Who: Large Sydney Private School (Faculty of 300 staff)
What: The coronavirus pandemic has been an extremely challenging time for Teachers and Educators alike. The school recognised there was a need to re-connect the teachers with their peers and wanted to do so in a fun and engaging way.
One of the biggest challenges for those in the Education System during the coronavirus pandemic has been managing the restrictions that apply between both students and fellow teachers. Peer to peer conversations and connections are lacking. This is causing disconnect across the board. The organisation wanted to address this disconnect in three ways:
- By aligning the faculty – at times it can be hard to remember why we do what we do, so it is important to remind the faculty what it is about teaching that drives them individually.
- By connecting the faculty – from the little hallway chats to checking-in on a particular student, the few months have affected the connection between the faculty members. This program helped remind the faculty members how important these connections can be.
- By having fun – it has been an incredibly challenging few months for the group so we wanted to give the faculty members a chance to relax and have some fun together.
Virtual Team Building
It was decided that Virtual Escape the Mob was the best option to achieve these outcomes. On the day 300 teachers joined a Zoom call and were given an initial briefing and an ice-breaker to set the tone for the day ahead. Attendees were then randomly assigned into smaller virtual ‘breakout’ rooms in order to re-create some of those hallway style connections with their peers. The teams laughed and problem solved their way through the Virtual Escape the Mob app whilst working against the clock. Everyone was brought back together at the end of the day and the winners were announced.
Participant quotes:
“A brilliant session, thank you.”
“Wonderful to just have some fun together for the first time in a while.”
“A nice blend of problem solving and connecting with colleagues.”
Client quote:
“It was really wonderful seeing the transition from anxious to excited energy and observing the connections being reestablished between peers. The next step involves meeting face-to-face, as the faculty looks forward to the second half of the year.”
Next Steps: The school will encourage face-to-face meetings between staff during the second half of the year.