Team Manager 101

There is a lot of information for new team managers in the materials that come along with the challenges. If you don't have the Team Manager's Guide, Parent's Guide, or Instant Challenge Set ask your coordinator for a copy. The Team Manager's Guide will guide you step by step through the process of facilitating your team. Experienced Team Managers will find some changes this year in the way the Challenges are written. The side bars will help by listing special definitions for words in the challenge and also ask questions of the team that are important in the development of their solution.

Remember the triangle of interference. Page 14 of the Rules of the Road has a picture of the Triangle of Interference. At the base of the triangle you will find SKILLS + THE CHALLENGE + RULES. You, as a team manager, can help the team understand the challenge requirements and the rules involved in solving it. The remainder of the base is labeled SKILLS. This means that the team manager can teach the team HOW to do things. You can teach the team to sew, or how to look up information, or how to use a tool. That is part of your job as facilitator. BUT....the top of the triangle is THE SOLUTION. The team OWNS the solution. Every part, including ideas, may ONLY come from the team members. They will have to sign a document to that effect that will be turned into the appraisers at the tournament. Please don't be tempted to "help" them with their solution. You will see ways that they can do something easier. Put your hand over your mouth and repeat inside your head, "It is THEIR solution." Kids learn MUCH more going through the process of problem solving than they would learn from you telling them what to do. They can do it. It won't look like what you would do. It won't look like any other team's solution. Why? Because it is theirs! Please email me or comment to this blog if you have any questions about interference.

DO....help them understand the challenge and rules
DO....teach them the problem solving skills they need
DO....teach them any other skills they want to learn to better solve the challenge
DO NOT....give them ideas
DO NOT....critique their solution
DO NOT....allow parents or other experts to give assistance in any way

The Parent's Guide is also a good tool to let parents know what is and is not acceptible.