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[Dolohov]

I've seen lots of suggestions for teaching, but I had an idea for a mechanism to implement it that I think might work well.  Most of the other suggestions I've seen have simply had a "teaching" skill, or used a guild or other kind of school.  (I know there's a dev item on the subject, but I can't find it)

My idea is to designate a dwarf as a "teacher", and will teach any subject in their labor list, but will no longer do those jobs.  So, let's say you have a dwarf designated as a teacher, with the Brewer labor active.  If a dwarf of lesser skill takes a "brew drink" or "extract plant essence" job, then (if the teacher is free) they'll wait at the still for the teacher to arrive and do the job together.  (Basically, any time a job is assigned to a non-legendary dwarf, it would produce a "teach" job that would disappear if there is not a teacher of that skill available)  The resulting item would be of a quality consistent with the average skill of the student and teacher, and the student would gain skill according to the difference in skill (so, a dabbling dwarf with a legendary teacher would learn very fast, but would barely learn faster with a novice teacher).  A teaching skill could be added to improve the rate at which the student learns.  (of course, then you could have the situation where you have a legendary instructor who goes around teaching teaching, so your novice brewer waits for the brewing instructor, who then waits for the teaching instructor...)

This would be a good way to make use of high-skill dwarves to train up lower-skill dwarves.  The tradeoff is that you lose the use of those high-skill dwarves the entire time they're teachers, and it'll take much longer to produce items if you have to wait not only for the dwarf doing the job, but also for the teacher.

For military dwarves, this could be a great way to use the champions (who would, I suppose, teach sparring) while at the same time preventing those champions from injuring other dwarves while sparring.  (I have a number of champion wrestlers in the Fortress Guard who are otherwise entirely useless to me...)

An alternate way to do it is to designate dwarves as "students", and spend their time learning the skills in their labor list.  Any time a dwarf of higher skill is assigned a job for which there is an available student, then the dwarf will wait at the work site until the student arrives, and the student will watch his temporary teacher perform the job.

This method would probably tend to speed up the rate at which a student learns, as the ratio of students to potential teachers would be higher.  However, it could slow down production tremendously -- particularly if you designate a miner as a student, and you have a number of shafts distributed around your fortress.

[Sabin Stargem]

I like the concept of a 'Teaching' skill and labor.  It makes sense in the way you presented it, and is simple enough to be learned easily by a player.  The only addition that can be added to this is that Children can be taught by a teacher, and that this can be toggled.  This would make it easier to prepare children for an productive adult life, which would be handy.

[Neonivek]

For the most part... I think an Apprentise system (spelled incorrectly) would work better in certain places.

Namely most labors and military skills in the game.

The difference between them? For the most part you don't lose people who take on an apprentise.

I think there is room for full time teachers... however I think they would have to teach something truely academic such as reading, philosophy, math, and mechanics.

Then again having a person become a teacher rather then a "Master" should I guess speed up the teaching process... so I guess it works both ways.

Hmm... Then again... some people who taught things such as philosophy generally had other jobs themselves...

I confused myself...

[Silverionmox]

On-the-job-training is definitely the way to go for dwarves, with a few exceptions for formal knowledge, which few professions require at the moment.

I prefer a more dynamic system, with masters, journeymen and apprentices. Masters and journeymen are independent dwarves as we know them, they can accept jobs. Apprentices can't accept jobs themselves, but follow masters instead (they adapt to his schedule). Masters make apprentices do the hauling, otherwise they hang around and watch. Masters can also make journeymen assist, but have to pay them (if the economy is active). Anyone assisting a master learns more quickly.

Advantages: less micromanagement: The player would only need to set the skill levels that make a dwarf apprentice, journeyman or master. Standard would be dabbling-novice for apprentices, master and higher for master, the rest journeyman. (This would work even better when workshops are designated from a piece of furniture, and multiple dwarves can work in a workshop.) Make everyone journeyman for the current behaviour.
Also, less skilled dwarves don't use up your rare rock types, because it's the master's skill level that is applied.

[DrDada]

You could have a school room where a designated teacher-dwar teaches all the kid, increasing theyr skills when they enter adult live

[Draco18s]

Bloat32, WORKSHOP ASSIGNMENT, (Future): Permanent assignment to workshops. Can also set skill restrictions on shops, assign them to burrows or have a master-apprentice system over the workshops.

[Dolohov]

Bloat32, WORKSHOP ASSIGNMENT, (Future): Permanent assignment to workshops. Can also set skill restrictions on shops, assign them to burrows or have a master-apprentice system over the workshops.

I thought there was another one related to teaching skills, though.

[Draco18s]

I did too, but a cursory search on all related terms I could think of brought up that and one PowerGoal for adventurers (reading Master's advanced "something" book and finding it easy and pissing him off when you tell him so).