This document discusses using digital stories to promote teamwork. It outlines several methods for doing so, including showing stories from Patient Voices that depict healthcare teams in action and having students answer questions about the teams. Using digital stories has pros like being engaging, making teamwork real, and serving as a starting point for discussion. However, there are also potential cons like equipment not working, lack of suitable stories, or stories not standing alone without facilitation. Overall, digital stories are a short, free, and easy way to get staff and students thinking about effective teamwork through real examples.

1. Promoting teamwork with digital
stories
Elspeth McLean
Staff Development Officer
School of Health Sciences
Learning and Teaching Conference 23rd June 2010

2. Why promote teamwork?

3. What’s there to learn about working in
a team?
Communication skills
Theories about teams
What teams do
in specific contexts
How to be a good team worker
and a good team leader
How to develop self awareness
What makes teams
work?

4. Theories about teams
psychology sociology
management
Pros
•Gives conceptual tools
for future use
•Evidence base for
developing team
working
Possible cons
•Making it relevant
•Making it interesting

5. Self help
eg questionnaires, skills inventories
Pros
•Links with other
personal development
activities
•Individualised
•Often available online
as well as on paper
Possible Cons
•Only interesting if
students see the
point
•May have already
done it
•Not all of them are
free

6. Trying out teamwork
Pros
•Active
•Can be linked with
other learning
•Something to reflect
on and discuss
Possible cons
•Time, especially
for reflecting on
process
•Getting distracted
by details of task
•Missing the point

7. Using Stories
Patient Voices
www.patientvoices.org.uk
Cost
Copyright
Permission

8. Bicycle Clips
http://www.patientvoices.org.uk/flv/0045pv384
.htm

9. Bicycle clips
questions for foundation course students..
• Who was in the team and why?
• Who is likely to be in the teams you will be working
with in your professions and why?
and for final undergraduate students
• What would help/hinder effective communication in
this team?

10. Using Stories:
Go Around
http://www.patientvoices.org.uk/flv/0369pv3
84.htm

11. Using Stories
Go Around
Questions
• Make a note while you watch the story of what
makes a team work well
• Add a few more thoughts from your own experience
of being in a team on what makes a team work well
• How does this relate to theoretical perspectives on
teams?

12. Using digital stories to promote
teamwork – possible cons
• Equipment not working or not there – especially
speakers and especially when not in comfort
zone.
• Internet access (as above)
• Stories don’t stand alone - still need to facilitate
the learning
• May not be anything suitable available
• Popular but may not be everyone’s favourite –
need to complement with other learning
opportunities

13. Pros
• Engaging – affective, effective, reflective
• Makes it real
• Starting point for discussions and exercises
• Short
• Free
• Usually easy to access - by staff and students
• Can show to large or small groups or ask individuals
to find for themselves

14. What’s there to learn about working in
a team?
Communication skills
Theories about teams
What teams do
in specific contexts
How to be a good team worker
and a good team leader
How to develop self awareness
What makes teams
work?

15. Promoting teamwork with digital
stories
Elspeth McLean
emclean@liv.ac.uk