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Strategies and Techniques for
Computer Trainers
The Ten Commandments of Training
- Thou art thy student’s
guide, his or her facilitator
- Students learn because of your ability to motivate,
not because of your technical knowledge
- "What if I don’t know something?
- Research it and teach your students likewise to be
resourceful
- What if my students know something I
don’t?"
- Give credit to the student’s "feature
enhancement."
- Thou shall know thy
student’s needs and teach accordingly.
- Mr. Businessman needs to press a button, Miss Suzie Q. Tech
needs to know CMOS and IRQs, John Knowsitall needs to be pressed for backups, and 100 wpm
Theresa needs keyboard short-cuts
- You needn’t be concerned about a student’s ability
or disability. You are not an expert in behavior, and your impact may or not change a
student’s innate ability
- Let thee count thy ways
- Computer vocabulary
- Symbols
- Following steps
- Menus vs. Iconic vs. Keyboard
- Thy fingers shall never
leave thy hands
- It’s not what you know, it’s how you deliver
- Show and tell is okay, but must be reinforced by putting the
student in the driver seat.
- Students need time to practice! practice! practice!
- Thy
students shall demonstrate what they know not by silence or a nod
- Never ask someone if they know something. Ask them to show
you what they know.
- "What if my student ‘draws a blank’ or asks
"what do I do now?"
- Respond with gentle prod of "Not tellin’" or
give a hint, but LET STUDENTS MAKE MISTAKES
- Thou
shall have no other representation before thee.
- You are NOT teaching Microsoft anything, just as you
do not teach Barnes and Nobles English or Dolciani math
- Concepts are concepts, and they are not
copyrightable.
- . Shalt thou use materials,
schmaterials?
- Books with easy, visual, or simplified in the title
are good for beginners; exercise books are good for intermediates; and thick books are
good for you know who. With some exceptions, I don’t recommend the Dummies
books for beginner’s – too much reading and too many in jokes.
- In my experience, it’s difficult to teach
computers while a student is reading the book; books are good reinforcers
- I.
Shalt thou use Help or not use Help?
- Thou shall note it!
- Older people have forgotten how to take notes and
younger students never learned how to in the first place
- Encourage note-taking; have students write their
notes on the computer; you write the notes (See IV).
- Low tech audio tapes, screen shots, Lotus’
Screen Ca
X. Thou shall teach how to
collaborate... but that is whole other set of commandments.
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