Cooperation Catalyst Facilitator Script

Introduction (0:00–0:05)

“Good morning, everyone! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to join our Cooperation Catalyst session. My name is [Your Name], and I’m excited to guide you through practical strategies for building a culture of cooperation and teamwork in your schools.

Over the next hour, we’ll explore why a cooperative culture matters, watch two short videos, engage in interactive activities, and leave with an action plan and resources to implement immediately.

Let’s begin!”

Warm-Up Icebreaker (0:05–0:10)

(Slide: Warm-Up Icebreaker)

“First, we’ll break the ice with a quick game of Two Truths, One Lie. You each have the handout Icebreaker: Two Truths One Lie. Please take a moment to write down two true statements and one false statement about your own experiences with teamwork.

When I say ‘go,’ share your three statements with the person next to you. Your partner will guess which statement is the lie. Ready?

Great! Let’s hear a couple of examples from volunteers. What did you share, and how did guessing the lie help you connect with a colleague? (Pause for 2–3 responses.)

Notice how sharing our stories builds trust. That trust is the foundation of cooperation.

Session Overview & Reading (0:10–0:20)

(Slide: Today's Agenda)

“Let’s review our agenda:

• Warm-Up Icebreaker (5 min)
• Reading & Overview (10 min)
• Videos & Guided Discussion (10 min)
• Collaborative Group Activity (15 min)
• Formative Quiz (5 min)
• Cool-Down Reflection (5 min)
• Post-Session Project & Assessment (10 min)

(Slide: Key Concepts Reading)

Please open the reading titled Cooperation in Schools Reading. You have five minutes to read silently. Look for examples of shared goals, communication techniques, and trust-building methods. Jot down one idea you’d like to bring back to your school context.

Wonderful. Who can share one key insight from your reading? (Pause for 2–3 responses.)

These elements—shared goals, clear communication, and trust—will guide our work today.

Video & Guided Discussion (0:20–0:30)

(Slide: Teamwork Strategies Video)

“Next, we’ll watch two short videos. The first is Teamwork Strategies Video (4 minutes). Please focus on the strategies you hear and think about where you’ve seen them in action—or where they could be stronger—in your school.

(Play Teamwork Strategies Video).

(Slide: Cooperation Models in Education)

Now, we’ll watch Cooperation Models in Education (4 minutes). As you watch, note any models or frameworks that stand out.

(Play Cooperation Models in Education Video).

(Slide: Guided Discussion)

Using your Teamwork Discussion Guide, discuss in pairs or triads:

• Which takeaway resonated most with you?
• Where do you see this strategy in your school or district?
• What barriers might prevent it, and how could you overcome them?

Spend five minutes, then we’ll share highlights. Start now.

Let’s hear from one group. What barrier did you identify, and what’s a possible solution? (Pause for responses, 2–3 groups.)

Great insights—thank you.

Collaborative Group Activity (0:30–0:45)

(Slide: Collaborative Group Activity)

“Now we’ll form small groups of 4–5. Each group will use the Build-a-Team Activity Kit and your Collaborative Strategies Worksheet to design a mini action plan.

Choose roles: Facilitator to keep you on track, Recorder to capture ideas, and Reporter to share out.

Your task: Identify a specific context in your school—such as a weekly staff meeting, a PLC, or a student project—and outline three concrete steps to strengthen cooperation there. Use our worksheet to guide your discussion.

You have 15 minutes. Let’s begin.

Time’s up! Please have each Reporter share one key step from your action plan. (Pause for 3–4 group reports.)

Fantastic plans—thank you for your creativity and collaboration.

Formative Quiz (0:45–0:50)

(Slide: Formative Quiz)

“It’s time for a quick check of key concepts. Please complete the Cooperation Concepts Quiz independently. You have five minutes.

(Sound timer. After five minutes…)

Let’s review answers using the Cooperation Assessments Answer Key.

(Go question by question, clarifying any misconceptions.)

Cool-Down Reflection (0:50–0:55)

(Slide: Cool-Down Reflection)

“Take a moment to reflect using the Reflection Cool Down Guide. Prompt: ‘What is one commitment you will make to model cooperation in your role?’

Write your commitment, then share with a partner or, if you’re online, drop it in the chat.

Who would like to share their commitment? (Pause for 2–3 responses.)

I appreciate your willingness to lead by example.

Post-Session Project & Assessment (0:55–1:00)

(Slide: Post-Session Project & Assessment)

“Finally, let’s look at your post-session project: a school-wide cooperation initiative. You’ll find the details in the Collaborative Project Outline, and we’ll assess your work using the Collaboration Skills Rubric.

You will also receive the Cooperation Mastery Test as a take-home assessment. Projects and tests are due [due date]. We’ll offer peer-review sessions and one-on-one coaching if you’d like additional support.

Do you have any questions about the assignment or timeline? (Pause for questions.)

Closing & Next Steps

(Slide: Thank You & Next Steps)

“Thank you all for your participation today. You can download a copy of this facilitator script at Cooperation Catalyst Facilitator Script.

Remember, cooperation starts with small, intentional actions—today you’ve taken a big step toward building a stronger, more collaborative school culture. Reach out if you need support, and have a wonderful rest of your day!”

Collaborative Strategies Worksheet

Use this worksheet to guide your group through planning a mini action plan to strengthen cooperation in a specific school context. Refer to the Build-a-Team Activity Kit as needed.

1. Group & Context Details

Group Members:

• Facilitator: ______________________
• Recorder: ______________________
• Reporter: ______________________
• Other Roles: ______________________

School Context (e.g., weekly staff meeting, PLC, student project):

Specific Goal for Cooperation in this Context:

2. Shared Vision & Success Criteria

What does successful cooperation look like in your chosen context?

• Describe at least two observable behaviors or outcomes:

  1. ---

  2. ---

How will you know you’ve achieved this goal? (e.g., improved communication, equal participation, project completion)

3. Brainstorm Strategies

List three cooperative strategies or activities you could implement. For each, note who will lead and any materials needed.

4. Potential Barriers & Solutions

Identify up to three potential barriers to cooperation in your context and propose a solution for each.

1. Barrier: ____________________________
   
   
   
   
   • Solution: ____________________________
2. Barrier: ____________________________
   
   
   
   
   • Solution: ____________________________
3. Barrier: ____________________________
   
   
   
   
   • Solution: ____________________________

5. Action Plan Timeline

Outline the steps your group will take to implement the chosen strategies. Include deadlines and responsibilities.

6. Reflection & Next Steps

After implementation, how will you gather feedback and measure success? Describe your plan:

One commitment I will make as a team member to model cooperation:

Thank you for your collaborative work! Be ready to share your action plan aloud.

Cooperation in Schools Reading

Introduction

Cooperation is more than just working side by side—it’s the intentional process of aligning goals, sharing responsibility, and supporting one another to achieve outcomes no one could reach alone. In schools, cooperation among educators models teamwork for students, strengthens staff relationships, and drives meaningful improvements in teaching and learning.

Why Cooperative Cultures Matter

• Enhanced Morale and Retention: When teachers feel supported by colleagues, job satisfaction and staff retention increase.
• Improved Student Outcomes: Collaborative planning leads to richer lesson designs and more consistent interventions for students.
• Distributed Leadership: Shared decision-making empowers teachers, taps into diverse expertise, and builds leadership capacity across the school.

Key Elements of Effective Cooperation

1. Shared Goals

Clear, mutually agreed-upon objectives keep teams focused. Articulate a concise vision—such as improving literacy rates by 10% or designing inclusive project-based units—and ensure every member understands how their contributions matter.

2. Open Communication

Foster a culture of honest dialogue by setting norms for meetings and check-ins:

• Use structured protocols (e.g., “I notice… I wonder… What if…”) to guide feedback.
• Schedule regular, brief huddles to address emerging issues before they escalate.
• Encourage active listening—paraphrasing and asking clarifying questions—to build mutual understanding.

3. Trust and Respect

Trust grows when colleagues consistently follow through on commitments:

• Adopt simple rituals like “start-stop-continue” at the end of meetings to honor each other’s workload and suggestions.
• Celebrate small wins publicly—shout-outs in staff newsletters or morning announcements reinforce respect and appreciation.

Strategies for Building Cooperation

1. Role Rotation: In teams or Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), rotate facilitation, note-taking, and time-keeping duties to distribute ownership and build empathy for different roles.
2. Peer Observation Cycles: Pair teachers for reciprocal classroom visits. Debrief with guiding questions: What did I notice? What surprised me? What might I try?
3. Collaborative Inquiry: Form small groups around common challenges (e.g., supporting ELLs). Each group researches, tests strategies, and shares findings in a “gallery walk” or digital forum.

Models of Cooperation

• Tuckman’s Stages of Team Development (Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing): Recognize that conflict (“storming”) is normal before reaching high performance.
• Communities of Practice: Teachers with shared interests (like STEM or literacy) commit to ongoing dialogue, resource-sharing, and peer coaching.
• Professional Learning Communities (PLCs): Data-driven teams that meet weekly to analyze student work, set learning targets, and plan instructional interventions.

Real-World Examples

• A middle school English department phased in peer observations: within one semester, cross-grade mentoring grew trust, and reading comprehension scores rose by 8%.
• An elementary school formed a “Culture Crew” of teachers, custodians, and aides to co-design campus events. Diverse perspectives led to more inclusive celebrations and stronger community bonds.

Reflect and Respond

Use the space below to jot your thoughts.

1. Which key elements (shared goals, communication, trust) are strongest in your school, and which need work?

2. What new cooperative strategy will you commit to trying in the next month?

3. How might you measure the impact of this change on teacher collaboration or student learning?

Next, we’ll watch two brief videos to see these ideas in action:

• Teamwork Strategies Video
• Cooperation Models in Education Video

When discussing, consider which examples resonated with your context and what barriers you might encounter—and overcome—on the path to stronger cooperation.

Teamwork Discussion Guide

Use this guide to structure a focused conversation after watching the videos. Aim for a 10-minute discussion in pairs or small groups, then a brief share-out.

1. Set the Stage (1 minute)

• Invite participants to turn to a partner or small group of 3.
• Establish discussion norms:
  • Speak one at a time
  • Listen actively (paraphrase before responding)
  • Assume positive intent

2. Individual Reflection (2 minutes)

Prompt: “What is one strategy or insight from the videos that stood out to you?”
Write a quick note below before sharing:

3. Guided Pair/Group Discussion (5 minutes)

Use these prompts to guide your conversation. Each person should respond to all prompts in turn.

Prompt A: Key Takeaway

• What resonated most with you?
• Why does this idea matter in your school context?

Prompt B: Real-World Examples

• Where have you seen this strategy in action?
• Where might it be missing or under-utilized?

Prompt C: Barriers & Solutions

• What obstacles could prevent success?
• How could you overcome or mitigate those barriers?

Sentence Starters for ELL/IEPs/504s

• “I noticed… ”
• “I wonder… ”
• “One possible solution could be… ”

4. Share-Out & Capture Insights (2 minutes)

Have each group report one key point for each prompt. Record responses on a shared board or digital document using this format:

5. Connect to Next Steps (Optional)

Prompt: “Based on this discussion, what is one small step you will take in the next week to model or test this strategy?”

Thank you for engaging thoughtfully—these insights will fuel your collaborative action plans in the next activity!

Build-a-Team Activity Kit

Use this kit to guide your small‐group design of a mini action plan that strengthens cooperation in a specific school context.

Materials (per group of 4–5)

• Role Cards (one set): Facilitator, Recorder, Reporter, Timekeeper, Connector
• Scenario Cards (choose one):
  • Weekly Staff Meeting
  • PLC/Department Planning Session
  • Student Project Team
  • Cross-Role Committee (e.g., Culture Crew)
• Large chart paper or digital whiteboard
• Colored markers or virtual sticky-note tools
• Timer (smartphone or online timer)
• Handouts:
  • Collaborative Strategies Worksheet
  • Sentence Frame Sheet for ELL/IEP support (optional)

Setup (2 minutes)

1. Distribute one kit to each group.
2. Ask groups to shuffle Scenario Cards and draw one at random.
3. Shuffle and deal Role Cards so each person has one primary role.
4. Place chart paper and markers in the center (or share digital whiteboard link).

Activity Steps (15 minutes)

1. Clarify Context (2 min)
   • Facilitator reads aloud the drawn scenario.
   • Group identifies the key setting, participants, and desired outcome.
2. Define Success (3 min)
   • Using the Collaborative Strategies Worksheet, Recorder captures:
     • Two observable behaviors that signal successful cooperation
     • One clear goal for this context
3. Brainstorm Strategies (4 min)
   • Connector highlights connections to existing school practices.
   • All group members suggest one cooperative strategy or activity.
   • Recorder notes strategies in the worksheet, including who leads and needed resources.
4. Address Barriers (3 min)
   • Discuss up to two potential barriers (e.g., time constraints, unclear roles, low trust).
   • For each, Reporters propose one concrete solution.
   • Capture barriers and solutions in the worksheet.
5. Draft Action Plan (3 min)
   • Timekeeper guides the team to outline three steps, deadlines, and responsibilities in the worksheet’s timeline section.
   • Ensure each step is specific, measurable, and realistic.
6. Prepare to Share (1 min)
   • Reporter reviews the group’s plan and selects one key insight to present during the whole-group share-out.

Inclusion Strategies

• Provide visual supports: icons for roles, a printed template.
• Use sentence frames: “One strategy we could try is…,” “A possible barrier is…,” “To address this, we will….”
• Offer extended time or small-group clarification for participants with IEP/504 accommodations.

Ready? Start your timer and put cooperation into practice!

Cooperation Assessments Answer Key

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT one of the three key elements of effective cooperation described in this session?

• Correct Answer: Individual accountability
• Explanation: The three key elements are shared goals, open communication, and trust and respect. While accountability is important in teams, the session highlighted collaboration over individual accountability.

Question 2

In Tuckman’s stages of team development, which stage comes immediately after Forming?

• Correct Answer: Storming
• Explanation: Tuckman’s stages are Forming → Storming → Norming → Performing (and later Adjourning). The “storming” stage is when groups work through conflict about roles and direction.

Question 3

Which of these is a clear benefit of fostering a cooperative culture in schools?

• Correct Answer: Improved student outcomes
• Explanation: A cooperative culture leads to richer lesson planning, consistent interventions, and shared expertise, all of which drive better student learning. The other options (decreased morale, reduced communication, solitary decision-making) run counter to cooperative benefits.

Question 4

Which strategy involves rotating facilitation, note-taking, and time-keeping duties among team members?

• Correct Answer: Role rotation
• Explanation: Role rotation intentionally shifts group responsibilities so all members experience leadership, which builds empathy and shared ownership. Peer observation cycles and collaborative inquiry are different cooperation strategies; Communities of Practice is a broader model.

Question 5 (Open-Response)

In one or two sentences, explain why trust is essential for effective cooperation among colleagues.

Model Response Elements:

• Trust ensures that team members feel safe sharing ideas and concerns without fear of judgment.
• When colleagues trust one another to follow through on commitments, they collaborate more openly and hold each other accountable.
• Trust reduces conflict, speeds decision-making, and fosters a culture where everyone builds on each other’s strengths.

Scoring Rubric (2 points total):

• 1 point for identifying a correct reason (e.g., psychological safety, reliability, open communication).
• 1 point for connecting that reason to cooperative outcomes (e.g., better ideas, stronger teamwork, reduced conflict).

Collaborative Project Outline

Project Overview

Design and implement a school-wide cooperation initiative that puts the strategies from Cooperation Catalyst into practice. Work collaboratively with colleagues to plan, carry out, and reflect on an action plan that strengthens teamwork in a specific context (e.g., staff meeting, PLC, student project).

Objectives

• Apply shared goals, open communication, and trust-building strategies in a real setting
• Demonstrate equitable role distribution and collective decision-making
• Collect evidence of increased collaboration and reflect on outcomes

Deliverables

1. Action Plan Document
   • Context description, shared vision, success criteria
   • Three concrete strategies with assigned leads and resources
   • Barriers & solutions and timeline of steps
2. Implementation Summary (2–3 pages or slide deck)
   • Evidence of enactment (meeting notes, photos, artifacts)
   • Data or feedback showing improved cooperation (surveys, observations)
3. Reflection & Next Steps
   • Analysis of successes and challenges
   • At least two measurable outcomes (e.g., increased participation rates, faster decision-making)
   • One refined commitment for ongoing collaboration
4. Presentation (5–7 minutes)
   • Share your process, evidence, and lessons learned with peers and leadership

Project Steps & Timeline

Supports & Resources

• Peer-Review Sessions: Schedule at least one mid-project check-in with another group or coach
• Coaching Conference: Optional one-on-one support with PD facilitator
• Materials: Use Collaborative Strategies Worksheet, Build-a-Team Activity Kit, and relevant slide decks/videos
• Accessibility: Apply IEP/504 accommodations (visual supports, sentence frames) and ELL scaffolds

Evaluation

Your work will be assessed using the Collaboration Skills Rubric, focusing on:

• Clarity of shared goals and success criteria
• Effectiveness of communication protocols and trust-building methods
• Equitable participation and role distribution
• Quality of reflection and evidence of impact

Timeline Summary: Project spans 7 weeks with major milestones at Weeks 1 (kick-off), 3–5 (implementation), and Week 7 (presentation). Collaborate frequently, collect data, and iterate for continuous improvement.

Collaboration Skills Rubric

Assess the Collaborative Project based on four key dimensions. Score each criterion from 1 (Beginning) to 4 (Exemplary).

Icebreaker: Two Truths One Lie

Purpose: Build trust and rapport by sharing personal teamwork experiences in a fun, engaging way.

Instructions

1. On your handout, write down two true statements and one false statement about your own experiences with cooperation or teamwork in schools.
2. When everyone is ready, pair up with a neighbor (or in small groups for remote participants, use breakout rooms/chat).
3. Take turns reading your three statements.
4. Your partner(s) will guess which statement is the lie.
5. After each guess, reveal the correct answer and briefly explain the story behind one of your truths.

Debrief Questions (after sharing)

• How did it feel to share and listen to these stories?
• What did you learn about your colleagues’ teamwork experiences?
• How can sharing personal stories foster trust and cooperation in your school?

Your Statements

Two Truths

One Lie
3. ____________________________________________

Enjoy getting to know each other and building the foundation for cooperation!

Reflection Cool Down Guide

Use this guide as a quick exit ticket to consolidate your learning and set a personal cooperation goal.

Time: 3–5 minutes

1. Key Insight

What is one important takeaway or strategy from today’s session?

2. Personal Commitment

What is one commitment you will make to model cooperation in your role (teacher, leader, or staff member)?

3. Accountability Plan

How will you hold yourself (or your team) accountable for this commitment in the next week or month?

Share-Out Options:

• Pair-share with a colleague
• Drop your responses in the chat (for virtual sessions)
• Submit your reflection to the facilitator as an exit ticket

Thank you for reflecting—your next steps drive real change in your school’s collaborative culture!