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Best Practices*
Ideas to help you when
implementing BestPractices 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 BestPractices 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 BestPractices 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 BestPractices
means better comprehension of the concepts. The BestPractices 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.
This handout contains additional information to assist you in understanding and
applying the Best Practices. The handout has three components.
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 BestPractices are included:
• Challenges
• Graphic Organizers
• Group Work
• Journals
• Kinesthetic Activities
• Lab Exams/Activities
• Mini-Lecture
• Portfolios
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Presentations
• Reflection
• Rubrics
• Troubleshooting/problem solving
It is important that the CATC and Regional Academy instructors use and
understand the Best Practices, as they are the link to the Local Academy
instructors who work directly with students. The students will have a more
effective educational opportunity if BestPractices are used to assist their
learning.
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:
• Knowledge
• Comprehension
• Application
• Analysis
• Synthesis
• Evaluation
Definitions are included for each level with examples from the networking
curriculum.
Level 1 Knowledge
Knowledge allows students to define, describe, list, identify, label, outline, select
and state facts regarding content. The objective is to have students know
common terms, specific facts, methods and procedures, basic concepts and
principles.
Examples:
• List the full names for the acronyms-ARP, RARP, IOS, RIP, IGRP, ACL,
ISDN, etc.
• Identify how many bits comprise an IP address. (Sem 1)
Level 2 Comprehension
Comprehension allows students to paraphrase, defend, estimate, explain,
distinguish, give examples, infer, predict, or summarize. It requires the ability to
grasp the meaning of material, understand facts and principles, interpret verbal
material, and justify methods and procedures.
Examples:
• Distinguish between standard and extended Access Control Lists (Sem 3)
• Give examples of IOS commands useful for examining different router
components (Sem 2)
• Paraphrase the function of each of the 7 layers (Sem 1)
• Classify 191.52.7.1 as either a class A, B, and C IP address (“A”s begin with
0 to 127; “B”s begin with 128 to 191; “C”s with 192 to 223. (Sem 1)
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 company 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 Threaded Case Studies 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 (Sem 1 and Sem 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 positive results. Research shows that the most effective learning patterns
occur when students are closely involved with the curriculum such as what
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 successes 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
[...]... format • Shows evidence of critical thinking including analysis, comparison synthesis and evaluation • Solves the problem in a reasonable amount of time • Results in a solution Guide for Using BestPractices Purpose Best Practice Mini-Lecture Online Study Build Knowledge x x Student Learner Presentations Study Guide Build Conceptual Understanding Apply Concepts Class x x x x x Structure x x x Challenges... 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.) BestPractices 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... 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 BestPractices 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... 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 BestPractices Lab Exams/Activities Description: Examples of lab exams include all of the following: • practical exams • performance exams • demonstration labs • skill-based and performance assessments •... 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 BestPractices Mini-lecture Description: A mini-lecture is a 5-15 minute presentation intended to supplement the online, written, or demonstrated information It is used as a precursor to a small group or... • Uses questioning to focus and enhance learning • Provides for multiple learning modalities through the use of demonstrations, graphic organizers, visuals, audio, PowerPoint presentation or graphs BestPractices Portfolios Description: Portfolios are systematic, purposeful, meaningful collections of student work that reveal the result of learning They exhibit the students’ efforts, progress, and achievement... self-selected • Explains progress toward goals for the Semester • Shows evidence of organizational skills • Provides evidence of growth and progress • Demonstrates excellent work, format and design Best Practices PowerPoint Presentation Description: A PowerPoint presentation is a 5 to 45 minute presentation utilizing an overhead projector, an “In-focus” projector, a “Proxima” projector, or another... Includes questions or poses problems that engage participants • Uses reflection questions to enhance learning • Is used as a supplement to clarify and enhance content and not to present all of the content Best Practices Presentations Description: A presentation allows the trainee/student learner to demonstrate content knowledge by presenting the findings of an inquiry regarding a specific topic to an audience... Lesson Plan: An effective lesson plan design meets the following criteria: • Provides clear objectives for the lesson • Connects to prior learning through focus questions or review • Selects appropriate Best Practices and strategies to deliver instruction • Selects effective performance labs, demonstrations, kinesthetic activities, and/or multimedia, as appropriate • Uses appropriate assessment strategies... content/ideas that engage and are understood by the audience Content (Lesson Plan): Provides clear objectives for the lesson Connects to prior learning through focus questions or review Selects appropriate Best Practices and strategies to deliver instruction Selects effective performance labs, demonstrations, kinesthetic activities, and/or multimedia, as appropriate Uses appropriate assessment strategies to .
Best Practices*
Ideas to help you when
implementing Best Practices in the
Cisco Network Academy Program
Best Practices. 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