TRAINING
B y C ar ol Fey
LITERACY IN THE MECHANICAL WORLD iteracy is a problem for our industry. Now don’t take that the wrong way. I’m not suggesting that we have technicians who can’t read. In the vast majority of cases it is quite the opposite, in fact. They can read, but there are a lot of technicians who don’t bother reading manuals or Back in the day of the standing pilot, instructions. And with the way a common joke was that the that some manuals are written, instructions were there so you could those who do take the time to light the pilot. go through them often have a great deal of difficulty comprehending what they have read.
L
Carol Fey is a technical trainer who has worked as a heating mechanic in Antarctica and has published six books for the HVAC/R industry. She can be reached at carol@carolfey.com, or visit her website, www.carolfey.com.
MECHANICAL INTELLIGENCE Even given the difficulty of the language of technical material, it seems that the members of our industry are especially resistant to reading. And it turns out that there are some good reasons why “our guys” may not read well. One of these reasons is highly complimentary. “You can’t be good at everything!” Our technicians are really high in what is known as “mechanical intelligence.” They know how to fix things. They know how to use their hands. And they have a great sense of how things fit together. They can think their way through technical problems. Those who study intelligence recognize that there are several different kinds of intelligence: reading, math, music, interpersonal — the list is varied, and yes, mechanical intelligence is on there. On a jobsite, that mechanical intelligence is a valuable attribute; it’s what will get the darn boiler, furnace or air conditioner running, so it is not surprising that reading may take a back seat to it.
We say that technicians aren’t willing to read instructions. But is that word “willing” covering up for something more truthful? Might it be that in many of these cases technicians aren’t able to read and comprehend the long, difficult and often convoluted instructions? Right away this gets us into a sensitive area. But hold on. We’re not talking about technician intelligence or IQ here. What we’re talking about is, are the It is not unusual for learning disorders to go unnoticed or unaddressed, instructions able to be read by those especially once we leave elementary and secondary school. Take, for who need the information? example, dyslexia. The word simply means “has difficulty reading.” It is estimated that 15 to 20 per cent of people have this inherited “disorder” We all assume that the instructions are that makes reading challenging and slow. But it’s rarely mentioned, perfectly fine. And we often believe especially as we hit adulthood. that if the technician can’t read them, there must be something wrong with Dyslexia can be overcome if identified and treated. But often that doesn’t the technician. But that’s not happen. I have a cousin who told me he thought he was just dumb until he necessarily so. Maybe there’s something was diagnosed with dyslexia in his 40s. wrong with the instructions. How It’s important for all of us to realize that dyslexia is common. And we all would we know? No one reads them! need to know that reading ability and IQ are not related.
LEARNING DISORDERS
continued on page 90
88
M e c h a n i c a l
B u s i n e s s
0 4 . 1 3