CompTIA certifications for IT professionals. Part 7 of 7. CompTIA CTT + (Certified Technical Trainer)
Part 1 of 7: CompTIA A + and webinar recording of preparing for certifications on information security
Part 4 of 7: CompTIA Security +. CompTIA certifications for IT professionals
Pashkov Kuzma - Lead InfoSec, EMC trainer @ training.muk.ua/courses/security
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The first time I got to technical training in 2001, it was a series of authorized Microsoft courses from the program of training engineers for certification of Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer 2000. Two young talented teachers Sergey Polekhin and Victor Ashik alternately conducted trainings.
Dynamic presentation, regular change of the form of presentation of educational material and numerous discussions under the supervision of the teacher caused and held a keen interest of the adult engineering audience during the whole training time, and this, by the way, 8 hours each working day during the month. The student-centered learning process was fundamentally different from the traditional approach used by most high school teachers, who had already become bored, I was surprised and intrigued.
Undoubtedly, Sergey and Victor possessed expert qualifications in the subject field and an innate talent to teach people, but these, though necessary qualities of an effective teacher, but insufficient. To successfully learn a large amount of knowledge and skills in a short period of time requires a proven methodology synthesized from the experience of successful teachers and based on the results of many years of scientific research - much later I learned its official name - student-centered learning.
One year later, working as a commissioning engineer, I regularly conducted training for the Customer’s personnel in operating and maintaining the installed systems, trying to recreate the atmosphere of that memorable training from 2001.
The first step in the development of effective teaching methods was the Train-the-Trainer course, mandatory for candidates for the title of Microsoft Certified Trainer (Microsoft Certified Trainer - MCT). A four-day immersion, in particular, of conducting authorized courses, ended with a test performance , which, according to the results of the vendor’s test, was considered successful and gave me admission to conduct authorized courses on technologies for which I already had engineering certifications.
The second stage took place while working as a teacher at the Faculty of Retraining of Specialists of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University - under the guidance of expert Egor Orlov, who is in charge of the “Information Protection” direction, I intensively learned the characteristics of teaching in high school. It was he who introduced me to the internationally recognized certification for technical trainers CompTIA CTT + (Certified Technical Trainer) and its underlying methodology for effective adult learning student-centered learning.
CTT certification was developed in the mid-90s by the largest US vocational education associations, the Information Technology Training Association (ITTA) and the Computer Education Management Association (CedMA), and for the second decade has been the internationally recognized qualification standard for teachers of advanced vocational education programs in technical field.
Having passed under the control of the operator of vendor-independent certifications CompTIA in 2001, certification has received not only a new name CTT + , but also recognition in coaching certifications of leading manufacturers of IT technologies, such as IBM, Microsoft, Ricoh, Novell, etc.
The qualification of the applicant for the title CTT + is assessed in accordance with the requirements of the International Committee on Teaching Standards (International Board for Training, Performance and Instruction - IBSTPI) and takes place in two stages: a computer test, then the judge evaluates the video of the applicant's performance.
The computer test TK0-201 is conducted in English at the VUE testing centers and tests knowledge of the teaching methods, namely:
- course planning
- teaching methods and tools
- teacher's reputation and communication
- group management
- evaluation of learning outcomes
In the case of successful completion of the test, you can proceed to the second stage by first selecting one of two specializations as a goal: exam TK0-202 for real or TK0-203 for a virtual (online) class. The selected option involves a video recording of the fragment (about 20 minutes), in which a non-obvious technical topic will be revealed for a group of several students. During this time, the teacher must show practical skills using the previously described technique, for example:
- provoking a dialogue with trainees on the topic being studied
- keeping the attention of students
- conducting a real course
Passing the Train-the-Trainer courses helps in recreating student-centered learning, but their author's format (in the CIS, they are not developed by Microsoft, but by industry-recognized expert teachers) does not imply standardized, comprehensive and regularly updated content. The authors develop programs of such courses at their discretion - without strict adherence to open standards, update them from time to time, since these courses are image-based, they are rarely held, and training centers are in no hurry to invest in their development and updating.
As a result, even with 2 years of experience in regularly conducting technical trainings, I could not immediately recruit even 50% of the correct answers in the self-training tests found in the search engines using the exam code TK0-201.
Studying the professional literature recommended by CompTIA for self-study has opened for me a whole world of profitable educational business, where the continuous improvement of the quality and effectiveness of educational services is an objective reality. Among the books that finally clarified the student-centered learning methodology, I would highlight “ Technical training trainer ” by Keys and Zeff and “ Training for results ” by Bob Mosher - it was after them that I began to consistently recruit more than 90% of correct answers and literally a week later passed a computer test worth $ 280 on the first attempt.
In 2004, there was still no option for the virtual (online) class exam, so I began to prepare for video recording of a real performance. I will say right away that this was one of the most difficult professional tests in my life, and there are several reasons for this:
The first is the need for training in English: all participants in the video should communicate in the language of Shakespeare and make it understandable for future judges who are native speakers of this language. To gather 4-5 people in one audience who are ready to discuss a complex technical topic in English and to keep them there for several hours is an organizationally difficult task.
The second is videotaping. Here a qualified operator with professional equipment is definitely needed, and here's why. Distinctly and without distortion record the voices of the discussion group of people in the classroom, most likely only by providing each with a personal microphone. Capturing a panorama with the teacher and students in the frame, clearly displaying the projector screen and the drawings on the blackboard, again, most likely, you can only direct the lens and change the focus of the video camera. Moreover, the installation of video recording is clearly prohibited - the shooting should be carried out continuously, as in the live broadcast.
The third reason is the need for 20 minutes to reveal to the audience a complex technical topic, simultaneously demonstrating all the skills stated in the methodology. It is extremely difficult to do without actually writing a prototype script with dialogues on 2-3 topics at once in case a lively discussion doesn’t work with a topic.
Analyzing these reasons, you can use 2 strategies: either shoot the same 20-minute excerpt in several duplicates, or shoot several training topics during the day. In both cases, it is proposed to assemble your own committee of 3-4 judges (preferably professional teachers) and evaluate the video by published criteria , the goal is to score a passing score. So I did.
It is also very important to note that learning to teach people can only be directly involved in this matter on a regular basis. And it is better to do this in a mature team of the training center with an impeccable reputation. These include almost perfect “training machines” by Boris Fridman and Dmitry Gudzenko . These forges of personnel regularly supply such gurus as Mikhail Mikheev , Fyodor Samorodov , Sergey Klevogin and many others to the CIS IT market.
As a result, a fee ($ 280) for the work of appraisers was paid, and the video selected by my colleagues was sent to CompTIA in videotape format - a painful wait began.
A few weeks later, it was confirmed that the test performance was successful and that CTT + status was assigned. Unlike other CompTIA certifications, the status of a technical trainer can be considered lifelong. All the leading national (www.specialist.ru and www.microinform.ru ), and international (www.netcomlearning.com and www.globalknowledge.com ) met on my way, educational corporations recognized this certification and, with all other things being equal, preferred to its applicants. At the moment (2015), in addition to the classical Classroom Trainer, the Virtual Classroom trainer specialization is available, relevant to those who work with distance education systems (hereinafter referred to as LMS), which have been widely distributed both in universities and training centers.
The method of preparation I used today can be supplemented by the passage of video courses (Computer-based training - CBT), which can be found in search engines by the names of their leading world, for example, Pluralsight (formerly CBT Nuggets), developers, and also by the names of certification status CompTIA CTT + and exam codes TK0-201, TK0-202, TK0-203.
Also, if you select the new Virtual Classroom trainer specialization, it is much easier to pass the exam TK0-203, since it is much easier to assemble a group of specialists to participate in the online class and record the screen in the DLS.
I have already adapted this method of preparation for obtaining the status of CompTIA CTT + several times and have successfully applied for admission to conducting authorized courses by leading world IT corporations. On the example of EMC, the adaptation was as follows. For admission to conduct one course for one product required:
- to pass all certification examinations associated with the product for administrators / engineers / architects,
- then pass the official authorized training,
- then conduct the same 50/50 course with a mentor teacher,
- well, in the end, independently conduct a course under the silent control of the mentor sitting in the back rows, and wait for the assessment report completed by him to pass through the EMC bureaucracy.
I look forward to questions about training and certification CompTIA at PashkovK@muk.com.ua
Pashkov Kuzma , Lead InfoSec, EMC trainer @ training.muk.ua/courses/security/
Training center MUK (Kiev)
MUK-Service - all types of IT repair: warranty, non-warranty repair, sale of spare parts, contract service
Part 4 of 7: CompTIA Security +. CompTIA certifications for IT professionals
Pashkov Kuzma - Lead InfoSec, EMC trainer @ training.muk.ua/courses/security
')
Introduction to Technical Training
The first time I got to technical training in 2001, it was a series of authorized Microsoft courses from the program of training engineers for certification of Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer 2000. Two young talented teachers Sergey Polekhin and Victor Ashik alternately conducted trainings.
Dynamic presentation, regular change of the form of presentation of educational material and numerous discussions under the supervision of the teacher caused and held a keen interest of the adult engineering audience during the whole training time, and this, by the way, 8 hours each working day during the month. The student-centered learning process was fundamentally different from the traditional approach used by most high school teachers, who had already become bored, I was surprised and intrigued.
Undoubtedly, Sergey and Victor possessed expert qualifications in the subject field and an innate talent to teach people, but these, though necessary qualities of an effective teacher, but insufficient. To successfully learn a large amount of knowledge and skills in a short period of time requires a proven methodology synthesized from the experience of successful teachers and based on the results of many years of scientific research - much later I learned its official name - student-centered learning.
One year later, working as a commissioning engineer, I regularly conducted training for the Customer’s personnel in operating and maintaining the installed systems, trying to recreate the atmosphere of that memorable training from 2001.
The first step in the development of effective teaching methods was the Train-the-Trainer course, mandatory for candidates for the title of Microsoft Certified Trainer (Microsoft Certified Trainer - MCT). A four-day immersion, in particular, of conducting authorized courses, ended with a test performance , which, according to the results of the vendor’s test, was considered successful and gave me admission to conduct authorized courses on technologies for which I already had engineering certifications.
The second stage took place while working as a teacher at the Faculty of Retraining of Specialists of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University - under the guidance of expert Egor Orlov, who is in charge of the “Information Protection” direction, I intensively learned the characteristics of teaching in high school. It was he who introduced me to the internationally recognized certification for technical trainers CompTIA CTT + (Certified Technical Trainer) and its underlying methodology for effective adult learning student-centered learning.
1. Familiarity with certification
CTT certification was developed in the mid-90s by the largest US vocational education associations, the Information Technology Training Association (ITTA) and the Computer Education Management Association (CedMA), and for the second decade has been the internationally recognized qualification standard for teachers of advanced vocational education programs in technical field.
Having passed under the control of the operator of vendor-independent certifications CompTIA in 2001, certification has received not only a new name CTT + , but also recognition in coaching certifications of leading manufacturers of IT technologies, such as IBM, Microsoft, Ricoh, Novell, etc.
The qualification of the applicant for the title CTT + is assessed in accordance with the requirements of the International Committee on Teaching Standards (International Board for Training, Performance and Instruction - IBSTPI) and takes place in two stages: a computer test, then the judge evaluates the video of the applicant's performance.
The computer test TK0-201 is conducted in English at the VUE testing centers and tests knowledge of the teaching methods, namely:
- course planning
- teaching methods and tools
- teacher's reputation and communication
- group management
- evaluation of learning outcomes
In the case of successful completion of the test, you can proceed to the second stage by first selecting one of two specializations as a goal: exam TK0-202 for real or TK0-203 for a virtual (online) class. The selected option involves a video recording of the fragment (about 20 minutes), in which a non-obvious technical topic will be revealed for a group of several students. During this time, the teacher must show practical skills using the previously described technique, for example:
- provoking a dialogue with trainees on the topic being studied
- keeping the attention of students
- conducting a real course
2. Method of preparation
Passing the Train-the-Trainer courses helps in recreating student-centered learning, but their author's format (in the CIS, they are not developed by Microsoft, but by industry-recognized expert teachers) does not imply standardized, comprehensive and regularly updated content. The authors develop programs of such courses at their discretion - without strict adherence to open standards, update them from time to time, since these courses are image-based, they are rarely held, and training centers are in no hurry to invest in their development and updating.
As a result, even with 2 years of experience in regularly conducting technical trainings, I could not immediately recruit even 50% of the correct answers in the self-training tests found in the search engines using the exam code TK0-201.
Studying the professional literature recommended by CompTIA for self-study has opened for me a whole world of profitable educational business, where the continuous improvement of the quality and effectiveness of educational services is an objective reality. Among the books that finally clarified the student-centered learning methodology, I would highlight “ Technical training trainer ” by Keys and Zeff and “ Training for results ” by Bob Mosher - it was after them that I began to consistently recruit more than 90% of correct answers and literally a week later passed a computer test worth $ 280 on the first attempt.
In 2004, there was still no option for the virtual (online) class exam, so I began to prepare for video recording of a real performance. I will say right away that this was one of the most difficult professional tests in my life, and there are several reasons for this:
The first is the need for training in English: all participants in the video should communicate in the language of Shakespeare and make it understandable for future judges who are native speakers of this language. To gather 4-5 people in one audience who are ready to discuss a complex technical topic in English and to keep them there for several hours is an organizationally difficult task.
The second is videotaping. Here a qualified operator with professional equipment is definitely needed, and here's why. Distinctly and without distortion record the voices of the discussion group of people in the classroom, most likely only by providing each with a personal microphone. Capturing a panorama with the teacher and students in the frame, clearly displaying the projector screen and the drawings on the blackboard, again, most likely, you can only direct the lens and change the focus of the video camera. Moreover, the installation of video recording is clearly prohibited - the shooting should be carried out continuously, as in the live broadcast.
The third reason is the need for 20 minutes to reveal to the audience a complex technical topic, simultaneously demonstrating all the skills stated in the methodology. It is extremely difficult to do without actually writing a prototype script with dialogues on 2-3 topics at once in case a lively discussion doesn’t work with a topic.
Analyzing these reasons, you can use 2 strategies: either shoot the same 20-minute excerpt in several duplicates, or shoot several training topics during the day. In both cases, it is proposed to assemble your own committee of 3-4 judges (preferably professional teachers) and evaluate the video by published criteria , the goal is to score a passing score. So I did.
It is also very important to note that learning to teach people can only be directly involved in this matter on a regular basis. And it is better to do this in a mature team of the training center with an impeccable reputation. These include almost perfect “training machines” by Boris Fridman and Dmitry Gudzenko . These forges of personnel regularly supply such gurus as Mikhail Mikheev , Fyodor Samorodov , Sergey Klevogin and many others to the CIS IT market.
As a result, a fee ($ 280) for the work of appraisers was paid, and the video selected by my colleagues was sent to CompTIA in videotape format - a painful wait began.
3. Result
A few weeks later, it was confirmed that the test performance was successful and that CTT + status was assigned. Unlike other CompTIA certifications, the status of a technical trainer can be considered lifelong. All the leading national (www.specialist.ru and www.microinform.ru ), and international (www.netcomlearning.com and www.globalknowledge.com ) met on my way, educational corporations recognized this certification and, with all other things being equal, preferred to its applicants. At the moment (2015), in addition to the classical Classroom Trainer, the Virtual Classroom trainer specialization is available, relevant to those who work with distance education systems (hereinafter referred to as LMS), which have been widely distributed both in universities and training centers.
4. Additions to the method of preparation
The method of preparation I used today can be supplemented by the passage of video courses (Computer-based training - CBT), which can be found in search engines by the names of their leading world, for example, Pluralsight (formerly CBT Nuggets), developers, and also by the names of certification status CompTIA CTT + and exam codes TK0-201, TK0-202, TK0-203.
Also, if you select the new Virtual Classroom trainer specialization, it is much easier to pass the exam TK0-203, since it is much easier to assemble a group of specialists to participate in the online class and record the screen in the DLS.
5. Continuation of the story
I have already adapted this method of preparation for obtaining the status of CompTIA CTT + several times and have successfully applied for admission to conducting authorized courses by leading world IT corporations. On the example of EMC, the adaptation was as follows. For admission to conduct one course for one product required:
- to pass all certification examinations associated with the product for administrators / engineers / architects,
- then pass the official authorized training,
- then conduct the same 50/50 course with a mentor teacher,
- well, in the end, independently conduct a course under the silent control of the mentor sitting in the back rows, and wait for the assessment report completed by him to pass through the EMC bureaucracy.
I look forward to questions about training and certification CompTIA at PashkovK@muk.com.ua
Pashkov Kuzma , Lead InfoSec, EMC trainer @ training.muk.ua/courses/security/
Training center MUK (Kiev)
MUK-Service - all types of IT repair: warranty, non-warranty repair, sale of spare parts, contract service
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/253687/
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