Lesson 2

Chapter 2
Lesson 2: Skills, Aptitudes, and Accomplishments

Objectives By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: identify and describe their most important activities, responsibilities, and accomplishments describe their strengths and weaknesses relate their achievements to their aptitudes and skills

An electrician practicing his craft. Introduction The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is able to do that counts. -Booker T. Washington NOTE: Remember to record your answers to the exercises in this lesson in your notebook or on a disk for later use in submissions and exams. In reviewing a job application, the most important thing on an employer's mind is not what the applicant knows in terms of facts, or even what the applicant's underlying talents are. Rather, the employer is focused on what the applicant can do; that is, how well he or she can apply knowledge and talent towards accomplishing concrete tasks. The term aptitude is used to refer to a person's natural ability or potential and capacity to learn. Aptitude is not something you "either have or don't have." Different aptitudes exist in varying degrees in different people, and one of the purposes of this course is to help you think about where your natural aptitudes lie. More important than your inborn aptitudes, however, is how well you translate your natural talents into useful skills. A skill is a person's ability to accomplish a specific task. Making an omelet is a skill; so are creating a graph on the computer and shooting a lay-up in basketball. Having skills, not knowing facts or even being talented, is what determines your success in life. Natural aptitudes can make it easier or harder to develop a given skill, but an aptitude does not develop into a skill all on its own. Developing a skill requires sustained and focused practice. One of the the best ways to develop skills is by participating in organized activities. An activity is any pursuit or project in which a person participates. Activities give people the opportunity to develop new skills and improve old ones through practice. Most activities involve some sort of responsibility. A responsibility is a person's obligation or expectation to act in a certain way or to ensure a particular outcome. The activity of cooking dinner for your family entails a number of responsibilities: ensuring that the food tastes good, serving dinner at a time when members of your family can eat it, making sure no one is allergic to the ingredients in the meal, not burning down the house by leaving the stove on, and so on. An activity need not be something glamorous or flashy. Cooking dinner for your family, weeding a garden, and even organizing a pick-up basketball game are all examples of activities. Some activities, however, result in truly impressive achievements or accomplishments. An accomplishment may be an object you create, such as a tree house or a painting, or it may be something intangible - scoring three goals in a soccer game, perhaps, or nursing an injured puppy back to health. The simplest definition of an accomplishment is just "something you are proud of." PLEASE PAUSE NOW AND COMPLETE THE EXERCISE BELOW: Exercise 1: Activities, Skills, and Aptitudes Please complete the following exercise in your notebook: a) Define the following terms in your own words: activity: _____ responsibility: _____ accomplishment: _____ skill: _____ aptitude: _____ b) Describe how the following pairs of terms are related to each other. Use two or three sentences for each pair of terms: an activity and a responsibility: an activity and a skill: a skill and an aptitude:

Activities Most young people do not realize how many activities they have participated in or how many impressive things they have accomplished. In many cases, this is because of their modesty and reluctance to brag about what they have done. Often, though, it is simply the result of their never really having sat down and thought about it. That is too bad because every single one of your activities and accomplishments reveals something positive about you and your skills. When you apply for a job, it is your responsibility to make sure your potential employer is aware of your skills and accomplishments. Nobody else can do it for you. This next exercise will help you begin to think about all of your activities and accomplishments. PLEASE PAUSE NOW AND COMPLETE THE EXERCISE BELOW: Exercise 2: Activities, Responsibilities, and Accomplishments Please complete the following exercise in your notebook. a) List five school activities or responsibilities, apart from class and school-work, that you have participated in since you entered high school. The activities may have been organized by yourself, a teacher, or someone else. Some examples are playing on a school sports team, helping a teacher move computer equipment, setting up for a school dance, or taking photographs for the high school yearbook. b) List five activities or responsibilities you have done outside of school; for example, a religious youth group, babysitting your younger brother, taking out the trash every Thursday night, walking your grandmother's dog, learning a musical instrument, or mowing lawns in the neighborhood. c) Which three of the activities/responsibilities you came up with take up the most time on an average week? Which activity/responsibility was the most difficult or challenging? d) Which activity or responsibility would you consider to be your greatest accomplishment? Why? Write your response in a paragraph of five to seven sentences.

Activities and Skills Every activity consists of a number of specific actions, and each action requires one or more skills to be done well. Some activities involve only one or a few skills - taking out the trash, for instance. Other more complex activities, on the other hand, require many different skills. Babysitting, for example, may require you to make and serve a meal to a child, change the child's diaper, read a bedtime story to the child, help the child take medicine, or even call 911 in an emergency. These actions also go hand-in-hand with certain responsibilities, ranging from the trivial (making sure the child has his favorite blanket) to the life-saving (keeping the child from eating anything dangerous). Apart from school itself, activities are the primary place where young people gain new skills. Moreover, activities are also a great way for young people to demonstrate the skills they have. The following exercise will help you to identify the specific skills required by the activities you do, and also how those skills relate to specific responsibilities. PLEASE PAUSE NOW AND COMPLETE THE EXERCISE BELOW: Exercise 3: Activities and Skills Please complete the following exercise in your notebook. Choose the five most significant activities from the list you came up with in Exercise 2. For each activity, list three specific skills required by the activity. Give a brief explanation of why each skill was important in the activity and also a responsibility or two related to the skill. Present the information in an outline similar to the sample below (remember to do this for five activities): SAMPLE OUTLINE: Activity: Made Posters for a friend's student council campaign Skill: sketching ability Explanation: to make a preliminary design of the poster on paper Responsibility: ensure that the poster design looked good and was easy to read Skill: knowledge of graphic design software programs Explanation: to design the posters on the computer Responsibility: designing and printing the posters quickly Skill: organization Explanation: to coordinate a team of volunteers to put up posters Responsibility: ensure that every school bulletin board in the school had at least one poster

Outside Perspectives How a person looks "on paper"--in a résumé, for instance--reveals only a fraction of the person's true self. Yet the way you look on paper is how many important people, from college admissions officers to potential employers, will first get to know you. It is therefore extremely important to learn how to present yourself well on paper. It is sometimes very difficult to know how you come off to other people, particularly on paper where you cannot see their reaction in person. For this reason, having a friend or even a stranger give you feedback can be extremely valuable. We all need at least one other person to both critique and compliment us. Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to see how impressive your accomplishments really are. Other times, another person's opinion makes you realize that what you think sounds really impressive does not come across that way to other people. That does not necessarily mean that your achievement is not impressive, just that you are not doing a good job of explaining to the reader why it is impressive. When presenting yourself on paper, it helps to be as specific as possible about what you have done and why it was difficult or important. Details are key. The object of the next exercise is for students to help each other see how their activities are perceived by other people. The outside perspective should also help students deepen their understanding of the relationship between their activities, skills, and aptitudes. PLEASE PAUSE NOW AND COMPLETE THE EXERCISE BELOW: Exercise 4: Critiquing Another Student's Outline Trade outlines with another student and complete the following exercise in your notebook. Be sure to give the other student a copy of your responses. Alternatively, ask a friend or family member to assist you by looking over your outline and writing comments based on the questions below: a) For each activity listed by the other student, suggest at least one additional skill required by the activity. b) List five underlying aptitudes that your partner's skills demonstrate and explain how these aptitudes relate to your partner's skills. For example, the skill "sketching ability" demonstrates an aptitude for creating visual art. c) What is your partner's most impressive accomplishment? Why? d) Given your partner's skills and activities, what specific job would you hire your partner to do if you were an employer? Why?

Strengths and Weaknesses GNWOI SAUTON: This phrase, which means "know thyself" in Ancient Greek, was inscribed in gold letters above the entrance to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, in Ancient Greece. The Temple housed the Delphic Oracle, whose mysterious advice was sought out by the Greeks before major undertakings. So far, this lesson has focused on discovering and promoting your strengths. The Ancient Greeks, however, understood that strengths were only half the story. "Know thyself" was an admonition to humans to remember that they were not gods, and that as mere mortals they were full of human failings and limitations. People with true self-knowledge are aware of both their strengths and their weaknesses. Sometimes, the same trait can be both a strength and weakness, depending on the circumstances. Consider, for example, a very organized and conscientious person, the type who always accomplishes tasks as early as possible and is incapable of letting things slide until the last minute. This trait is a tremendous strength when it comes to doing homework on time and accomplishing other important tasks. At the same time, this positive trait may also be a weakness if the person stresses out about every little assignment and is unable to forget about work and relax on occasion. Every person has both strengths and weaknesses. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is important not because you can necessarily change them, but because you can then order your life in a way that maximizes your strengths and minimizes your weaknesses. PLEASE PAUSE NOW AND COMPLETE THE EXERCISE BELOW: Exercise 5: Essay Complete the following exercise in your notebook. Take some time to really reflect upon the feedback you received from your partner in Exercise 4. Which of your accomplishments most impressed your partner? Did your partner give you any feedback that surprised you? What do you think of the job your partner suggested? What could you do better to improve how you present yourself on paper? What do you consider your three greatest strengths (either skills or aptitudes)? Why? What do you think are your three greatest weaknesses? Why? Write your response in an organized paragraph of seven to nine sentences. In Closing Through this lesson you have been able to clarify the definitions of the terms aptitude, skill, responsibility, and accomplishment. You have also had an opportunity to reflect on the activities which fill your day and your personal strengths and weaknesses. Some of the information in the exercises found in this lesson will be used in the accompanying submission. Confer with your teacher to determine if you are to turn in your notebook for grading or if you should be prepared to copy your responses into textboxes in the submission. If you turn in your notebook, you will simply indicate this in the appropriate boxes in the submission. If your teacher requests that you record your answers in the submission, and if your computer accepts floppy disks, you may wish to transfer your responses to a disk prior to beginning the submission. This will save time as you complete the submission by copying and pasting the information.

Lesson 2 Review

Submission 2 15 questions worth 210 points. Part 1 Select the best answer choice. (Each question is worth 1 point) 1. A resume is _____. a portfolio of your accomplishments a brief representation of yourself on paper an essay that explains your personal background no answer is correct 2. What is the meaning of the inscribed phrase above the entrance of the Temple of Apollo? "I am Apollo" "Knowledge is key" "Experience is the root of all knowledge" "Know thyself" 3. The Greeks sought out whose advice before major undertakings? Apollo the Emperor Delphic Oracle themselves 4. An individual with true self-knowledge is familiar with: Their strengths and weaknesses The amount of knowledge they have obtained The Delphic Oracle Ancient history 5. When reviewing an application, the employer is most concerned about: What the applicant knows in terms of facts What the applicant's underlying talents are What type of personality the application has How well the applicant can complete concrete tasks through their use of knowledge and talent 6. A person's natural ability, their potential and capacity to learn is referred to as: Skills Aptitude Activities Responsibility 7. Which of the following is not considered a voluntary activity? Playing a game of pick up basketball Cooking dinner Planting trees in the park Going to class 8. An object an individual creates or an achievment one can be proud of is known as: Talents Something intangible Accomplishments Capability 9. The primary place where young people gain new skills and demonstrate other skills is through: Activities Responsibilities Skills Outside perspectives 10. When presenting oneself on paper, what is essential to include? Details about your skills and accomplishments Your family history A narrative of your life so far Your elementary school Part 2 Turn your notebook in to your teacher so that your answers to Exercise 1 can be checked. In the textbox, indicate that you have turned in your notebook or type the answer to the questions below. (Each question is worth 40 points) 11. Please complete the following exercise in your notebook: a) define the following terms in your own words: activity: _____ responsibility:_____ accomplishment:_____ skill:_____ aptitude:_____ b) Describe how the following pairs of terms are related to each other. Use two or three sentences for each pair of terms: an activity and a responsibility: an activity and a skill: a skill and an aptitude: Worth 40 Total Points (5 points per definition / statement) Answers will vary but should include reference to the following items: In the student's own words, there should be a definition written describing each of the following terms--activity, responsibility, accomplishment, skill, and aptitude. An activity is any pursuit or project in which a person participates. A responsibility is a person's obligation or expectation to act in a certain way or to ensure a particular outcome. An accomplishment may be an object one creates, such as a tree house or a painting, or it may be something intangible - scoring three goals in a soccer game, perhaps, or nursing an injured puppy back to health. A skill is a person's ability to accomplish a specific task. The term aptitude is used to refer to a person's natural ability, his potential and capacity to learn. Definitions should not include the term in the definition. Definitions should be clearly written and may include examples as well. Student should write two to three sentences comparing the relationship between each of the following--an activity and a responsibility, an activity and a skill, and a skill and an aptitude. Responses will vary; however, answers may resemble the following: Students who participate in an activity such as band also have the responsibility to practice their instruments at home. One must have certain athletic skills in order to participate in an activity such as swimming. In order to become skilled in a task such as reading, it helps when a student has an aptitude for learning letters and sounds. Answers should be clearly written and well thought out. Part 3 Turn your notebook in to your teacher so that your answers to Exercise 2 can be checked. In the textbox, indicate that you have turned in your notebook or type the answer to the questions below. (Each question is worth 25 points) 12. Please complete the following exercise in your notebook. a) List five school activities or responsibilities, apart from class and school-work, that you have participated in since you entered high school. The activities must have been organized, either by yourself, a teacher, or someone else. Some examples are playing on a school sports team, helping a teacher move computer equipment, setting up for a school dance, or taking photographs for the high school yearbook. b) List five activities or responsibilities you have done outside of school. For example: a religious youth group, babysitting your younger brother, taking out the trash every Thursday night, walking your grandmother's dog, learning a musical instrument, or mowing lawns in the neighborhood. c) Which three of the activities/responsibilities you came up with take up the most time on an average week? Which activity/responsibility was the most difficult or challenging? d) Which activity or responsibility would you consider to be your greatest accomplishment? Why? (Please write a paragraph.) Worth 25 Total Points (5 points for the first three questions and 10 points for answering why a certain activity was the student's greatest accomplishment) Answers will vary but should include reference to the following items: Student should include a list of five organized school activities that he has participated in since beginning high school. Student should include a list of five activities that he has participated in outside of school. Student should specify which three activities/responsibilities take up the most time on the average week. Student should specify which single activity is the most difficult or challenging. After creating the above lists, answer should be written in paragraph form with proper sentence structure and punctuation. Student should specify which single activity he would consider to be his greatest accomplishment and offer reasons why. Part 4 Turn your notebook in to your teacher so that your answers to Exercise 3 can be checked. In the textbox, indicate that you have turned in your notebook or type the answer to the questions below. (Each question is worth 50 points) 13. Please complete the following exercise in your notebook. Choose the five most significant activities from the list you came up with in Exercise 2. For each activity, list three specific skills required by the activity. Give a brief explanation of why each skill was important in the activity and also a responsibility or two related to the skill. Present the information in an outline similar to the sample below (remember to do this for five activities): SAMPLE OUTLINE: Activity: Made Posters for a friend's student council campaign Skill: sketching ability Explanation: to make a preliminary design of the poster on paper Responsibility: ensure that the poster design looked good and was easy to read Skill: knowledge of graphic design software programs Explanation: to design the posters on the computer Responsibility: designing and printing the posters quickly Skill: organization Explanation: to coordinate a team of volunteers to put up posters Responsibility: ensure that every school bulletin board in the school had at least one poster Worth 50 Points Total (10 points per outline) Answers will vary but should include reference to the following items: Student should submit answers in outline format, similar to the example modeled in the question. Five total outlines should be submitted. For each outline, student should indicate the activity he feels to be most significant out of all the activities submitted in Exercise 2. For each of the five specified activities, student should list three different skills utilized when participating in the activity. Student should briefly, but clearly explain why the stated skills are important to the specific activity. Student should specify one or two responsibilities related to each of the five activities. Part 5 Turn your notebook in to your teacher so that your answers to Exercise 4 can be checked. In the textbox, indicate that you have turned in your notebook or type the answer to the questions below. (Each question is worth 35 points) 14. Trade outlines with another student and complete the following exercise in your notebook. Be sure to give the other student a copy of your responses. Alternatively, ask a friend or family member to assist you by looking over your outline and writing comments based on the questions below: a) For each activity listed by the other student, suggest at least one additional skill required by the activity. b) List five underlying aptitudes that your partner's skills demonstrate and explain how these aptitudes relate to your partner's skills. For example, the skill "sketching ability" demonstrates an aptitude for creating visual art. c) What is your partner's most impressive accomplishment? Why? d) Given your partner's skills and activities, what specific job would you hire your partner to do if you were an employer? Why? If the student is not able to compare their resume with another student, feel free to give that student full credit. Worth 35 Total Points (5 points for 'additional skills', 5 points for 'underlying aptitude' list, 5 points for explanations of relationship between aptitudes and skills, 10 points for 'remarkable accomplishment' paragraph, and 10 points for 'specific job' paragraph) Answers will vary but should include reference to the following items: Besides the list that is presented, answers should be written in paragraph form with proper sentence structure and punctuation. For each activity presented by the partner, student should offer at least one suggestion of an additional skill required by his partner in order to participate in that activity. Student should list five underlying aptitudes that his partner's skills reveal. Student should offer a clear explanation of how each of his partner's aptitudes and skills are related. Student should thoroughly describe his partner's most remarkable accomplishment and describe why this is so. After evident analysis and thought, student should explain what specific job he would hire his partner to do and offer several clearly stated reasons for this. Part 6 Turn your notebook in to your teacher so that your answers to Exercise 5 can be checked. In the textbox, indicate that you have turned in your notebook or type the answer to the questions below. (Each question is worth 50 points) 15. Complete the following exercise in your notebook. Take some time to really reflect upon the feedback you received from your partner in Exercise 4. Which of your accomplishments most impressed your partner? Did your partner give you any feedback that surprised you? What do you think of the job your partner suggested? What could you do better to improve how you present yourself on paper? What do you consider your three greatest strengths (either skills or aptitudes)? Why? What do you think are your three greatest weaknesses? Why? (Please write your response in an organized paragraph of seven to nine sentences.) Worth 50 Total Points Answers will vary but should include reference to the following items: Answers should be written in paragraph form with proper sentence structure and punctuation. Student's writing should indicate that he carefully thought about his partner's feedback from Exercise 4. Essay should include details regarding which accomplishment impressed the student's partner the most, which feedback surprised the student, what the student thinks about the job that the partner suggested, what the student could do to better present himself on paper, what the student believes to be his three greatest strengths in regards to skills and aptitudes and why, and what the student believes to be his three greatest weaknesses and why. All questions asked of the student should be answered. As there are several questions asked in this particular assignment, the student's writing should be clear, thorough, and complete.