


The good news is that the education field is currently buzzing with research and discussion about the importance of explicitly teaching these kinds of skills. Given this demand, we as educators must ensure that our students develop and use skills like collaboration effectively when they enter the workforce. In fact, over the course of the last 30 years, these four skills have moved to the very top of Fortune 500’s list of most valued characteristics. The real world demands that employees enter the workforce with the skills they need related to teamwork, problem-solving, interpersonal relationships, and oral communication. Even though collaboration is essential to your work, it is unlikely that you are operating from agreed-upon best practices for working and talking together. Chances are that most of your important projects require you to collaborate in significant ways with your colleagues. When was the last time you were involved in completing a project for work that didn’t require collaboration? Probably a long time ago, if ever.
