Students are operating in the job skills and functional skills area and not in the adaptive area. Adaptive skills are more elusive and tend to be more difficult to grasp. Interpersonal relationships, working in a group, and effectively supervising others are examples of adaptive skills. The ability of an individual is inevitability related to this hierarchy. Ability can be sub-divided into two categories, namely skills and knowledge.
Skills are the how-to of a role.
Skills are capabilities that can be transferred from person to person. The best way to teach a skill is to break it down into performance steps, which the student reassembles. Naturally, the best way to learn a skill is to practice the skill. In leadership development classes, skills requisite for the successful completion of group projects are formula based. Factual knowledge for students could include technical writing, Microsoft Power Point for presentations, and the elements of an oral presentation.