The Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition describes five stages of skill progression: novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. At the novice stage, learners follow rules without considering context. As learners gain experience at the advanced beginner and competent stages, they can apply rules more flexibly and take responsibility for outcomes of their decisions. Proficient learners recognize patterns intuitively to diagnose problems and use rules to develop solutions. Experts immediately recognize problems and appropriate solutions through extensive pattern recognition. The model aims to help teachers understand how learners progress between stages of acquisition.