Building Collaboration Skills Through Cultivating Relationships that Support Student Learning
- ACP Staff
- May 27
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 4
Part 1 of our 4-part collaboration skills series
Collaboration isn't just "working together."
ACP Team
Introduction to the Series: Why Collaboration Still Matters
At ACP, we believe that equipping students with the skills to collaborate meaningfully is one of the most powerful ways we can support both academic growth and social and emotional development.
In the summer of 2020, educators and leaders were preparing for a new school year—one under a global pandemic. Some schools were in-person but physically distanced. Other schools were a hybrid model or fully online. There was a tremendous amount of fear and disconnection. At ACP, we wanted to offer something. Eventually, our conversations and reflections led us to the skill of collaboration. Drawing from years of experience teaching and facilitating, we compiled tried-and-true collaboration strategies into our first book, Connecting Together: Collaboration Strategies for Online and Physically Distanced Learning. Here is our adopted definition.
Collaboration: A complex set of inter- and intrapersonal skills defined as "an individual’s capacity to work with other people in a process that requires interdependence to solve a problem, achieve a goal, or complete a task." (Center for Innovation in Education)
To prepare for the book, we reviewed various organizations' and researchers’ frameworks and settled on these four (4) broad domains for collaboration.
Relationship Building
Goals and Progress
Collaborative Thinking
Feedback
The Role of Constructivism and PBL in Collaboration
Two things are still true today: collaboration can happen at any time in a classroom, and as an organization, we are strong proponents of constructivist pedagogies like project based learning (PBL). Constructivism is an approach to learning grounded in the belief that people actively construct knowledge through experience. This philosophy informs all of our work at ACP and drives our commitment to learner-centered practices. When students are given meaningful tasks, space to explore, and opportunities to work interdependently, they don’t just receive knowledge—they build it.
In a constructivist classroom, learning is social. Knowledge isn’t transmitted from teacher to student—it’s constructed through dialogue, inquiry, and shared experiences. That’s why collaboration is so essential. It isn’t a side skill; it’s the foundation for meaningful, engaged learning. This is especially true in PBL, where students must rely on one another over time to solve complex problems or create authentic products. Throughout this series, we’ll highlight the connections between collaboration and PBL while offering concrete ways to cultivate these skills in every classroom.
To kick things off, check out our video below on what it really takes to foster collaboration in PBL classrooms.
So, why revisit this book? The need for collaboration has not waned, but the context has shifted. Each post in this four-part series will spotlight one domain: why it matters, what it looks like in action, and how to grow it in your classroom. We’ve updated each strategy to reflect in-person implementation, while staying rooted in our core belief: collaboration is key to thriving learning communities.
Whether you're new to collaboration strategies or simply need a refresher, we hope this series offers practical tools and inspiration to help your students connect, contribute, and thrive together.
We’re starting with the foundation: relationship building. Strong collaboration begins with trust, emotional safety, and a sense of belonging. This blog offers simple, powerful ways to build connections in your learning community, because no one does their best work when they feel alone.
Let’s dive in!
Collaboration Skill Focus: Relationship Building
Definition: Creating a safe environment for productive collaboration to thrive
"No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship."
Dr. James P. Comer
As the Center for Innovation's definition says, collaboration requires interdependence. Interdependence in the classroom looks like students sharing thinking and building off each other's ideas. In this process, students revise their thinking and co-create new meaning and understanding.
Meaningful collaboration like this is built upon a foundation of trust, shared work, and communication. And to do this, we teach how to build relationships.
Skills and Competencies That Make Relationship Building Possible
While we are talking about relationship building in the context of collaboration, it is a social and emotional domain that is built upon a set of skills and competencies. The domain of relationship skills is where the rubber meets the road for social and emotional learning. To be effective in this domain, it is “better if students have the first three SEL competencies — self-awareness, self-management, and social awareness—established. In other words, handling relationships requires first knowing your own emotions, regulating them, and being aware of others' emotions.” (Spenger, 2020). Let’s take a look at the definition and supporting capacities.
SEL Competencies that Support Collaborative Relationships
Relationship Skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups.
Communicating effectively
Developing positive relationships
Demonstrating cultural competency
Practicing teamwork and collaborative problem-solving
Resolving conflicts constructively
Resisting negative social pressure
Showing leadership in groups
Seeking or offering support and help when needed
Standing up for the rights of others (CASEL, 2020)
This list is an ambitious one. Again, Spenger (2020) provides us with a helpful reminder that “it all gets easier with age and development.” For young students, expose them to the capacities of relationship-building while recognizing the core work is in the earlier domains of self-awareness and self-management. For older students, while they may have the maturity and capability to engage in relationship-building, they, too, need to learn and cultivate the foundational skills to be successful. Review and reinforce as needed. And remember, it takes time.
4 Classroom Routines That Build Collaboration Skills Through Relationships
The strategies we offer for this domain have a theme: storytelling. Storytelling isn't just for the fun of it. They create opportunities for learners to practice the following relationship skills: communicating effectively, demonstrating cultural competency, developing positive relationships, and practicing teamwork and collaborative problem-solving.
Stories create bridges between individuals. First, stories help the storyteller know themselves more deeply. They must reflect on their experience and consider how best to share it with someone else. It requires self-awareness and vulnerability. Second, when those stories are shared, students can practice and experience empathy and mutual understanding. What are our commonalities? Where do we differ? What values do we hold? New lines of connections are formed. Once in place, through guidance and repetition, trust and community can start to take hold. In that safe environment, students are more likely to deprivatize their practice and take risks.
Why Relationship Building Must Be Intentional
But collaboration doesn’t thrive automatically. Before students can engage in productive discourse, share diverse perspectives, or navigate conflict, they must feel seen, valued, and safe. Relationship building lays the foundation for this kind of intellectual risk-taking and interdependence. It’s not separate from academic work—it’s what makes the work possible.
In PBL and other constructivist models, students are expected to co-construct knowledge through sustained engagement with one another. When relationships are strong, students listen more deeply, assume good intentions, and push each other’s thinking. When relationships are weak, collaboration can feel superficial or even harmful. That’s why trust, empathy, and belonging must be intentionally cultivated.
Use the strategies to establish routines that create emotional safety and promote a sense of “team” with and among students by centering students' stories. These approaches are more than “nice-to-haves;” they are critical.
Quick Note As you review the strategies, you may notice some are aligned with additional categories. We made some choices for the purposes of this series. In some cases, we showcase a novel application of the strategy, in others, we went with the most obvious use case. For example, the What Are You Doing? activity can be both for relationship building and collaborative thinking. Use these strategies in ways that will advance your specific learning goals and get your students thinking more meaningfully together. |
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A relationship-building routine that invites small groups to share personal stories and reflect on common themes. Each group captures their shared experience in single words or phrases, fostering intimacy, connection, and empathy through storytelling. Adapted from Gamestorming.
A daily routine to build classroom community and connection. Learners and teachers gather in a circle to greet one another, share, and engage in activities that develop social, emotional, and academic skills. The consistency and structure help create a sense of belonging.
An improv game that builds quick thinking and collective joy. Learners take turns acting out a scenario while naming something entirely different, encouraging flexibility, laughter, and low-stakes risk-taking—all essential for strong team dynamics.
A reflective community-building activity where learners share the meaning, origin, or personal significance of their names. This practice builds dignity and mutual respect while deepening understanding of identity within the learning space.
Prefer everything in one place?
Sustaining Collaboration Skills Through Relationship Building
Relationships are the groundwork for everything that follows. When students feel safe, seen, and connected, they’re more willing to take risks, lean on each other, and do the hard work of learning together. These strategies build trust and open the door to deeper collaboration.
So, make space for stories! Invite your learners to connect with themselves, their peers, and with you. Watch how the culture shifts.
Looking Ahead – What’s Next in the Series
Next up in our collaboration series: Building Collaboration Skills Through Goal-Setting and Accountability in the Classroom. We’ll explore how shared purpose and visible growth keep teams focused, accountable, and motivated. See you!
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