This week's readings consist of 4 main categories: TASK Analysis, SKILL Hierarchies, Reading FUZZIES & Learning OUTCOMES.
Task Analysis
I believe everyone knows what is a task. The simplest simplest definition can be that it is like a job/assignment given to you and it consist of steps. For instead, "Mother asked me bake for tomorrow's party". And since a task consists of steps, there should be a beginning, a middle and an ending (the outcome). One step leads to other, finally achieving the task. In the example given above, I have to decide on what to bake, determine what ingredients will be needed, bring them out etc...and finally, put the cookies into the oven and I'll get freshly baked cookies.So that summarizes what is a task.
But what is task analysis? When I read the title, I supposed it meant analyzing the task. Lets see if I am right. Firstly, before we start the task analysis, we'll need to do the following
1. Drafting a Task List
o To make a list of all the task that make up the job
o E.g. paper work, socializing, interaction
o Begin each task listing with a “doing word” such as clean, assemble, interact
o This is a way to tell whether the item described is a task or just a subject matter
2. Task Detailing
After listing the tasks, list the steps and decisions involved in performing each of the tasks on the list
Each task should answer the following:
(a) When is the task performed (what triggers he initiation of the task)
(b) How is the task performed (what are the steps followed and the decisions made while performing the task)
(c) How would you know when you are done (when the task has been satisfactory completed?)
There are 2 methods that you can go about doing a task analysis:
Method one: List and Method Two: Flowchart.
The latter is a better method as it makes it easier to read for the planner also also clearly shows the alternatives to be followed when decisions are involved. Not only that, it also reveals where information is still missing. There are however 2 requirements to construct a flowchart. Using a Rectangle (to depict actions) & a Diamond (to depict decisions).
Personally, I'd choose method 2 because I'm kind of a lenthgy writer. I prefer things to be spelt out/planned out clearly. It allows me to make mistakes or miss out important details. But of course, it is also time consuming to make one that is so detailed. Sometimes, the lazy worm in me takes over, and I'll do a list instead. A list is the most basic requirement which i believe everyone has experience constructing one. For girls who bake, the recipe is akin to a list!
And of course, after you have got the components you’ll need; you’ll still need to brainstorm about the skills needed. This includes going through each step in your analysis and think about the skills needed to complete each step. This can be demonstrated through the same example mentioned about. E.g. in the step of preparing the cookie, the skills involved will be sifting the flour, weighing the butter, sugar, vanilla essence and whisking the batter etc. Thus, not only do you need to list your steps out, you’ll also need to derive the skills needed at each step to ensure that you do not miss out important details that need to be covered.
Skills Hierarchies
Just as I have mentioned, we will need to derive the skills required at each step. So next, we'll zoom into skills hierarchies. By the word "hierarchy", we know that it represents a relationship; relationships between skills. Some skills need to be taught before others, whereas some are mutually exclusive. The following considerations will help one to construct the skill hierarchy:
1. What should I teach first?
2. What should be the sequence of modules thereafter?
3. Are there skills that must be learned before other skills can be attempted?
4. Are there sequencing options that can be left to the learner?
One important point to note would be the phrasing of your skills hierarchy. Use words like can, should, to denote ability. E.g. Learners can construct a mindmap on their own.
As I have just mentioned, there are 2 types of skill teaching.
1. When one skill has to be learned/taught before another
- This can be illustrated with the baking example. To be able to weigh the correct quantity of flour needed; you need to know how to read the weighing scale first, before you can weigh the correct quantity need.
- Another example can be; you must learn to crawl before you can learn to walk.
- For this type of skills, it will be represented in the hierarchy as a bottom up structure; with the first skill branching to the second subsequent skill from the bottom
2. When it doesn't matter which skill is being taught first
- E.g. You can bake cookies and sell the product. These 2 skills are mutually exclusive. baking and selling. You do not need to know how to bake before you can sell, vice versa.
- Such skills are represented by having the two skills side by side, branching up to a common point.
Of course you'll need to refer to the skills from your task analyses to construct this skills hierarchy. Consider the pairs of skills and question their relationship. Do they belong to skill type 1 or 2. Then draft you hierarchy accordingly and most importantly, nothing is good enough unless you realize it. So test your hierarchy and adjust accordingly.
Recognizing Fuzzies/Goal Analysis
And of course, it is not enough to just be able to construct your skill hierarchy from your task analysis. You'll need to recognize abstractions from your task analysis. This will be the stage of Goal Analysis. However, before that, we'll need to be able to distinguish an abstraction from one that is not. This is called the Fuzzy Watching Practice. Akin to Star Watching; Fuzzy Watching Practice when we try to recognize an abstraction. Just like during star watching, you determine what type of stars are there etc. Examples of abstractions can be attitudes or general concepts such as patriotism, love. To distinguish an abstraction from a performance, I think the "Hey dad test" is a good one. For e.g. "Hey dad let me show you that I can "ride a bicycle"..Riding a bicycle is a direct behavior and is thus not an abstraction.
here's the definitions needed...
1. WHAT IS A GOAL?
- A statement describing a broad or abstract intent, state or condition.
- A goal analysis is useful when a goal exists that is important to achieve or to improve for the better
2. WHAT IS A PERFORMANCE?
- An activity that is directly visible or audible or directly assessable.
- An invisible or internal activity can be considered a performance if it is directly assessable. Thus a single behavior will indicate the presence of the performance.
Outcomes of Learning
Finally, after constructing your skill hierarchy, task analysis and recognizing abstractions (goal analysis), you will need to determine the outcomes you will achieve. These are classified into 4 categories.
1. Verbal Skills
From the word, verbal, we take its literal meaning as being saying. Thus once a skill is taught, you should be able to state/say it. However, mere stating is not enough and true learning will only be shown through demonstration of understanding what is taught. i.e. meaningful feedback. For example; being able recite the lyrics of a song or listing the steps to take your temperature.
2. Intellectual Skills
This is the demonstration of Knowing HOW - to demonstrate. E.g. applying what you have learned in math, you display intellectual skills by being able to do substractions and additions. It shows your ability to realize what you have been taught; to carry out these actions instead of mere stating them.
3. Cognitive Strategies
This involves the operations of the mind. How your mind works to guide your process of learning, remembering and thinking.
4. Attitudes
The affective domain - Feelings. I believe that everything involves this domain. We all know that emotions affect human performances. Attitudes can be classified into a few main categories. They can be attitudes preferred in social interactions (e.g. racial tolerance) OR attitudes of positive preferences (e.g. like listening to rnb) OR attitudes pertaining to citizenship (e.g. love for a country). At the same time, attitudes are related to values. Because you value thriftiness, you will develop the attitude of saving. But while values are more general in nature, attitudes are more specifically oriented toward particular preferences.
5. Motor Skills
These are the skills learned in connection with common activities.
Yup. Pretty lengthy and dense reflection.
I'll leave it for now ((:
Task Analysis
I believe everyone knows what is a task. The simplest simplest definition can be that it is like a job/assignment given to you and it consist of steps. For instead, "Mother asked me bake for tomorrow's party". And since a task consists of steps, there should be a beginning, a middle and an ending (the outcome). One step leads to other, finally achieving the task. In the example given above, I have to decide on what to bake, determine what ingredients will be needed, bring them out etc...and finally, put the cookies into the oven and I'll get freshly baked cookies.So that summarizes what is a task.
But what is task analysis? When I read the title, I supposed it meant analyzing the task. Lets see if I am right. Firstly, before we start the task analysis, we'll need to do the following
1. Drafting a Task List
o To make a list of all the task that make up the job
o E.g. paper work, socializing, interaction
o Begin each task listing with a “doing word” such as clean, assemble, interact
o This is a way to tell whether the item described is a task or just a subject matter
2. Task Detailing
After listing the tasks, list the steps and decisions involved in performing each of the tasks on the list
Each task should answer the following:
(a) When is the task performed (what triggers he initiation of the task)
(b) How is the task performed (what are the steps followed and the decisions made while performing the task)
(c) How would you know when you are done (when the task has been satisfactory completed?)
There are 2 methods that you can go about doing a task analysis:
Method one: List and Method Two: Flowchart.
The latter is a better method as it makes it easier to read for the planner also also clearly shows the alternatives to be followed when decisions are involved. Not only that, it also reveals where information is still missing. There are however 2 requirements to construct a flowchart. Using a Rectangle (to depict actions) & a Diamond (to depict decisions).
Personally, I'd choose method 2 because I'm kind of a lenthgy writer. I prefer things to be spelt out/planned out clearly. It allows me to make mistakes or miss out important details. But of course, it is also time consuming to make one that is so detailed. Sometimes, the lazy worm in me takes over, and I'll do a list instead. A list is the most basic requirement which i believe everyone has experience constructing one. For girls who bake, the recipe is akin to a list!
And of course, after you have got the components you’ll need; you’ll still need to brainstorm about the skills needed. This includes going through each step in your analysis and think about the skills needed to complete each step. This can be demonstrated through the same example mentioned about. E.g. in the step of preparing the cookie, the skills involved will be sifting the flour, weighing the butter, sugar, vanilla essence and whisking the batter etc. Thus, not only do you need to list your steps out, you’ll also need to derive the skills needed at each step to ensure that you do not miss out important details that need to be covered.
Skills Hierarchies
Just as I have mentioned, we will need to derive the skills required at each step. So next, we'll zoom into skills hierarchies. By the word "hierarchy", we know that it represents a relationship; relationships between skills. Some skills need to be taught before others, whereas some are mutually exclusive. The following considerations will help one to construct the skill hierarchy:
1. What should I teach first?
2. What should be the sequence of modules thereafter?
3. Are there skills that must be learned before other skills can be attempted?
4. Are there sequencing options that can be left to the learner?
One important point to note would be the phrasing of your skills hierarchy. Use words like can, should, to denote ability. E.g. Learners can construct a mindmap on their own.
As I have just mentioned, there are 2 types of skill teaching.
1. When one skill has to be learned/taught before another
- This can be illustrated with the baking example. To be able to weigh the correct quantity of flour needed; you need to know how to read the weighing scale first, before you can weigh the correct quantity need.
- Another example can be; you must learn to crawl before you can learn to walk.
- For this type of skills, it will be represented in the hierarchy as a bottom up structure; with the first skill branching to the second subsequent skill from the bottom
2. When it doesn't matter which skill is being taught first
- E.g. You can bake cookies and sell the product. These 2 skills are mutually exclusive. baking and selling. You do not need to know how to bake before you can sell, vice versa.
- Such skills are represented by having the two skills side by side, branching up to a common point.
Of course you'll need to refer to the skills from your task analyses to construct this skills hierarchy. Consider the pairs of skills and question their relationship. Do they belong to skill type 1 or 2. Then draft you hierarchy accordingly and most importantly, nothing is good enough unless you realize it. So test your hierarchy and adjust accordingly.
Recognizing Fuzzies/Goal Analysis
And of course, it is not enough to just be able to construct your skill hierarchy from your task analysis. You'll need to recognize abstractions from your task analysis. This will be the stage of Goal Analysis. However, before that, we'll need to be able to distinguish an abstraction from one that is not. This is called the Fuzzy Watching Practice. Akin to Star Watching; Fuzzy Watching Practice when we try to recognize an abstraction. Just like during star watching, you determine what type of stars are there etc. Examples of abstractions can be attitudes or general concepts such as patriotism, love. To distinguish an abstraction from a performance, I think the "Hey dad test" is a good one. For e.g. "Hey dad let me show you that I can "ride a bicycle"..Riding a bicycle is a direct behavior and is thus not an abstraction.
here's the definitions needed...
1. WHAT IS A GOAL?
- A statement describing a broad or abstract intent, state or condition.
- A goal analysis is useful when a goal exists that is important to achieve or to improve for the better
2. WHAT IS A PERFORMANCE?
- An activity that is directly visible or audible or directly assessable.
- An invisible or internal activity can be considered a performance if it is directly assessable. Thus a single behavior will indicate the presence of the performance.
Outcomes of Learning
Finally, after constructing your skill hierarchy, task analysis and recognizing abstractions (goal analysis), you will need to determine the outcomes you will achieve. These are classified into 4 categories.
1. Verbal Skills
From the word, verbal, we take its literal meaning as being saying. Thus once a skill is taught, you should be able to state/say it. However, mere stating is not enough and true learning will only be shown through demonstration of understanding what is taught. i.e. meaningful feedback. For example; being able recite the lyrics of a song or listing the steps to take your temperature.
2. Intellectual Skills
This is the demonstration of Knowing HOW - to demonstrate. E.g. applying what you have learned in math, you display intellectual skills by being able to do substractions and additions. It shows your ability to realize what you have been taught; to carry out these actions instead of mere stating them.
3. Cognitive Strategies
This involves the operations of the mind. How your mind works to guide your process of learning, remembering and thinking.
4. Attitudes
The affective domain - Feelings. I believe that everything involves this domain. We all know that emotions affect human performances. Attitudes can be classified into a few main categories. They can be attitudes preferred in social interactions (e.g. racial tolerance) OR attitudes of positive preferences (e.g. like listening to rnb) OR attitudes pertaining to citizenship (e.g. love for a country). At the same time, attitudes are related to values. Because you value thriftiness, you will develop the attitude of saving. But while values are more general in nature, attitudes are more specifically oriented toward particular preferences.
5. Motor Skills
These are the skills learned in connection with common activities.
Yup. Pretty lengthy and dense reflection.
I'll leave it for now ((:
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