In any area of life, you cannot do without the right skills. At work, in the process of studying or in the family, a person often has to perform actions “on the machine”. A skill is opening a door, and ordinary walking, and playing a complex musical instrument.
Definition of concept
Often, students or just adults who are interested in this topic, the question arises: what is a skill. The definition of this concept is as follows: a skill is an action that has been brought to automatism and can now be performed to achieve a specific goal. However, there is a significant difference between a skill and an automatic action proper. Skill is conscious. For example, when a person bites his nails in a stressful situation, this is automatic. Riding a bicycle, on the contrary, is a skill (you can automatically bite your nails, you can’t ride a bike without learning it). A skill is a well-established method of performing an action.
Skills are formed over a long time and, which is very important, only if a person paysattention to this process. Those who are interested in what a skill is and what are its features will be curious to know this fact: a skill can be developed indefinitely. There is always something that can be improved or corrected.
Features of mastering skills
It often happens that it is easier for a person to acquire knowledge than to develop a particular skill. To successfully develop the skill, you need to know the basic laws of this process. Psychologists say that learning a new skill is much easier if you follow three rules.
- The first one is that you only need to practice one skill at a time. Working simultaneously in several directions often gives the worst result. Psychologists recommend paying close attention to improving a single skill. The next skill should only be approached after the skill has been mastered.
- It should be taken into account that the process of acquiring a skill occurs in leaps and bounds. Changes accumulate gradually, and the exit to a new level, as a rule, occurs unexpectedly. Sometimes it happens that before improvement comes deterioration. It may be a sign that a quantum leap is about to take place.
- Another thing about skill acquisition is that it doesn't happen overnight. Sometimes it takes several months of long and hard training to master a new skill.
Skill Types
Conditionally all kinds of skillscan be divided into four main groups:
- Perceptual, or sensory. They represent a sensual reflection of the properties of a well-known subject that has been previously studied. An example of such a skill would be reading instrument readings, recognizing the necessary signals from the general noise.
- Mental (mental or cognitive). They are automated techniques aimed at solving a specific problem. Mental skills allow you to analyze the types of interactions between objects of the material world.
- Motor skills - related to motor memory. It is especially important to develop this type of skill in a child. Distinguish between gross and fine motor skills. The first type includes movements such as bending, walking, running, etc. Usually, the development of this type of skill occurs in people according to one pattern. The first skill a child learns to control is eye movement. Fine motor skills are the ability to control objects, transfer them from hand to hand, perform actions that are related to the coordination of the work of the eyes and hands. Examples of skills that fall into this category include buttoning buttons, playing a musical instrument, drawing, writing.
- Complex behavioral skills. This type is formed with the direct participation of society. Even in childhood, parents encourage the right behavior in the child and punish the wrong one, which forms his behavioral skills. This category includes the ability to speak in public, managerial and communication skills.
The process of skill formation
As a result of changing the structure of actions, the process of forming the necessary skill is gradually taking place. Its essence is as follows:
- The methods of performing certain movements change. A number of private movements gradually merge into one general one, and unnecessary movements are eliminated. The speed of execution of movements becomes higher.
- The methods of perceptual control over the performance of an action are changing. In some cases, visual control changes to kinesthetic, for example, when mastering playing a musical instrument.
- Also undergoing changes are the methods of central control of the regulation of action. Gradually, consciousness is freed from the need to control the methods of action and is transferred to the environment and control of the final result of the action.
These changes are a direct consequence of exercise - repeated repetition of certain types of actions, the purpose of which is to master the skill. Each skill is formed and functions in the system of skills that a person has at that moment.
Interference and skill induction
It is not enough to know what a skill is, you also need to have an understanding of the development of new abilities, as well as how different abilities affect each other. Some of the existing skills can help the new, others can hinder its application, and others can modify it. Skill interactions are of the following types:
- Negative carryover. There is another name for this phenomenon.- skills interference. In this case, the two actions are perceived by the learner as similar, while in fact they are different. In this case, the acquisition of a new skill is slowed down.
- Positive transfer or skill induction. In this case, although the two tasks are not similar, there is a coincidence of techniques, rules of performance, control and central regulation of the performance of these two skills. The formation of a new skill during induction is easier. The problem of skills transfer is one of the most relevant in modern pedagogy.
Quantity or quality? Latest Research by Scientists
Numerous experiments show that in the development of skills, not the quality of repetitions, but their quantity is much more important. This can be illustrated by the example of learning a foreign language. The student pronounces the phrase, but the teacher corrects him, as he incorrectly pronounced the ending. The student says the sentence again, this time with the correct word ending, but using the wrong tense. The teacher corrects him, but now the unlucky student makes a mistake in pronunciation. The result of such classes, as a rule, is this: a person who once studied a foreign language can pronounce several sentences correctly, but does it without confidence.
For comparison, we can consider more modern methods of teaching languages. A large number of experiments have shown that an approach focusing on a large amount of speech practice is much more effective than every minute.correction of errors in sentences. By the end of the first year of study, the results of those students who emphasize the number of repetitions are higher than those studying the language using the old method.
Build skills in a safe environment
Another important factor in successful skill formation is that new skills need to be practiced in a safe environment, at least initially. Human nature is such that we can't wait to try out a new skill in practice as soon as possible: to show off playing an unusual musical instrument or to try out a new behavior model, which was described in psychological training. However, this is a serious mistake. Practice new skills only in a safe and comfortable environment.
Skills for the job
It often becomes necessary to be interested in what a skill is, not just out of idle curiosity. Knowing the features of acquiring skills, as well as their application in a particular professional area, is sometimes necessary when looking for a job. As a rule, information about such skills must be filled out already at the stage of compiling a resume. Of course, most applicants to one degree or another possess the necessary set of professional skills. However, there are some skills that not all applicants remember when filling out the questionnaire. These skills are:
- Ability to work in a team;
- Time management skills;
- Creative thinking;
- Strategic thinking;
- Abilitylearn quickly;
- Persistence;
- Ability to multitask.
Each position will have its own professional skills that must be indicated to the applicant. Their indication will allow the applicant to show himself in the best light and get the desired job. After all, employers select employees not only according to the criterion of professional skills and education, but also according to the advantages or disadvantages that each of the candidates has.
Communication Skills
It is worth noting separately this type of ability, which belongs to the category of complex behavioral skills. They are important in almost every field of activity. Not to be embarrassed when speaking in front of a large audience, not to get lost in a new company, to hold on to an interview with dignity - many of these skills are necessary for success. The development of communication skills occurs at an early age. However, if the parents did not attend to such a task, and their child grew into a notorious adult, then this situation may well be fixable. You can work on yourself on your own, or you can turn to a professional psychologist. To develop this type of skill, you need to communicate with people as much as possible: call friends and acquaintances, ask colleagues for their opinion on a particular problem.
