Tài liệu Cisco Network Academy Program_ Practices docx

The Best Practices include Challenges, Design Activities, Graphical Organizers, Group Work, Journals, Kinesthetic Activities, Lab Exams, Mini-Lectures, Online Study, Oral Exams, Portfoli

Best Practices*

Ideas to help you when implementing Best Practices in the Cisco Network Academy Program

Best Practices Introduction

Best Practices have always been an important component in the CNAP Short explanations were included in the old Teachers’ Guide 1.50 and are now

included in the preface for each semester The following quote comes from the preface of Semester 1 version 2.1:

A list of Academy Best Teaching Practices has been compiled It is imperative that you use a wide variety of these Best Practices to present the Cisco Networking Academy Curriculum; these practices have been demonstrated to be successful with a wide variety of learners The Best Practices include Challenges, Design Activities, Graphical Organizers, Group Work, Journals, Kinesthetic Activities, Lab Exams, Mini-Lectures, Online Study, Oral Exams, Portfolios, Presentations, Rubrics, Study Guides, Troubleshooting, and Web Research…Note that lecture (and PowerPoint or other such leader-led presentations) comprises just a tiny fraction of how Cisco intends the curriculum to be presented The subject matter, our goals for our graduates, and good pedagogy all dictate that a mixture of these Best Practices be used Especially important are the hands-on labs and lab exams, project-based learning (challenges), and troubleshooting For example, all Academies are required to have their students build simple LANs, use multimeters and cable test meters, terminate Cat 5 Cabling, and perform a Structured Cabling Project as part

of their first semester skill-building

Feedback from instructor trainees indicates that the greater use of Best Practices means better comprehension of the concepts The Best Practices provide a variety of opportunities to learn as explained through the following:

• “See” the processes through kinesthetic activities;

• Apply the processes through labs, challenges, troubleshooting, presentations, etc.;

• Obtain the knowledge through online study, mini-lectures, and discussion;

• Think about the processes and concepts through study guides, reflection, portfolios, and journals;

• Organize the components and ideas through graphical organizers, presentations, and study guides; and

• Discuss ideas and concepts with others through group work

The first component has a short explanation of Bloom’s Taxonomy as it is applied

to CNAP

The second component is a chart that demonstrates the main and secondary purposes of each Best Practice as well as the class structure generally used during implementation

The third component is an expanded explanation of most of the Best Practices Each explanation has a description, a brief statement of research, some implementation ideas and a rubric for assessing the quality of the trainee/student work

• The following Best Practices are included:

The handout is a draft and a beginning of the support that will be offered

regarding Best Practices Any suggestions or comments are welcome

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy is simply a hierarchical framework designed by Benjamin Bloom that instructors and trainers can use to analyze and develop questions and activities that encourage different types of thinking They may be used as guidelines for developing assessments that measure multiple levels of thinking The goal is to include questions of differing levels in each lesson and to help students improve their critical thinking skills at the top levels of the hierarchy

The six levels beginning with the lowest level of thinking are as follows:

Examples:

• Distinguish between standard and extended Access Control Lists (Sem 3)

• Give examples of IOS commands useful for examining different router components (Sem 2)

Level 3 Application

Application allows students to demonstrate, relate, show, modify, prepare, solve, give examples, manipulate, or generalize It requires them to use ideas and material they have learned in new situations, apply theories to practical situations, and demonstrate correct methods or procedures

Examples:

• Demonstrate the construction of a patch cable (Sem 1)

• Modify the following IOS statement so that it assigns 193.1.7.5 as the static route for all packets on 199.4.5.0: ip route 193.1.7.5 255.255.255.0 199.4.5.0 (Sem2)

Level 4 Analysis

Analysis allows students to brainstorm, point out, differentiate, separate, and discriminate It’s the purpose of breaking material into its components so that the organizational structure is understood; recognizing unstated assumptions and logical fallacies; distinguishing between fact and inference; and evaluating relevancy of data

Examples:

• Brainstorm the problems that can cause a PING to fail (Sem 2)

• You are troubleshooting the 5-router network Distinguish between observable network symptoms and what problems you might infer are causing those symptoms

Level 5 Synthesis

Synthesis allows students to combine, devise, compose, organize, plan, reorganize, revise, rewrite, and generate It involves the ability to put parts together to form a whole item; write a well-organized essay; write creatively; integrate learning from different areas in to a plan for solving a problem or form a new scheme for classifying ideas and events

Examples:

• Generate a design for an elementary school LAN (Sem 3) Generate a design for a School District WAN (Sem 4)

• Plan a school-wide structured cabling installation for Net Day (Sem 1)

• Compose a subnetted IP address scheme for a class C network (192.18.9.0) which leads to

Level 6 Evaluation

Evaluation requires students to appraise, compare, contrast, criticize, support, conclude, or interpret It’s the ability to judge the value of material for a given purpose and to evaluate logical consistency of written material and the adequacy

of conclusions Judgements should be based on specific criteria given by the instructor of determined by the students

Examples:

• Your compnay has decided to use Category 6 UTP (instead of CAT 5, 5e, or 7) – support their decision

• Interpret the following result of a “show ip interface command: Serial 0 is administratively down; line protocol is down”

• Contrast the metrics used by RIP with the metrics used by IGRP (Sem 2)

• Use a rubric to compare the TCS LAN and WAN solutions designed by the class groups (Sem 3 and Sem 4)

• Compare the following two LAN technologies for use in a high school environment on a limited budget: 10BASE-T Ethernet and 100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet (Smes 1 and 3)

• Compare the following two WAN technologies for a high school on a limited budget: ISDN and Frame Relay (Sem 4)

Best Practices

Challenges Description:

Challenges are problem-based labs or projects, advocated by AAAS Project

2061 (a science education reform project) These exercises are the opposite of cookbook, or step-by-step, labs Instead, they encourage students to work on their own to develop solutions to various problems or challenges

The challenges vary in content and duration (from fifty minutes to three weeks), and are comprised of two basic parts First, the lab asks students to solve a given problem Second, it asks the students to create a product For example, a simple 50-minute challenge lab for the first semester might be titled “Make a Patch Cable that Works Successfully” A three-week challenge that could teach more complex tasks might be called “Wire the School Computer Lab”

Research:

While little research deals with challenges per se, many of the components that make up a “challenge” have been thoroughly studied and have consistently shown possible results Research shows that the most effective learning patterns occur when students are closely involved with the curriculum such as happens when an assignment translates theoretical learning to a “hands-on” setting Tasks that require students to do the following:

• apply previously mastered basic learning to a new situation

• use both analysis and synthesis to create a workable product

• evaluate both the process and product

• are demanding and allow the assessment of higher order thinking skills

Challenges are a part of the category of active learning that has been explored for use with almost any subject matter and with any population Numerous strategies have been devised to successfully promote active learning with any age level, but is most successful with older children and young adults

Implementation:

The degree of independence in solving challenges should vary according to the level of knowledge and the complexity of the task Begin using the less complex and shorter challenges with the students Have them work in pairs until they are familiar with the process and gain confidence in their skills Make certain that they record key ideas in their journals as a record of their progress After each challenge, discuss the process and what they learned in completing it Have them identify strategies that would be helpful when they complete the next challenge

As students gain in knowledge there should be less guidance and more individual solving of the problem When they become proficient, the students could be placed in competitive teams to solve a challenge This is especially appropriate during Semesters 2, 3 and 4

Students can record information regarding their success and failures in solving challenges in their journals Periodically, have the students review their journals for comments regarding challenges Have them look for evidence of growth in solving them, improved strategies, and general increase in content knowledge Some students may wish to include their challenges in their portfolios

Rubric:

A quality challenge solution will meet the following criteria:

• Use a problem solving format

• Use a logical process

• Solve the challenge correctly

• Demonstrate the thinking process

• Show evidence of critical thinking including analysis, comparison, synthesis and evaluation

• Show thorough understanding of content

• Use references effectively (web research or instructional manual)

Best Practices

Graphic Organizers Description:

These terms refer to a large group of visual tools (diagrams and schematics)

used to represent concepts and ideas They are implemented to facilitate

comprehension of expository text They seek to replicate the patterns used by the brain to recall linked information or detail

Some types of graphic organizers include semantic maps, summary sheets,

concept maps, semantic feature analysis grids, story maps, structured note

taking, PERT charts, Venn diagrams, webbing, main ideas, cause and effect

frameworks, fact/opinion frameworks, classification frameworks, flowcharts, story mapping, brainstorming webs, pictures maps and graphs

Those especially useful in electronics and engineering are cluster diagrams,

problem-solving matrices, flowcharts, block diagrams, topological diagrams,

voltage versus time graphs, voltage versus frequency graphs, layered

communication diagrams, frame format diagrams, and standard internetworking symbols These graphic organizers are discussed in detail in the Instructors'

Guide

Research:

Research indicates that the use of organizers benefits all learners in all content areas In addition, specific testing was completed to study visually/spatially

talented and visually/spatially challenged student learners to determine who

benefited most as a result of using visual tools It was found that both groups

benefited A secondary outcome was a more positive outlook toward the subject matter with greater gains by the challenged learners Instructors have indicated

in studies that their instruction was improved through the use of graphic

organizers

Implementation:

Each type of organizer has its unique purposes and uses These are described for ten of the organizers in an in-depth explanation in the instructors' guide One main guide is that the graphical organizer chosen should be congruent with the instructors' purpose and enhance the concepts of the topic being discussed

Organizers can be copied and given to each learner or presented electronically for them to sketch Some instructors complete the organizer on a chart, whiteboard or poster while explaining the information This provides a visual model for learners to copy and should be used when first using organizers or when presenting exceptionally complex concepts

Learners can use the graphical organizers to review with a partner or group before a project or a test These could be placed in their journal or portfolio

The most effective graphic organizers have been those made by the instructor for the specific material being presented Instructors and learners can often design

a graphic organizer together Certainly, critiquing a completed organizer for its effectiveness for learning the content encourages learners to design their own tools for understanding new content

Rubric:

An effective graphic organizer should meet the following criteria:

• Provides an appropriate and logical visual for the content and concepts

presented

• Shows relationships among concepts

• Utilizes a design that is easily understood by all learners

• Focuses the learners in the content through questions and/or clearly stated objectives

• Results in a organized plan, processes, and/or a product that demonstrates learning

• Provides for analysis and redirection of learning

Bests Practices

Groupwork Description:

Groupwork refers to using a variety of trainee/student groups to enhance learning Learners can be grouped for reviewing, questioning, learning content, doing performance labs, designing projects, assessing their learning and other suitable tasks Within cooperative teams, individuals seek outcomes that are beneficial to themselves and other members of the group Working together, students and trainees are able to maximize their own and each other's learning

Groups can be pairs or partners, small groups of 3-5 or larger, teams or competitive teams, large groups of 9 to 15, and whole class groups

Research:

Numerous research studies have been conducted on ways to improve learner motivation, attendance, and academic growth through grouping for learning activities Cooperative and integrated learning groups have been found to enhance inter-group relations and team building For the Networking program, the ability to work together is beneficial to future employment

Prior to the 90’s, it was generally believed that the most effective classes were those that had a low number of students Current educational philosophers look instead to styles of grouping within the classroom where dimensions such as group problem solving has been measured more effective than other modes of instruction for higher order thinking tasks Various modes of small groups are shown to make a significant difference in learning patterns Studies in Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and the United States have revealed the same results related to the benefits of grouping for learning

Implementation:

Trainees and student learners can be assigned to groups or they can choose their own group As a class, the rubric (criteria) for effective groupwork should be discussed prior to the activity The difference between individual and group effort should be emphasized It is useful to discuss group roles such a leader, recorder, timer, etc

Have the groups clarify the task or assignment to be accomplished During the group work, the instructor can move around the classroom to answer questions, assist in maintaining focus, and ensure that all group members are actively engaged

After the group presents projects, plans or ideas, use the rubrics to assess how well the group process worked Group work for organizing, planning, researching, and focusing is beneficial Individual responsibilities for learning, presenting, producing, can be established with specific criteria for the presentation or product that provides evidence of the individual learning

Rubrics:

Group Effort

• Utilizes individual strengths to enhance the process

• Reaches consensus through negotiation and compromise

• Collaborates effectively and efficiently

• Utilizes resources and materials to maximum advantage

• Keeps within timelines and meets all set deadlines

• Reflects on progress, process and product

Individual Effort

• Performs multiple roles and responsibilities within the group

• Respects other members feelings, abilities, opinions, contributions

• Contributes equitably within the group

• Enhances the strength of the group

• Utilizes resources and materials effectively and efficiently

• Meets set deadlines

• Reflects on progress, process and product

(Rubrics are also available for group planning and group problem solving.)

Best Practices

Journals Description:

Typically, a journal is a paper, bound, composition book in which pages are not added or subtracted, but dated The purposes of a journal are to document the process and progress of learning and work and to develop a reference of solutions that have worked in the past

Engineering journals come in part from patent law Most corporations have their technical employees keep a journal (dated, signed, bound and kept in ink) to resolve patent issues It is a legal document and may be used in audits

In the field of networking, engineers keep journals in which they record their thoughts regarding the many activities in which they are engaged Journals in general are a record of an individual’s thoughts regarding a specific topic These thoughts, overtime, allow the learner to analyze and chart his/her progress in understanding the topic The journal will include events that failed as well as those that succeeded

The types of journal entries most applicable for Networking Academies’ students include:

Research:

Journals were "reinvented" within the last few decades not for the value of the content, but for the value to the author as a response to the prevailing attitudes of learners that were reported by researchers Learners felt that the success or failure of their learning program was outside of their control Assessments were done "on them" their role was passive rather than as an active learner

Students were found to lack a sense of ownership, were not self-directed, lacked the ability to self-reflect and exhibited low expectations of themselves Where

these attitudes were most prevalent, it was noted that students were excluded from the conferencing, the portfolio selection, and the criteria setting processes

Some of the strategies implemented to address the problem were using alternative assessments, increasing student ownership and responsibility and creating opportunities for student self-assessment This came about largely through the use of journals where they were recognized as a powerful tool both for content and process

Implementation:

Each student is responsible for maintaining his/her journal Often, instructors may provide a specific time in class for the students to make notes in their journals Students may also record their ideas as they read, listen, or complete activities For example, during a mini-lecture, the students may record analogies that help them understand a concept During a lab activity they may record their procedures with results After an exam, they may write the concepts that they do not understand Questions that they want to explore may be written at any time Students may use their journals to assist in reviewing for an exam Periodically, they may review their journals to analyze their progress in learning the content and record reflections

Students who are able to develop the habit of using a journal may be more successful in networking or whatever technical career is in their future

Rubric:

A quality journal will meet the following criteria:

• Demonstrate organizational skills

• Use real life examples and analogies

• Show independent thinking by providing own solutions; synthesizing major

concepts; and demonstrating connections between major concepts and

content

• Use sketches, diagrams, analogies and notes to clarify meaning

• Include important content

• Can be used to solve problems and as a resource for further learning

• Include reflections and evidence of self-analysis

• Cross-references with other problems, solutions, and ideas in the journal

Best Practices

Kinesthetic Activities Description:

Kinesthetic activities literally refer to those activities that use the body to act out,

or to communicate some process, concept or idea Role-playing and skits are examples of kinesthetic activities Showing a process by having individuals perform the steps of the process with materials such as slips of paper, boxes, rope, etc is another example Immediate feedback by the group and instructor is necessary to make certain that the processes and concepts are presented clearly and correctly

Kinesthetic activities are designed to meet the needs of some students to express and view their learning in other methods than the predominantly cognitive form of the school setting It is one of the multiple intelligences identified for inclusion to meet the needs of all students

In the CNAP, the kinesthetic activities also apply to many of the “hands-on” learning activities whose “real life” situations and labs are used to provide learning experiences Many of the protocols and devices involved in networking are resolvable into distinct algorithms that can be very difficult to read about or visualize “Acting out” algorithms is particularly helpful during the introduction to these complex processes and devices A classic pedagogical technique in computer science is to have students act out a “bubble sort algorithm” These fun, interactive activities are a needed variation from online learning

Research:

Activities that promote kinesthetic learning are often grouped with active or performance learning although they are a specialized form of this total group Researchers report activities in this category often need revision as programs seek greater inclusion of individuals with special health, cultural or learning needs

For students to assimilate information and realize their maximum potential, they must do more than listen

Implementation:

To help students begin learning how to use this type of activity, have them demonstrate a simple activity Discuss how the activity makes the concept more visible and therefore more understandable For example, choose topology Demonstrate by putting a message in a box and passing between students with each person designated as parts of the system Select two or more types of

topology to demonstrate and compare Have the students suggest other ways this could be shown

For other concepts, have the students design their own kinesthetic activity Kinesthetic activities can be especially helpful when introducing some of the basic networking concepts For example, during semester 1, have the students act out any or all of the following:

• The encapsulation process

• The handling of data by repeaters, hubs, bridges and routers

• The functioning processes of ARP and RARP

During Semester 2, kinesthetic activities can be particularly helpful when trying to explain the following concepts:

• TCP/IP protocols (e.g., handshakes, windowing, flow control)

• Routing loops

• Distance-vector routing

• Link-state routing

Any concept that students may have difficulty understanding is a logical topic for

a kinesthetic activity If it can be made “visible” to the class, more will understand

Note: Some trainees may be reluctant to use kinesthetic activities to demonstrate concepts or processes It is important that they experience and practice the process during their training so they can use it more effectively with trainees and students

Rubric:

A quality kinesthetic activity meets the following criteria:

• Represent the key elements of the concept, process or idea

• Require the participants to use their bodies in the demonstration

• Is logical in its presentation

• Show a correct sequence if it is a process

• Use correct vocabulary, terms and explanations

• Is engaging and interesting

• Contribute to the understanding of a concept, process or idea

Best Practices

Lab Exams/Activities Description:

Examples of lab exams include all of the following:

_

Research:

Relevant performance labs and activities are emphasized to promote student understanding of science and applied science content Research has shown that reading and hearing about the content provides only a portion of the learning required for these contents Lab activities and exams allow the student to practice and demonstrate the application of principles learned Multiple studies have demonstrated the added comprehension of these activities

Implementation:

Start with simple labs to acquaint the students with the process of solving them Some labs may be step-by-step activities that require the students to follow directions to reach a planned solution Students may work in pairs or small groups until the students gain confidence in the process

Discuss problem-solving techniques before assigning labs After the labs are completed, discuss the problems encountered and the final results Identify the problem solving techniques that helped in the solution Lab activities should be designed to practice the skills tested in the lab exams

During semester 1, lab exams should be assigned for the following:

• Making patch cables

• Configuring IP addresses

• Punching down jacks and patch panels

• Testing cable runs and using test equipment

• Simple hardware and software procedures

Assign a pass/fail grade and allow retakes of the exams

During Semester 2, the focus of the labs should be on developing proficiency in configuring routers and then groups of routers and networks

Some students may be able to design their own labs and lab exams for the class

Rubric:

A quality lab activity or exam should meet the following criteria:

• Shows understanding of an important concept or process

• Demonstrates the connections between and among the various components

of networking

• Shows knowledge of basic networking vocabulary

• Demonstrates the ability to construct simple materials, repair, connect, design and/or use materials or equipment

• Provides evidence of learning

• Results in a product or completed process