SFS-3.5 – Skills for Success Practitioner Tools & Resources

Collaboration Skills

Collaboration skills are used to contribute and support others to achieve a common goal. Effective collaboration requires a number of different skills, such as teamwork, active listening, conflict resolution, fostering inclusivity, providing feedback and clarifying roles.

ABC UPSkills for Work: Collaboration. https://upskillsforwork.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ABC-UP-Collaboration.pdf
Skills for Success Work Ready Youth Program. Skills Canada. https://yourskillsforsuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/W7-EN-Collaboration.pdf

Collaboration Teaching and Learning Materials

Collaboration, Teaching and Learning MaterialsSFS-3.5

Collaboration teaching and learning materials are designed to help participants perform better in a team by understanding how to support and value others, manage difficult interactions and contribute to the team’s work.

The following links include practical, printable, ready-made resources to use in the delivery of Skills for Success training.

ABC up Skills for Work Workbook. (n.d.). Collaboration

Feedback

Adaptability, Assessment, CommunicationASS-1.3, ASS-3.1, ASS-4.1, ASS-4.3, DEL-3.4, DES-3.2, SFS-2.7, SFS-3.5, SFS-3.6, SFS-3.7, SFS-3.9

Feedback is information given to the participant about their performance relating to learning goals or outcomes. It should aim to improve the participant’s learning.

Feedback and Formative Assessment Tools. https://www.queensu.ca/. (n.d.). https://www.queensu.ca/teachingandlearning/modules/assessments/11_s2_03_feedback_and_formative.html
Feedback. https://tlc.ontariotechu.ca/. (n.d.). https://tlc.ontariotechu.ca/teaching/course-design/assessment-and-evaluation/feedback.php
Giving Effective Feedback in an Intercultural Class. https://www.algonquincollege.com/lts/giving-effective-feedback-in-an-intercultural-class/
Receiving and Giving Effective Feedback. https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/assessing-student-work/grading-and-feedback/receiving-and-giving-effective-feedback
Providing Feedback to Students. https://umanitoba.ca/centre-advancement-teaching-learning/support/providing-feedback

Personality

Adaptability, Research, Social-Emotional LearningSFS-1.1, SFS-2.8, SFS-3.5, SFS-3.7

Personality refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving.

Personality trait change happens continuously into adulthood and can affect how participants learn as they grow older.

Bleidorn, W., Hill, P. L., Back, M. D., Denissen, J. J. A., Hennecke, M., Hopwood, C. J., Jokela, M., Kandler, C., Lucas, R. E., Luhmann, M., Orth, U., Wagner, J., Wrzus, C., Zimmermann, J., & Roberts, B. (2019). The policy relevance of personality traits. American Psychologist, 74(9), 1056-1067. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000503 (login required).
Roberts, B. W., Luo, J., Briley, D. A., Chow, P. I., Su, R., & Hill, P. L. (2017). A systematic review of personality trait change through intervention. Psychological Bulletin, 143(2), 117-141. https://www.greenhousetherapycenter.com/storage/app/media/file/Psychotherapy_change_meta-analysis_2017.pdf
Sackett, P. R., & Walmsley, P. T. (2014). Which Personality Attributes Are Most Important in the Workplace? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 9(5), 538-551. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691614543972 (login required).

Psychological Safety

Communication, Diversity and InclusionSFS-3.5

Psychological Safety is the belief that you will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions or concerns. This helps participants feel included and are more prepared to succeed in the workplace.

Psychological safety in adult learning. https://gato-docs.its.txst.edu/. (n.d.). https://gato-docs.its.txstate.edu/jcr:7ab1e8df-aa2b-4884-8871-f659c672d327/English%20(2021)%20-%20Blog.pdf

Research on Teaching Collaboration

Collaboration, ResearchSFS-3.5

Collaboration skills help participants perform better in a team by understanding how to support and value others, manage difficult interactions and contribute to the team’s work.

The following links include research data and evidence to support the instruction of collaboration.

Anderson, R. (2016). Essential Skills and Dispositions: Developmental Frameworks for Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Self-Direction.
Chen, G., Donahue, L., & Klimoski, R. (2004). Training Undergraduates to Work in Organizational Teams. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 3, 27-40. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMLE.2004.12436817 (login required).
Evans, C. (2020). Measuring student success skills: A review of the literature on collaboration. National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment. https://www.nciea.org/sites/default/files/publications/CFA-CollaborationLitReport-FINAL.pdf
Gratton, L., & Erickson, T. J. (2007). Eight Ways to Build Collaborative Teams. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2007/11/eight-ways-to-build-collaborative-teams (login required).
Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. SAGE Publications.
Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1990). Social Skills for Successful Group Work. Educational Leadership, 47(4), 29-33.
Jozwiak, J. (2004). Teaching Problem-Solving Skills to Adults. Journal of Adult Education, 33(1), 19-34.
Lai, E. (2011). Collaboration: A literature review. Pearson. http://images.pearsonassessments.com/images/tmrs/collaboration-review.pdf
Lai, E., DiCerbo, K., & Foltz, P. (2017). Skills for Today: What We Know about Teaching and Assessing Collaboration. Pearson. https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/one-dot-com/one-dot-com/global/Files/efficacy-and-research/skills-for-today/Collaboration-FullReport.pdf
OECD. (2015). PISA 2015 Results (Volume V): Collaborative Problem Solving. https://www.oecd.org/publications/pisa-2015-results-volume-v-9789264285521-en.htm
SRDC. (2021). Research Report to Support the Launch of Skills for Success: Structure, Evidence and Recommendations. Final draft report.

Role Assignment

Active Learning Strategies, Collaboration, CommunicationSFS-3.5

Role assignment includes the various roles that are assigned to participants in a group, such as reader, elaborator, clarifier, writer, etc. These roles allow for participants to clearly understand their duties within the group and what is needed to succeed in a collaborative learning environment.

Black, S., Gardner, D. G., Pierce, J. L., & Steers, R. (2019, February 27). Work group structure. Organizational Behavior. https://opentextbc.ca/organizationalbehavioropenstax/chapter/work-group-structure/

Team Dynamics

Adaptability, Collaboration, Communication, Creativity and Innovation, Problem-solvingSFS-3.4, SFS-3.5

Team dynamics refer to the relationships between learners in a group and the impact on the way they work and learn together.

Hülsheger, U. R., Anderson, N., & Salgado, J. F. (2009). Team-level predictors of innovation at work: A comprehensive meta-analysis spanning three decades of research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(5), 1128-1145. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015978 (login required).
Delizonna, L. (2017, August 24). High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety. Here’s How to Create It. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2017/08/high-performing-teams-need-psychological-safety-heres-how-to-create-it
Cooke NJ, Gorman JC, Myers CW et al 2013 Interactive Team Cognition Cogn Sci 37 255-285 https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.12009 (login required).