Task Analysis
Also called: TA, breaking down a skill
Definition
The process of breaking a complex skill into an ordered sequence of smaller, teachable steps, and the written sequence that results. The number of steps depends on the learner rather than on the task, so the same skill may need very different breakdowns.
In plain language
Splitting a bigger skill into a list of small steps in order. How small the steps need to be depends on the person learning, not on the task.
Examples
Hand washing written as eleven steps, from turning on the tap through to drying and turning it off.
Making a sandwich broken into steps, with more detail around the parts a learner finds hardest.
Not task analysis
A goal that simply says the learner will wash their hands, with no steps written down for staff to follow consistently.
A list of unrelated skills to work on. A task analysis is one skill in order, not a collection of goals.
See also
Written from
- baer-wolf-risley-1968
Written from standard instructional practice in applied behavior analysis. No textbook glossary consulted.
This entry has not yet been through clinical review. Treat it as a draft.