Training courses teaching complex skills sometimes use a technique called part task training. This involves splitting a skill up so you can practice each part separately, before bringing all the parts together to perform the overall skill.
If you are learning or training on your own, you may need to apply this technique yourself. Even if your course already uses part task training, you may find that you want to extend this technique yourself to improve your training. For example, if you find learning a particular task or skill challenging, consider using part task training to conquer the challenge.
In this section I provide to you with the three basic steps for this technique. These are to decompose the task into manageable subtasks, practice each of those subtasks, and then recombine the subtasks to perform the overall task. Let’s look at these steps.
You first have to break down tasks into subtasks. Two characteristics help you decide how to do this. These are:
· The complexity or difficulty of the task or skill.
· The integration or organization of the task or skill.
Using these two characteristics, you may decide to decompose the task using one (or more) of these methods:
· Simplifying. Simplifying involves adjusting or removing certain task demands during practice. Examples include having a flight instructor handle radio calls when first learning to fly, or reducing time constraints of a practiced forced landing by starting at a higher altitude. Simplifying works well when both the complexity and integration of the skill are both high.
· Fractionating. Fractionating involves separate practice on all parts, before integrating them into full performance of the task. An example of this from photography may be to first practice how to compose a photograph, and then practice getting depth of field right without worrying about composition. Fractionating works well when there is high integration between the parts of a skill.
· Segmenting. Segmenting involves splitting a task into time-based or location-based parts. An example of this is using a flight simulator to practice landing the aircraft from five hundred feet, separately from practicing the takeoff, circuit and landing. Another example may be to first practice the opening of a sales call, and then only practice the investigation stage. Segmenting works well for sequential or procedural tasks. Segmenting however is not usually effective for tasks that occur over short timeframes.
If subtasks occur within a few seconds of each other, you usually need to practice all parts of the task at the same time. Examples include the last few moments when landing an aircraft, or steps to tack (turn) a yacht. The same applies where there is overlap between subtasks. For example, learning to use the brakes in a car separately to using the clutch (in a manual or stick-shift) may not work effectively. This is because you often need to use the clutch while braking.
Where there is greater than ten seconds between task parts, you can usually practice parts separately.
Once you have decomposed the tasks into subtasks, you then practice each of those subtasks. Use the various Memletic Techniques to help you learn those subtasks quickly. For example, follow the general principles of three stage skill learning, or use simulation to practice each subtask.
Once you have learned each subtask, you can then look at how you recombine each subtask into the full task performance.
Once you have practiced the subtasks, you then need to recombine those subtasks into a performance of the overall task. There are a few choices here as well. These are pure part, progressive part, and repetitive part recombination:
· Pure part. After practicing each part by itself, combine all subtasks at the same time.
· Progressive part. Incrementally add subtasks to a growing combination, practicing each new subtask separately.
· Repetitive part. Incrementally add parts to a growing combination, without practicing each task separately before adding it.
Here’s an easier way to visualize each of these methods. If you have four subtasks, the techniques look like this:
Whole part (compare): 1234 1234 1234…
Pure part: 1 2 3 4 1234 1234…
Progressive part: 1 2 12 3 123 4 1234 1234…
Repetitive part: 1 12 123 1234 1234 …
One variation on the progressive part and repetitive part methods is to reverse the order you add back the subtasks. This is backward chaining. Using the example above, backward chaining looks like this:
Backward chaining, progressive: 4 3 34 2 234 1 1234 1234…
Backward chaining, repetitive: 4 34 234 1234 1234…
Backward chaining often works well when a task involves preparation for and then execution of a particular objective. Examples include landing an aircraft or tacking (turning) a yacht. In the yacht example, learn the tack first, and then learn more details of the steps in leading up to the tack.