Skills
It’s not enough to know. It only matters what we do. When teaching people, it’s necessary to lay down a foundation of knowledge, but then what are they supposed to do with it? Skills are similar to abilities but the difference lies in how teachable it is versus inherent capabilities we seem to be born with.
A skill and an ability are two distinct but closely related concepts. A skill refers to a specific expertise or competence that is developed through learning and practice. It involves acquiring the knowledge and techniques required to perform a task efficiently and effectively. For example, painting or playing a musical instrument are skills that can be honed through dedicated effort. On the other hand, an ability refers to a natural or innate talent or capacity to perform certain tasks. It is often seen as a inherent aptitude that a person possesses without any formal training. Examples of abilities include leadership, creativity, or problem-solving skills. While skills are acquired, abilities are often seen as inherent traits, although they can also be developed to a certain extent. In summary, skills can be learned and improved, while abilities are more inherent and can be enhanced through practice.
If you teach someone math, you teach the fundamentals of arithmetic. So they “know” how to add, subtract, and more. But then what do they do with it? You can give them practice questions but you can extend it to how they may apply some of that knowledge in real life. Not everyone is a fan of story problems but they are great examples of applying that knowledge. Some would argue (and I’d agree) that while Add, Subtract, Multiply, and Divide could be specific starts to learning objectives, you would extend it to Investigate, Deduce, Solve, Determine, or even Calculate as extended learning objectives to fully teach someone math. It’s not enough for them to have it in their head, they must build the skills to use math in the real world.
Bedrock recently posted a video talking about the various skills we can use in our jobs.
If we look at Radiologists (29-1224.00) in ONET, we find the following top skills,
Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
These are teachable skills. Of course this isn’t everything a Radiologist needs to do but they are the most important categories and the categories requiring the highest proficiency. This helps us focus our efforts in L&D so we can spend a good amount of time on these particular areas knowing these are going to provide the most benefit and help our learners be the best Radiologists they can be.
You can take this further to use these categories as ways to assess your learners. You may find many of your learners come in with good writing skills. While this means you may not have to teach it as much, it doesn’t mean you won’t need to assess it. You can use pretests to determine how much of it they may need and then provide the right levels of training to those who need it.