"This book provides guidelines--via 40 practical tips and processes--to fulfill anyone's natural ability. It's about becoming the master of your own fate, your own skills and your own success. Greatness is not a natural gift... It is something achieved through hard work and diligent practice--not from dreaming, but from working. Commit to becoming the best: work hard, have a positive mindset, and practice, practice, practice."--Back cover.
Regulation : how the politics of skill become law -- Production : how skill makes cities -- Skill : how skill is embodied and what it means for the control of bodies -- Protest : how skillful practice becomes resistance -- Body : how definitions of skill cause injury -- Earth : how the politics of skill shape responses to climate change.
Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of practicing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct complex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By completing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the methods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard keyboard, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the simple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Figure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcomponents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accurate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chainsaws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.
Adult educators working in workplace literacy & workforce preparation programs need to be aware of the many efforts to define standards for the knowledge, skills, & abilities needed for successful performance in the workplace. This report describes the various efforts related to skill standards & other policy initiatives for those who may not be directly involved in these ongoing efforts. Includes skill descriptions as the framework for workplace literacy skill standards. Contents: background to the occupational skill standards efforts; occupational skill standards; framework for skill standards; discussion & conclusions.
Transform your yoga practice into a force for creating social change with this concise, eloquent manual of social justice tools and skills. Skill in Action asks you to explore the deeply transformational practice of yoga as a way to become an agent of social change and work toward a just world. Through yoga practices and philosophy, this book explores liberation for ourselves and others, while asking us to engage in our own agency—whether that manifests as activism, volunteer work, or changing our relationships with others and ourselves. To provide a strong foundation to begin this work, Michelle Cassandra Johnson clearly defines power and privilege, oppression, liberation, and suffering, and invites you to make changes in your life that promote equality and freedom for all. This revised and expanded edition offers journaling practices and prompts in each chapter; includes more material on how power and privilege inform the yoga industry; explains how to integrate justice into teaching the eight limbs of yoga; and offers ways to support people as they move through their resistance and discomfort in the face of injustice. This edition also offers a fuller look at how the yamas and niyamas—the ethical precepts of yoga—can be studied in order to create a more just world, and it offers more support for yoga teachers seeking to radicalize their yoga.
The issue of the transfer of learning from one domain to another is a classic problem in psychology and an educational question of great importance, which this book sets out to solve through a theory of transfer based on a comprehensive theory of skill acquisition.
An argument for reimagining skill in a way that can extend economic opportunity to workers at the bottom of the labor market. America has a jobs problem--not enough well-paying jobs to go around and not enough clear pathways leading to them. Skill development is critical for addressing this employment crisis, but there are many unresolved questions about who has skill, how it is attained, and whose responsibility it is to build skills over time. In this book, Nichola Lowe tells the stories of pioneering workforce intermediaries--nonprofits, unions, community colleges--that harness this ambiguity around skill to extend economic opportunity to workers at the bottom of the labor market.
Most people imagine their career following a straight path, but in reality, it is filled with twists and turns. What do you do when you want a new job or change your career? How do you identify the right industries, roles, and organizations for you? Who do you contact in your professional and personal networks? Skills: The Common Denominator shows you how to determine your transferable skills and present them to potential employers to differentiate yourself as a job candidate. Part inspiration, part how-to, you will read stories from 25 career changers to learn how you can position yourself to make a successful switch. Discover ways to: Identify your transferable skills Build (or rebuild) your professional brand to stand out in a job search Leverage digital tools to master LinkedIn, secure interviews, and stay organized Cultivate your network to find a role that best aligns with your strengths Keep an open mind on today's top transferable skills as you grow your team With the help of Asha Aravindakshan's Skills: The Common Denominator, you can land the job made for you, whether you are entering the job market or looking to pivot.
