CompTIA CTT+ TK0-201 – Classroom Instruction Performance Based Exam – TK0-202

1. Overview – TK0-202

At this point, we are ready to move on to the performance based portion of the exam. Now, remember that when you submit your video submission for the TKO 202 or the TKO 203, you also have to include evidence that you have passed the computer based TKO 201. So if that gives you an idea of the chronology of this, you will, of course, pass the computer your base exam first, and then you’ll include that as you move forward. So as an overview for this section, we’re going to look at all the information that’s given by CompTIA on how to prepare for the video section.

They are actually grading you on the domains of understanding while you’re delivering the class. So you may have a lot of experience teaching. Maybe you’ve done 20 minutes’ classes for many, many years. But you do need to make sure that you are identifying all of the domains of understanding and making sure that you apply as many as you can in the actual video submission. So we’re going to talk about how to plan for this event, how to make sure you have all the logistics in place so that you can get a good recording, how to prepare yourself to be on camera.

And then we’re going to go domain by domain and talk about the scoring criteria that CompTIA uses and how they want to see that domain of understanding implemented in the video performance. We’ll go over some recording tips, and then finally, we will go over the actual submission process. So there is a form that you have to fill out as an instructor which deals with the evaluation process. And then, of course, you’ll have to actually submit the digital files to CompTIA, and we’ll go over how to do that too. So let’s get ready for you to start your TKO 202 preparation.

2. CompTIA Resources for Classroom Instruction Performance

So CompTIA does a good job of giving you everything you need to know how to prepare for the video portion of this exam. So I’d like to just take you through some of these so you know how to access them. Again. Here we are@comptia. org. Go to Certifications and CTT Plus and you’ll get back to the page that we went over in the initial section of this course with all the information, information about the exam. And if you scroll down a little bit, you’ll find the CTT Plus guidelines and forms. And you can see it’s divided into classroom trainer how to prepare and then also Classroom trainer Submission form and then Virtual Trainer how to prepare and virtual Trainer submission form.

So here for the TKO 202, we’ll open that one up and here we are well prepared document. Again, you might want to print this out so you can take notes, whatever is the best way for you to study. But taking a look really quick, here the table of contents. You’ll see that there’s some explanation about the exam itself, also how to plan and prepare and also some information on actually recording the session. So there are some technical specifications that you really need to meet so that your video is not disqualified. They’re not overwhelmingly difficult. You don’t have to be a videographer to get this right, but you do need to make sure that you’re following those instructions. And also a scoring guide and the retake policy. Let’s look at this scoring guide because I think this is important.

Again, they’re going to be grading on you, on how well you demonstrate the skills involved in the domains of understanding. Now if you’ll recall domain one, let me just get to it real quick here. Domain one is Planning prior to the course. Well, you can’t demonstrate in a live video you’re planning prior to the course. And this is where the next submission document comes in. And also domain five is evaluating the course. Well, you can’t demonstrate that live in a performance video, so you’re not going to have to worry about those. But if you do move on to domain two, you start talking about actual instructional delivery methods and media. So these are the ones that you’re going to have to perform in real time and weave into your recorded classroom discussion as best you possibly can. So for example, domain two is Methods and Media for Instructional Delivery. The first subdomain point is Selection and Implementation of Instructional Methods. And in order to get the full four points, as you can see here, you’re going to need to make sure you fill the requirements of this column. So move from one instructional activity to the next seamlessly, address multiple learning styles through planned activities, and use anecdote stories and analogies and humor effectively.

So we’re going to break this down in the subsequent video in this section. But I just want you to understand how you can use this scoring guide and really as a checklist, as a matrix to make sure that you comply with all the requirements of the video. Let’s go back here and also look at the submission form document. So TKO 202 is where you find the submission form. Here you can click on this. It downloads it as a Word document. It will be editable and that you will submit. And so those domains like domain one and five, preparation to the course and post course evaluation methods. You’re going to have to give some long answers to show in actual narrative text that you understand these concepts. Hopefully, your version of Word opens a little quicker than mine. Here, give it a minute. All right, here we are. So you have to give some information on yourself. You have to provide a photocopy of your completed CTT Plus 201.

And you also have to have signatures remember this of everybody that’s going to be involved in the classroom has to give permission to have their video taken and submitted. And if you move down here, you’ll notice, as I mentioned, planning prior to the course. And this is where you enter long answers to these questions that give evidence that you’ve considered all the domains of understanding for domain one, for example. And then there’s another one on domain five. We’re going to talk about this at length in a later video, but I do want you to understand where you can find these on the. CompTIA website. Again. CompTIA. org, click on Certifications, come to the CTT Plus and then move down here. And the two forms are available right here.

3. Planning the Classroom Trainer Recording

All right, so let’s talk about how to plan this training event so you can get a good recording. To begin with, you need to take a look at your content. Remember, this is a technical training certification. So you need to be teaching something that’s sufficiently complex, something that is a real world industry technical skill or piece of understanding. So make sure you select your topic appropriately. That being said, you don’t have to go out and learn anything overly complex just for the sake of this recording. Use something that you already know well. So again, it needs to be technical. But I did just recently see a video that received a passing score from the CTT Plus Evaluators that had to do on how to choose the correct genes for your body shape. However, the instructor did a great job of weaving in all the domains of understanding and making that topic sufficiently complex to show that they could teach any kind of technical topic. So that’s a possibility. However, of course you want to clearly choose something that’s professional and from the industry of your expertise, the structure of the video itself. You want to basically show this as a 20 minutes module and again, the timing is from 17 minutes to 22 minutes. So you’re giving like one module of a larger course. So it needs to have a clear beginning, middle and end. And you need to weave into the structure all of the twelve objectives that’s the five domains and all the subdomains.

So make sure that you’re designing and preparing this small module in a way that you’re able to demonstrate all those skills in the setting. Of course you want it to be a technical training environment, quiet, well lit. Of course, as you know, whenever you’re doing anything on video, you need to make sure there’s sufficient lighting and you want to be able to show yourself as the instructor. Also, class interactions and materials. So if there’s a whiteboard or a projection screen, make sure you have that in the shot with you as the instructor. And also the requirements state that from time to time the camera should pan over to the students to show interaction between the trainer and the students. So you will need to show those students, which means you may also need a cameraman, right, somebody that pans from you and the presentation material to the audience.

So the possibility is to have somebody record for you. Or the other option is to set the camera up in a way that shows both you and the audience so that you’re able to see this classroom interaction, but you need to be able to show it. The class size needs to be at least five people. Again, remember, they need to be able to provide their signature to show that they are willing to be recorded and you want to show their interactions. So hand raising, questions being answered, activities the evaluators need to see the student engagement. Remember, this is learner focused training, not instructor focused, and it needs to be authentic. The students need to really be learning a new knowledge and skill, not artificial or contrived. So you’re not teaching something just for the sake of getting through this exam, but make it a real piece of knowledge.

And if you’ve trained it all before, you should be able to select a module that you’re comfortable teaching with. That’s part of a bigger program that you can then tailor to the needs of this submission. But if not, just make sure it’s something that’s real world applicable. And the duration, as I mentioned, is 17 to 22 minutes. If it’s under 17 minutes, the video does not qualify, it’s immediately rejected. If it happens to be over 22 minutes, then remember that the judging stops after minute 22. So if you go to 23 minutes that last minute, they’re not even going to look, they’re going to just stop the video at 22 minutes. So prepare well, wash the clock, make sure it’s between that 17 and 22 minutes mark. And don’t lose points for poor planning of the timing.

Your equipment. Use the best possible equipment that you have. So if you have a high quality camera, handheld camcorder, use that. iPhones and smartphone devices have excellent cameras nowadays. And if you actually look at some of the videos that CTT Plus provides on their YouTube channel about the preparation for the CTT Plus, they will show somebody with an iPhone on a tripod. So you can use your iPhone. There’s no need to go out and purchase anything overly expensive to do this recording. There is no editing allowed. So you’re not going to trim this up like a nice YouTube Vlog video? No, there should be no editing. If, however, there is a lengthy activity wherein the students are going to actually practice something and then go off in groups and then come back, you are allowed to pause the video and start it again. You’re allowed one break for that. If you do that, make sure that you are articulating that clearly at this point, the video will break while the students prepare this skill or practice the skill. We’ll be back in ten minutes, but just one break is allowed for that.

So if you don’t need to do it, I wouldn’t suggest doing it. And of course, you need to make sure you show your skills. If you don’t feel that you’re there yet, practice this. You may need to develop your skills. If there’s some issues you’re having with communication, with your delivery style that you don’t think are really up to par at this point, then practice a little bit. And I’m not encouraging you to postpone this any longer than it needs to be done, but overt practice out loud. Sometimes standing in front of a mirror or practicing recording yourself can help you develop your skills so you’re comfortable when you’re actually recording the real video you’ll submit. And when you have everybody in the classroom, there your five participants. And, of course, make sure you understand the CTT Plus domains and practice weaving them into your delivery. So this is a manageable task. All the details of how to plan your video are in the document from CTT Plus, and I’ve covered them again for you here and make sure you’re prepared with everything you need.

4. Preparing Yourself to Be on Camera

You might have a lot of experience as a trainer, as a teacher, maybe. You’ve stood in front of classes many times before and you feel very confident about your abilities and that’s great. But just make sure for the purposes of this video that you don’t leave anything to chance. You do have to be rather specific and get a lot in 20 minutes that really proves your ability abilities.

So this is probably unlike any other 20 minutes class you’ve ever taught. Be prepared. Prepare yourself to be on camera. You want to create a lesson plan so you’re not just going to stand up in front of a group of people and teach like you’ve taught before. Have a specific outline incorporating all the topics that we’ve gone over thus far in this course so that it’s logical has a clear introduction and conclusion. When you are preparing your introduction, remember this is the moment that you capture the interest of your audience. Prepare it a bit. Make sure that you’ve practiced delivering it so that you can really nail your attention. Arousing introduction the way that you want to prepare it out loud. Create a checklist of required skills. This might be just a handy outline that you have on a desk while you’re teaching that you refer to.

Of course, you’re not going to be reading from the notes as you teach, but if you just have just a basic document to guide your performance, you’ll make sure that you don’t forget anything by the end of the recording. And you want to show interactive, student centered learning. So position the camera or have the camera person show that you are in fact asking questions, moderating the group activities and open to questions, et cetera. Rehearse your performance. Don’t leave it to chance. Practice what it’s like. If you have five willing subjects that are willing to work with you for a full hour, then you might do a dry run, 20 minutes, let everybody know what it’s going to be like.

Say, I need your assistance as a volunteer for a full hour. Can we do it once as a dry run? And then the second time we’ll record it? Record both of them just in case, and give attention to your poise and personal appearance. So all of what we spoke about, about standing confidently, dressing appropriately, being assertive, and commanding respect in the room, in the learning environment, all needs to be displayed. Even though this is somewhat fabricated, pretend like it’s a real class and you’re, you know, showing the best version of yourself for this video.

5. Evaluation Criteria: Domain 1

So as I mentioned before, most of domain one will be covered in the actual submission form. Because planning prior to a course isn’t demonstratable when you’re doing a live performance that’s going to be in your long answers on the submission form. But there are a couple of things that you can do to give evidence that you’ve handled this. All the topics under planning prior to the course one A is review of organization needs and learners backgrounds in relationship to course objectives.

So you can make a couple of little statements that can give evidence that you are considering the learner needs. You could make a comment about their profession. If you’re teaching something about technology, you could say I know all of you are in the technology field, I know all of you are in information technology. Many of you have been working for many years. So I’m going to teach you this new topic that will reach whatever outcomes. So you can just say it in half a sentence very quickly, but it does address this topic. You might make individual remarks like Mr. Such and such, mrs. Such and such, I know that you are currently in this role in the company. Or you might make a statement to say because I know all of you have this and that experience, because I know all of you are trying to reach this goal. This class has been designed so that you will come out with this learning objective.

So any brief comment like that will show the evaluators that you have taken into account the organization and the learners needs. One B has to do with the instructional environment in relationship to learning objectives. So this has to do with planning a room, arranging logistically a room, so that it is conducive to learning. So again, this isn’t something you can spend a lot of time on, but some brief comments confirming the logistics of the class and breaks. We’re going to do this and then this precedes the lunch break. Or you can talk about where all the materials are located in the class. Briefly mention what you’ve done in the classroom, what you’ve arranged in the classroom to make it conducive to learning. I put all the materials over here or all the computers are set up like this, that can just give evidence that you have taken the time to prepare the logistics of the class and the environment of the class in way that considers the learner needs.

6. Evaluation Criteria: Domain 2

Domain two was Methods and Media for Instructional Delivery and it’s broken into two subdomains that you will have to show evidence of your understanding in the Performance based exam. Two A deals with the selection and implementation of instructional methods. So, however you have chosen to teach your class, you need to be able to move to a number of different instructional methods seamlessly. So, as we’ve mentioned before, you’re not just going to lecture the whole time, you’re not going to do question and answers the whole time, you’re not going to do group activities the whole time, but you will use a few of them at least. So the requirements are to move seamlessly from one instructional activity to the next. Use activities designed for multiple learning styles.

So remember that Vac model visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners, you might want to touch on a couple of those at least in 20 minutes and make it seem seamless. So don’t make there be a big pause or shuffle or commotion or look like you’ve been thrown off your game when you’re switching from one activity to the next. And you may use anecdote stories, analogies and humor appropriately.

So smile a bit, maybe tell a joke, tell a story. If it’s not distracting, it doesn’t take away from your flow. Weave that in there a bit. And two B was the use of presentation instructional media. You need to have more than two types, so don’t only use a slide presentation, you need to have that in addition to another form of media. If you choose to use that one and transition smoothly between them, make sure that you can move quickly between however you are planning on using your media and use each form of media skillfully.

So have clearly in mind which sort of educational method, which element of educational psychology, or which specific type of learner you are targeting with the media that you use. So if you’re using slides, make sure that you’re really harnessing the visual element of that that can help learners. If you’re using a tactile skill, make sure that you are doing it in a way that shows that it’s designed for those who learn kinesthetically, et cetera. So make sure you use at least two types of presentation and instructional.

7. Evaluation Criteria: Domain 3

Domain three of your video performance. Of course, you’re going to have to show that you can communicate clearly and establish credibility in the classroom. So some of those behavioral elements of the instructor that we spoke about when we talked about domain three, you’ll need to be consistent with all learners and maintain positivity. Well, that shouldn’t be hard. Likely you’ve chosen volunteers that you know well, maybe friends or coworkers. So make sure you don’t deride any of them or treat them with disrespect. Maintain confidence even though you are speaking with people. Try to keep your poise together. You’re not going to have your head down reading from your notes, but if you do have notes, you will just use them to remind yourself of a main point and then teach looking up and maintaining eye contact with the audience.

Using practical examples is helpful and also responding to questions. So if somebody asks a question, you’re going to be able to clarify the question and give a clear answer to it. Now, given the nature of this video submission, you can plan some of that too. You might give one or two of your participants a question that they will ask in advance to demonstrate your ability in that respect. And again, when it comes to your actual communication skills, try to be clear and succinct in your speech. Make sure you’re natural. Use your body language and gestures.

Don’t do anything distracting like playing with your hair or fiddling with a pen or the remote for the presentation screen. Make sure you don’t do anything distracting and make sure you stand in the correct place in relationship to the presentation media. So remember everybody, at least if you’re in an English speaking country, is reading from the left to the right. So stand to the left of the presentation screen. You’re use emphasis and pausing, repeat main points, all those good elements of public speaking. Again, practice this a bit if you don’t feel comfortable, but you’re going to do a great job.

8. Evaluation Criteria: Domain 4

You’ll recall that domain four Group Facilitation is the source of over 40% of the grading criteria for both the computer based and the performance based test for CTD Plus. So, you know, make sure you give some extra special consideration to really dialing in these performance points on your video submission. Let’s talk about them. Four. A establishment and management of learner centered environment. The instructor will clearly link the learning objectives to the activities and content throughout the course. So we talked about ways of previewing learning objectives and also emphasizing them by repeating main points and reviewing. So introducing them at the beginning of the module, reviewing them at the end of the module, and being clear to the learners what the objectives are, is going to fulfill this requirement. Continually focusing on maintaining learner involvement and creating opportunities for all learners to contribute in group dynamics. So this is about the way you design your activities and your question answers and your group discussions. Make sure you do so in a way that includes everybody. Don’t let there be one of your participants who is just kind of idly sitting by. Make sure everybody gets involved using the timing effectively to achieve the learning objectives.

Make sure this is clear in the design of your module how you are going to cover all of the learning objectives, how much time you’re going to spend on each of them. So you have time for an introduction, you have time to cover the information, you have time to do practice activities and you have time to review. That all has to do with the structure of the module that you’re building. Let’s see use activities to promote the learning objective.

This has to do with tying the objective directly to the group activities. They should be purposeful in their design in four B centers again about learner engagement and participation using open-ended questions, not just questions like do you understand that? Or maybe one word fill in the blank answers. Those do not promote group discussion so stay away from those and asking follow up questions to encourage reflection on the part of the learner. So if one of your learners answers your question, you may then choose to probe again for more information. This shows that you know how to assess learning and really challenge the learner to make sure they’ve retained the information. Again, involve all the learners as much as possible.

Four C is assessing the learner’s need for additional explanation and encouragement. So if you’ve been teaching for any length of time, you know that this is a big purpose of what you do. Trying to identify whether or not your learners really are getting what you’re teaching them. So whatever you use to monitor the learner’s behavior is important. This is generally done with questions and asking them to do certain performance activities so that you can kind of get an idea. So make sure you give evidence of that in the way that you teach the class clearly demonstrating response to a learner need for clarification. So if a learner says, excuse me, professor or excuse me, teacher, I don’t understand this particular item, make sure that you clarify the question.

Oh, okay, so you don’t understand this. I need to explain this topic or that specific, clarify the question and then give more information. Alternatively, use different words, a different way of explaining to show that you are really trying to assess whether or not the learners understand it and then respond to any gaps in understanding. And then finally 4D. Motivation and Positive Reinforcement so in the discussion of domain four, we spoke a little bit about how to tap into learner motivation. You might just want to remind the learner how the information is practical. So if you can tie it to their career goals, tie it to their job roles, tie it to their personal motivators, a couple of comments like that to remind them can be helpful. You guys are going to need to know this technology when you get back into the office and do this, or you’re really going to appreciate understanding this information.

It’s going to help you do your job a lot faster. Little comments like that give evidence of that and employs a variety of strategies to motivate learners. So encouragement is one positive reinforcement. It’s very easy to do when somebody gives the correct answer. A simple that’s correct, great job shows that you are interested in creating a positive learning environment and motivating listeners and learners. So make sure you give yourself plenty of time to go over these objectives in domain four so that you’re highlighting all of them. Again, you want to get a score of four for each one of these subpoints. And remember that you’re scored quite heavily on domain four. Group facilitation.