Skills Happen

Some skills just happen, whether you realize it or not. These are called automated basic skills; they happen without having to consciously think about them. An example of this is writing letters. When you first learn the alphabet, you have to really think about how to form each letter. "Okay, I'm writing an 'a.' Pull back, around, and down." Now, without even thinking about it, if you need to write an "a" your brain knows what to do.

Most psychologists agree that there are three stages in the development of an automated skill: cognitive, associative, and autonomous. The cognitive stage is when we are first learning a skill. We are relying on declarative knowledge and general problem-solving strategies to accomplish a task. This load is heavy for our working memory to handle, and may require a lot of trial-and error until the task is completed (Woolfolk, 2014).

The second stage, associative, we begin to chunk parts of a procedure. By practicing this, we move into the autonomous where the entire process can be completed without thinking about it (Woolfolk, 2014). For example, consider learning how to ride a bike. The first time you take your training wheels off, you have to really think about how to pedal, balance, and steer all at the same time. As you practice, pedaling and steering begin to flow together, you can do them without concentrating. Finally, you are able to balance, as well as control your bike without having to focus. This process has now become an autonomous skill for you.

This video explains how your brain is able to automatically learn these skills.

The idea of working through these stages is important to classroom learning, especially when a teacher is showing his or class a skill that they will use through their educational career. When the skill is first presented, it is important to make sure students have ample practice with it. The teacher should describe when it is appropriate to use the skill and why they are using it. Also, as teachers we need to remember that all students will not have the same level of prior knowledge. Students will master these skills at different times and should be given the opportunity to continue working with them unit the skill is mastered. Practice should include simplified versions of the whole process as they apply to real life scenarios (Woolfolk, 2014). Putting the process, and really any lesson, into real life context makes it meaningful for students, thus showing them the value in what they are learning.

Sources:
Woolfolk, A. (2014). Educational psychology (12th ed.). Pearson Education.