Background
I currently teach an IT Essentials 2 course at Tritec Computer Training, the course is designed to teach individuals all aspects of network operating systems including web services, Linux and Windows. The IT Essentials 2 course runs for 96 hours distributed over 16 weeks (1 day per week).
The IT Essentials 2 course is a very complex course and I use several teaching and learning activities so that students get the maximum benefit from the weekly sessions. The teaching and learning activities that I use include – practical assignments, worksheets, demonstrations, handouts, presentation, discussion, practical assessment and electronic assessment.
The IT Essentials 2 class usually has around 12 people enrolled on it and these people range in age, gender, ethnicity and ability, the group also consists of employed, unemployed and retired individuals. Most students who attend the IT Essentials 2 course already have significant knowledge with regard to computers and computer networks and they see the course as a natural progression route to improve their knowledge and skills.
The learning takes place in the three domains, these are known as the cognitive domain, (knowledge of network design principles and the use of network operating systems, for example), psychomotor (configuring software as part of the network build process) and affective (building confidence, encouraging “attention to detail” and overall satisfaction)
There is more than one type of learning. A committee of colleges, led by Benjamin Bloom, identified three domains of educational activities. The three domains are cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. Since the work was produced by higher education, the words tend to be a little bigger than we are normally used to. Domains can be thought of as categories. Cognitive is for mental skills (Knowledge), affective is for growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude), while psychomotor is for
Bibliography: Note 1 Copyright 1999 by Donald Clark Created June 5, 1999. Updated May 21, 2000. http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html FEFC (1998), Further Education for the New Millennium http://www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/kennedy/kennedy.pdf Armitage et. al. (1999) Teaching and Training in Post-Compulsory Education. Open University Press Minton, D. (1997) Teaching Skills in Further and Adult Education. 2nd Ed. City & Guilds.