Distribute ACER Framework Self-assessment Rubric (individual + group reflection).

• Students evaluate contributions on these key ACER collaboration aspects:

• Building Shared Understanding (communication and pooling resources).

• Collectively Contributing (participation and engagement with roles).

• Regulating (constructive contributions, resolving differences, maintaining understanding).

• Students complete honest reflections to promote metacognition on teamwork skills.

Class Debrief & Summary (55-59 mins)

• Teacher invites volunteers to share reflections, focusing on leadership, collaboration, and strategy.
• Reinforce curriculum links: how teamwork, leadership, and strategy enhance physical and social outcomes.
• Encourage students to apply these teamwork skills in future physical activities and life contexts.

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Assessment

ACER Framework Teamwork Self-Evaluation Rubric Components

Aspect	Low	Medium	High
Communication	Limited responses	Asks for clarification	Justifies perspectives, maintains dialogue
Pooling Resources	Shares when asked	Shares some resources	Reviews and pools all relevant info
Role Negotiation	Accepts roles given	Negotiates but limited	Negotiates roles by expertise and plans
Participation	Takes some action	Participates fully	Tries multiple strategies, persists
Engagement with Roles	Fulfils simple tasks	Takes some responsibility	Monitors and encourages shared responsibility
Constructive Contributions	Identifies own contributions	Reflects on contribution quality	Shares to enhance group outcomes
Resolving Differences	Discusses differences	Makes constructive attempts	Explains, justifies for optimal collaboration
Maintaining Understanding	Reiterates goals/basic	Finalises goals/roles	Provides updates, renegotiates roles and goals
Adapting Behaviour	Responds when prompted	Adapts with feedback	Tailors communication and behaviour for all

Students rate themselves individually and discuss as a group to assign a collective mark.

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Notes for Teachers

• Encourage an environment where all roles are respected equally.
• Use questioning to prompt deeper reasoning, e.g., "Why do you think this design will work?" or "How does your role help the group succeed?"
• Reinforce the real-life applicability of these teamwork and leadership skills.
• The egg drop experiment links creative problem-solving with physical activity concepts through collaboration.
• Adapt materials or challenge parameters for group size or ability level.

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This lesson integrates teamwork, leadership, social, and competitive benefits through a hands-on, engaging experiment, supported by a rigorous self-assessment framework aligned to the NSW Syllabus Standards for Health and Physical Education. The ACER framework enhances metacognitive skills encouraging students to critically evaluate their collaborative behaviours and outcomes.