CK TK & PK
What is CK
CK or content knowledge is representative of the material or subject matter that will be taught in the classroom. This can be anything in-between fundamental concepts, theories, and best practices. A working example of CK is found [here](link here) as well all other categories of materials in this documentation that aren't TPACK or TK & PK.
By itself content knowledge is material that can be referenced for the building of material but should never be used independently. Without integration of the other content types students wouldn’t require instruction and would be equally as well off with a book.
Implementing CK
Implementation of CK is a simple process that involves a few key considerations to integrate previously documented materials for a classrooms context. It is NOT the documentation of new CK in most cases. However, In the scenario that a subject matter is missing material necessary to reach objectives for the classroom. Documentation can be appended within the subject matter to supplement the material that was previously there.
Organization defined objectives
When building a class or workshop the first thing to consider are the objectives outlined by an organization. Objectives like these will usually focus on integrating certain skill sets into the material of the classroom. For example, if an organization approached us seeking to teach students Web Development while also focusing on collaboration. A decision centered on what material is essential within the program is made in order to best accommodate for the time that would have to be taken out to ensure the material used to build those skills are effective within the program.
Student Tech Literacy
Another item to consider is the Tech literacy of the students. From the get go this is a challenging one to gauge and you most likely won't have a full idea of this context until you're in the classroom teaching. However you can gain somewhat of an understanding by knowing if students usually have access to these computers or not, if this is their first programming experience as a class, or if the students usually have access to technology in the first place.
Classroom Age/Grade
With knowledge of the students age group and their current education we can make adjustments according to assumptions we can make on their educational backgrounds.
To understand why this is important consider trying to teach Javascript to students who don't understand the concept of the variable. In this instance it is likely that
When planning out how long things will take it always important to consider the difficulty of the material for the students relative to their experience. Even though most documented lessons will have a estimated completion attached to them consider this is always dependent on experience of the students.
Student Education
Understanding the fundamentals students understand prior to a class or workshop can do a lot to gauge the difficulty of material that should be implemented. However the challenge with this is the fact that the quality and pace of general education is effected by which ZIP Code the students live in. Understanding what students know by Grade range is a good rule of hand but can vary wildly depending on the school district of the child. And this isn't even considering extra curriculars! Here, the best you can do is gain the best understanding possible based on prior experience and adjust accordingly and quickly as possible once in the real Classroom Context.
Program Duration
The first thing to consider when planning a class or workshop is the duration of the class. A class with 25 hours of time will be able to cover a lot more material in depth than a workshop that lasts for 3 hours. Deciding on the scope of the material can be deceptively difficult however. This is due to the fact that we can prepare exactly 25 hours of material to fit the program perfectly. But due to the nature of the any classroom these plans will most definitely derail at some point. Or in the rare chance, go quicker than expected. It's for this reason that we always pad the material for a program with a couple of extra hours of material to ensure there will always be valuable information to share with the students. In most cases an extra 2-6 hours of material for a classroom should be sufficient depending on the length of the classroom or workshop.
Program Format
The program format determines whether or not the class will be taught through a digital or physical format. This factor will have a large effect on how time should be blocked out for a classroom as you have to consider circumstances that differ between the two methods of instruction.
What to consider with Digital Classes
- Account Registration
- Remote Tooling Set Up
- Remote Issue fixing
- Remote Classroom Administration
What to consider with In Person Classes
- Classroom disruptions
Documenting CK
Documentation of CK begins with identifying what materials are worth teaching to students. As of right now, the assumption is that Code on Wheels will research and develop subject matters on annual basis. The idea for this is to allow new a relevant material to act as a core for new programs that COW will provide every year. It is worth noting that some CK will simply be recycled and or built on top off as the materials may still be relevant but may simply be missing some new best practices.
Once It has been decided that CK will be developed for a new subject matter the first place you want to begin is actually referencing other documentation on the subject matter. Clearly plagiarism is wrong, and that isn't the goal here. With referencing these other documentation methods you can build based on things that you find effective and improve. No idea is original, simply inspired!
Composition
This is something still being built and will most likely take time to become fully realized and matured.
What is TK
TK or Technical Knowledge represents an understanding of the technologies that are used to implement the learning of CK in a classroom setting. For example, the difference between learning HTML on Notepad or through an IDE. Though they both complete the same goal the knowledge in technology makes a clear difference in how effectively the students learn the material.
Working examples of TK can be found [here](link here)
Implementing TK
Implementing TK is always based on the skill set of the instructor and is heavily reliant on background knowledge for each program. Ideally instructors will be professionals in the field with expertise in certain technical suites or tools in order to pass down industry knowledge to students participating in the Classroom or Workshop. However there's nothing stopping instructors from learning in the same way that students do. Which is exactly why TK methodologies are documented for each class by each of these industry professionals. Allowing for Code on Wheels to build a library of resources for instructors to learn tools that can assist in teaching material to students and ease the process of student administration. Whether you're implementing TK through the means of prior knowledge or pulling from documentation effective implementation will come to understanding the Classroom Context.
Organization defined objectives
The first thing to consider when implementing TK is again the defined objectives. As the correct tooling can super charge the effectiveness of said objectives. For example if we're looking to have students focus on communication skills, having a tool that allows for students to share their material with the classroom in a quick and effective manner can do a lot bolster those skills. As students spend less time on figuring out how to format and share their material and can instead focus on how effective their communication is.
Student Tech Literacy
Student Tech Literacy and implementation of TK directly correlate. If students struggle with navigating a keyboard selecting a fully fledged IDE probably isn't the best choice for a tool to teach students programming. With an understanding of where the students stand with tech literacy it's usually effective to meet the students half way. Making sure that the technology isn't simple to the point that the students learn very little. However also not difficult to the point that students are never able to climb the learning curve based in a tool.
Classroom Environment
White Boards, Laptops, Digital Projectors, Speakers, Pencils, Papers, Desktops, Phones. Having or not having access to these can greatly effect how some technologies can be implemented in a classroom. Consider a classroom that has no means to share the instructors screen in a manner that is simple. Instead of a simple screen projection we'll have to be intuitive in how we share concepts with students and how they see material being presented to them. If you feel confident teaching on whiteboard then do it! Low tech solutions can be equally and or as effective as high tech solutions. Again, context is key.
Documenting TK
Documentation of TK is written in the format of a working example.
For example,
Previously students were programming with VS Code and as a result were not able to access their code at home. Ultimately I decided to utilize Codepen as it provided students a way to access code at home and also proved to be a more user friendly interface for programming.
The goal of documenting TK is the create a library of tips, tricks, and tools other instructors could use to improve their classrooms. Through means of tools within a concept and how they performed in a classroom.
What is PK
PK or Pedagogical knowledge represents a knowledge of pedagogy, or the practice of teaching. In practice PK is about knowing tools and models that make the teaching of material more effective for students. This can be something as simple as having students repeat that same word three times or a lot more complex methodologies that span over the length of the classroom.
Working examples can be found [here]
Implementing PK
Understanding context of the classroom is key to knowing which PK to implement
The documentation of PK should be an effective resource for methods to make the teaching of material more effective.
It is important to note that PK shouldn’t be shoehorned into material simply for the sake of utilizing it. It should be used in cases where success is the likely scenario
Organization defined objectives
When considering objectives with PK the most important thing to consider is the fact that your PK implementation nurtures those objectives.
Student Demographics
Documenting PK
Documentation of PK is written in the format of indifferent methodologies that can be applied it a multitude of scenarios. For example, the SAMR Model, Blooms Taxonomy