Schedule Day 2 : (Start 8:00)

Material and preparation

Instruction and implementation

Welcome the students and briefly introduce the daily schedule. Questions can also be answered directly.
Daily schedule (see top)

• What is a project / What makes a good project?
• What does team mean? / Team building exercises
• Collect project ideas & determine project topics
• ESCAPE GAME

In the first block, the teachers discuss with the pupils

For example,

• one half of the group spends 10 minutes answering the first question and
• the other half spends 10 minutes answering the second question.

The individual project phases are then discussed in more detail (see below).

• Preparation phase
• Planning phase
• Implementation phase
• Closing phase

As a follow-up to the discussion, it is useful to explain "non-goals" and to refer to the SMART goals model. (see p. 22-23)
After the first break, it is a good idea to start with one or two team-building games (see pp. 16-17) to prepare the students for group work and cooperation. After the games, it is useful to discuss why teambuilding is important.

• 1 Truth and 2 Lies
• Birthdays in a row
• Quick change
• Floating rod

Then the transition to the content "Team" takes place. The pupils work out/discuss together with the teacher "What is a team?” 

• what distinguishes a good team from a bad team/project? What is the composition of a team? What are the most important characteristics of a team, etc.?) 
• Pupils can do short research on different points or discuss their knowledge directly with the whole group.
  

What we have learned so far will be applied in the following. The aim is to plan your own project ("My Website"). To do this, the students should first get together in groups. 

• The number of group members should not exceed 3, depending on the number of participants. 

After the groups have come together, the task is to:

• Select a theme for the website 

• To do this, the pupils should first think about their own topics without any help. If a group does not come up with their own ideas, the worksheets for the project ideas can be handed out.

• View websites on the internet on the topic of the project week
• What are the differences between the respective websites? Create awareness of design possibilities and elements
• Different websites can also be viewed in the whole group via the beamer and discussed with regard to the aspects mentioned above.
• What are the tasks from the students' point of view? What should be considered in the design? What should be considered in advance?
• Presentation of the selected topic and the rough concept

The ESCAPE Game takes place in the third block. (PDF Appendix, p. 86-97)

At the end of the day, the results of the day are collected and reflected upon. What has been learned is summarised again.

• In the large group, any problems that may have arisen can also be addressed. This can also directly improve the work process for the next few days. 

• The students get another chance to ask questions about the tasks or about the project week in general, if something is still unclear.

Additional information Day 2

Team building measures

What is team building?

To be successful, a well-functioning team is important. The team should consist of members who complement each other optimally. Team building brings together people with different qualifications in order to be able to solve all tasks with the combined knowledge. 

Why are team building measures important?

• Promote a good working atmosphere
• Strengthening the WE feeling
• Increase productivity and motivation
• Increase success
  

Some team building games are explained below:

1 Truth and 2 Lies

• Duration: can be determined by the participants
• Delivery: One person thinks of one truth and two lies about themselves and the others have to find out which is the truth. 
  Birthdays in a row

Birthdays in a row

• Duration: 10-15 minutes
• Delivery: Ask the team to line up in order of birthdays, but without talking to each other. Communication is only allowed in any way such as sign language, gestures or nudging. To make it more difficult, a game duration can be set in 
  advance! 

Quick change

• Duration: 10-15 minutes
• Delivery: Divide the team into two groups and ask the participants to stand opposite each other. Team A now has a short time to observe Team B (15-30 seconds), during which they have to memorise as many details as possible of the people 
  facing them. Then Team A turns around and Team B changes as many details as possible on their own appearance. 
  From changing the line-up order to swapping shoes with another person or changing the hairstyle, pretty much anything is allowed. After about 45 seconds, Team A turns around again and now has 5-10 minutes to find out what has been changed. 

Floating rod

• Material: broomstick or other similarly long and inflexible stick
• Duration: 10 - 15 minutes
• Execution:
  • The participants line up in two rows facing each other. Everyone stretches one arm out in front of them at about chest height, holding the index finger out in front. The row of people should be about as long as the pole is long.
  • The leader picks up the pole and places it on the index fingers of the other players.
  • Once the pole is on the fingers, the rules of the game are explained. The following conditions apply:
    • Participants must always touch the pole from below (at least lightly) with their index finger - the hand must therefore never be removed from the pole.
    • While this condition is to be observed, the group as a whole is given the following task: the bar must be placed on the floor.
    • As soon as one finger is no longer on the pole, the group has to start again from the beginning.
  • If there are too many pupils, 2/3 of them can act as observers to make sure that all fingers are on the pole.

What is a project?

The planning and implementation of the project week described here corresponds to the general project principles
[State Institute for School Quality and Educational Research]

By taking a systematic approach to the topic of the "project week", the pupils meet the generally accepted criteria of projects. 
In addition to the actual topic of the project week, the pupils are made aware of what the terms "team" and "project" mean in general and what they should pay attention to in particular. 

At the beginning of a project there is brainstorming. Project ideas or initiatives can be brought to the school or an individual teacher from different sides. In some cases, this opens up the possibility of discussing alternatives or, in other cases, already provides a defined framework. The same applies to the goals: They can sometimes also be predefined.
After brainstorming, the idea is concretised into a homepage / project website. Aspects such as goal clarification, feasibility check (e.g. framework conditions), rough planning and project assignment play an important role here.

The following key data must be clarified in principle:

• Objective: What is to be achieved?
  Cost target: What resources (€) are available?
  Deadline target: By when should it be achieved?
  

Project management supported

With the help of project management, projects are approached in a structured manner and made transparent to the outside world.

Problems that arise should be identified at an early stage and remedied if necessary so that a project has a better chance of sustainable success. If you approach an undertaking systematically, i.e. according to our concept as a project, then you may initially experience this as more time-consuming.

Questions arise, more thought is given to justifications and fit, e.g. of goals and measures. Ambiguities and also contradictions in the views and plans within the project group become visible. A team that can make fruitful use of these delaying "obstacles" will benefit from this and cope better in the further course of the project. Often the additional expenditure of time and material resources is even compensated for.

Systematic action requires a schedule, space for open discussion and decision-making, ongoing documentation and the implementation of evaluations.

What is project management? 

In this documentation you will learn the following:

• Definition of the term "project“

• Project criteria
• Overview of project management

• Project: A project is an undertaking that is essentially characterised by the uniqueness of the conditions in their entirety, e.g. target setting, time, financial, personnel and other limitations; differentiation from other undertakings; project-specific organisation.
• Project management: Project management helps to know where to go, how to get there and to check if you are still on the right track to get there safely.

• formulate the objectives, plan the project, manage the project, complete the project

A project is usually divided into different phases:

• preparation phase
• planning phase
• implementation phase
• final phase

In the following, those project phases are described in more detail:

In this phase, the goals are reviewed again, the tasks are distributed, and a project schedule is written.

The goals are formulated in more detail and broken down into clear work packages. In addition, important stages are defined, which are also called milestones. A precise plan is drawn up for the various factors of costs, personnel and time. At this point, at the latest, the project management should be determined, and each team member receives a work package for which they are responsible and has to complete it.  

In the planning phase, the foundation is laid for the successful implementation of the project. All important aspects are first recorded in a specification sheet. During project planning, the entire project is first broken down into its individual components and then put back together again, for example in a work breakdown structure ("What needs to be done?"). 

The project schedule is an important tool that shows what is to be done and when, so the time component is added. As a further planning aid for the additional distribution of responsibility, an action plan is useful.

• Time planning: It is advisable to start "backwards", i.e. to plan the individual subtasks backwards from the deadline. It is also helpful to define so-called "milestones", i.e. concrete dates by which certain subtasks must be completed. 
• Critical path: Consideration must be given to whether individual work packages are interdependent.
• Information management: This regulates when which persons must be provided with which information.
• Cost planning: Cost planning includes the calculation of actual financial expenses incurred for each subtask. The total budget is already determined when the project is defined.
• Distribution of responsibility: It is determined who is responsible for which sub-tasks. If several people are involved in the project, it is advisable to appoint a project leader.
• Quality planning: The aim here is to determine characteristics for each subtask in the form of indicators that make the quality of the respective subtask measurable, e.g. school grades, success rates, utilisation data, etc.

Preparation phase

In this phase, the duration, the costs and, above all, the goals of the project should be determined with all those involved. This is very important for a good final project, because without a goal a project is doomed to fail.

Planning phase

In this phase, the goals are reviewed again, the tasks are distributed, and a project schedule is written.

The goals are formulated in more detail and broken down into clear work packages. In addition, important stages are defined, which are also called milestones. A precise plan is drawn up for the various factors of costs, personnel and time. At this point, at the latest, the project management should be determined, and each team member receives a work package for which they are responsible and has to complete it.  

In the planning phase, the foundation is laid for the successful implementation of the project. All important aspects are first recorded in a specification sheet. During project planning, the entire project is first broken down into its individual components and then put back together again, for example in a work breakdown structure ("What needs to be done?").

The project schedule is an important tool that shows what is to be done and when, so the time component is added. As a further planning aid for the additional distribution of responsibility, an action plan is useful.

• Time planning: It is advisable to start "backwards", i.e. to plan the individual subtasks backwards from the deadline. It is also helpful to define so-called "milestones", i.e. concrete dates by which certain subtasks must be completed.
• Critical path: Consideration must be given to whether individual work packages are interdependent.
  Information management: This regulates when which persons must be provided with which information.
• Cost planning: Cost planning includes the calculation of actual financial expenses incurred for each subtask. The total budget is already determined when the project is defined.
• Distribution of responsibility: It is determined who is responsible for which sub-tasks. If several people are involved in the project, it is advisable to appoint a project leader.
• Quality planning: The aim here is to determine characteristics for each subtask in the form of indicators that make the quality of the respective subtask measurable, e.g. school grades, success rates, utilisation data, etc.
  

Implementation phase

In this phase, the project is implemented according to plan.

Problems often arise during this phase, as not everything always goes according to plan. 

During the implementation of the project, the planned and the current course of the project as well as possible anticipated risks must be compared again and again. All subtasks of the project are coordinated, monitored and controlled in their structure.

If the process flow goes in the wrong direction, corrective action must be taken and these changes must also be recorded (PDF appendix in the specifications). Team meetings are held at regular intervals for this purpose. It is important that the regular meetings are prepared and moderated and that an agenda is available. All important steps are documented in a results protocol. Even if there is no larger team in a project, it is still important to reflect in a structured way on the status of the project and to document progress.

• The following questions guide the steering process:
• Is the timetable or critical path being adhered to? Will the set milestones be reached?
  Are the planned financial resources sufficient?
• Are the people responsible for subtasks still available and motivated?
• Is the quality guaranteed? Is it possible to measure the results of the work or the achieved sub-goals with the help of the defined indicators?
  

Closing phase

In the last phase, it is checked whether the set goal has been achieved. Now the project is completed and documented. This documentation explains how the project came about, whether there were any difficulties in implementing the project and the final result is documented. 

Every project is limited in time and has a clearly defined end. The end of the project usually also means the handover of a finished product. Depending on the nature of the project, it is a good idea to hand over the project results in a ceremonial setting, which is also an expression of appreciation for those involved.

As a rule, a final or outcome evaluation takes place, i.e. it is evaluated with the help of the indicators whether the previously defined project objective has been achieved or whether the resulting product is sufficient.

In addition to the delivery of the product, a final project report and/or a presentation of the project results is usually due. The accompanying documentation from the phases of project planning and implementation (specifications, meeting minutes, etc.) can often be used well for this purpose.

Finally, in addition to evaluating the results, the process should also be retrospectively evaluated.

The results of the project will be evaluated in order to contribute to future projects.

learning (lessons learned). 

Guiding questions for this could be, for example:

• What worked well? 
• Were there any difficulties? 
• For example, how good were the communication channels or the teamwork?

Non-targets

Non-goals are set to narrow down a project. These non-objectives express which aspects are dispensed with. 
Without formulating non-objectives, it can happen that during project implementation additional potential focal points suddenly become attractive and the project gets out of hand.

The project leader plays an important role here. The project leader is the contact person in the project and the person of trust for all group members. The project leader must always have an overview throughout the project.

It is also responsible for ensuring that communication within the project team works and that the documentation of the overall project is constantly maintained. It is important to note, however, that the role of project management does not mean doing every task yourself. It means assigning all team members with work packages that match their skills. The team members are part of the project team. The project team takes on the individual tasks in the project. The team members must take responsibility for the work packages they have taken on and accepted so that the project can succeed.

Project planning Work packages

To make the project easier to create, the various tasks are divided into manageable work packages.

• Structure plan:  The work packages together with their responsible persons are now inserted into the work breakdown structure.
  

The term "project:

The term "project" appears regularly in everyday school life as well as in private life and thus in the lives of students. Whether it is a school party that needs to be planned, a sports event such as a charity run, a project against discrimination or for climate protection, what exactly makes a project a project?

SMART - present goals and have them considered

S (specific) - Is the objective concrete, clear, precise and unambiguous?

M (easurable) - Are criteria included that are clearly verifiable?

A (ttractive) - Is the benefit recognisable?

R (ealistic) - Is the goal achievable in terms of time and resources?

T (ime-related) - Does the target have a clear end point?

Projects are therefore determined by many different criteria. As a rule, they are not implemented by one person alone, but by groups, the so-called project team. 

What is a team? What makes a project team?

It starts with a group of people who come up with a common idea. This can be a new action, e.g. an event on health issues. The idea can also come from a commonly felt problem, e.g. increasing cases of violence at school. These impulses can be followed by similar change measures, but first they bring people together. 

Already in the initial phase, one can discuss the following organisational questions in addition to the content-related questions:

• Who wants to collaborate?
• Can we agree on the topic provisionally described?
• What formal commitment do we want?
• Is the group manageable (e.g. 3 - 10 people)?

Once these questions have been bindingly clarified, the group of people becomes a project team. The composition of the project team and the climate in the group as well as in its environment are decisive for success. 

However, work in project teams does not always run smoothly. Basic knowledge, for example in the areas of conflict management or moderation, is very useful here. Division of labour, distribution of roles and internal rules make cooperation more effective. This also includes looking at the "we-feeling", the emotional mood and the cohesion in the team. Team members should distribute tasks according to their personal talents, important roles and rules should be named and established by mutual agreement:

• Team leaders should be interested in the task and have basic organisational skills.
• In larger teams, it can be useful to distribute leadership tasks among several people (e.g. communication with the outside world, cooperation with partners).
• Dates and distribution of tasks are bindingly recorded.
• Team members are deployed according to their resources (e.g. time, inclination, ability).
• Agreements on how to deal with each other in the team have been clarified.