Adaptive training is a popular method of teaching a skill that involves increasing the complexity of tasks over time. This type of training can be used in a variety of areas, including personal, academic, and professional growth. Adaptive training techniques may be used psychologists, teachers, and parents to help young children improve their cognitive skills and comprehension of subject matter. Employers frequently begin new employees with simple, easy tasks and gradually increase their responsibilities as they gain experience. Finally, software and computer programs frequently include a type of adaptive training that allows users to master simple tasks before progressing to more difficult ones.
The majority of school systems are based on the idea that students should be introduced to simple, easy-to-understand concepts before being introduced to more difficult and abstract concepts. Children face increasingly complex subject matter as they progress through elementary and secondary school, requiring higher and higher levels of cognitive skill. Math is a good example: students must be able to add and multiply simple numbers correctly before they can understand fractions and algebraic variables.
A more direct version of adaptive training is used in many classrooms, in which teachers and specialists work one-on-one with students to help them overcome specific challenges, such as reading difficulties. To begin to develop important skills, a child who is behind in reading usually requires more time and simpler instructions. A specialist may play memory games with the child to assist him or her in remembering sounds and relating them to letters. Instructors or parents may read a story to a student aloud at first, then read it together, and finally allow the student to read it on his or her own. Individuals can often catch up to their peers and succeed academically with time and explicit adaptive training.
Adaptive training allows employees to gain a basic understanding of their job responsibilities before being asked to complete all tasks on their own in the professional world. Many new employees receive formal or informal training to become familiar with the terminology, techniques, and policies used on the job. When someone gets a job as an insurance claims adjuster, they aren’t expected to start investigating complex, expensive claims right away. Typically, he or she begins assisting and observing an experienced adjuster and taking on simple, straightforward jobs. Adaptive workplace training ensures that new employees are fully prepared for difficult tasks.
Many software developers include learning modules in their programs because new computer applications can be intimidating. Before attempting complex tasks, people can seek assistance with unfamiliar terms and learn what their systems can do. Adaptive technology is designed to assist people with specific disabilities, such as blindness, in effectively using computers and programs. Voice recognition and applications that read on-screen material to users are examples of adaptive programs.