Middle School
What is Leadership?
Seventh graders who learned the Blanchard leadership model give an explanation
of leadership.
See Middle School Students Engaged in Teambuilding Activities
Students Learn Juggling
Students learn that they need to ask for Direction and Support when they are learning a new task. Direction tells how to do the task and support encourages the person. Juggling is one game that is taught as a metaphor for giving and receiving direction and support. This activity is taught in our middle, high school, and college program.
Below are a group of middle school students who are practicing the skill of giving direction and support to their partner. One student took on the role of the manager or leader. The other student acted as an employee or individual contributor. The manager provided the right amount of direction and support for the employee. Then, they switched roles and the manager became the employee. This helped students understand the importance of giving and receiving feedback to help them accomplish a task. It also taught students to overcome a learning obstacle.
Rubber Pigs, Chickens, Frogs, and Fish are Used as a Teambuilding Game!
Rubber pigs, chickens, frogs, and fish are used in a teambuilding game to teach students how to work together efficiently in order to solve a task. One student takes on the role of a project manager, while the others in his or her group take on the role of a department (HR, training and development, shipping, marketing, etc.). The project manager applies the skills learned in leadership to lead a team. Other team members apply the skills they learned, and students find out that it takes skill to successfully work with others.
Listen to Laura below, a 7th grade student, about her experience when she took on the role as a project manager for her group. She found that leading others was not about bossing others.
The middle school version includes:
- Age appropriate verbiage
- Drawing and the use of pictures to represent content
- Several games and teambuilding activities to engage students
- Techniques that teach strategies for learning content in their classroom
- Communication skills to help students develop friendships and work with adults

