Employment

Last year I got a job in Open Door Society, as a computer trainer. This is a centre which helps people who have recently arrived in Canada. I teach students from different countries. I have taught students from India, Iraq, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria. All my students are mature adults, many of them are highly educated, such as doctors, teachers, and businessmen. They lack knowledge about computer literacy because traditionally in their countries, such work was performed by secretaries. Therefore, when they came to Canada they were faced with absolute ignorance of computer literacy.

All my students are divided into 2 groups, level 1 and level 2. Level 1 is a group for those students who have no idea what a computer is. Level 2 is for those who have an understanding of computers but do not know how to use computer programs. For me, the main difficulty of teaching in such groups is that the actual level of students is very different. In such cases working individually with the students helps me a lot.

Usually our classes are held in the following way, I start the class with a small lecture. It can be teaching new material or repetition of what they have learned. A little history of theory of the subject, but then followed by mandatory practice. I believe that practice is the foundation of computer training. The last 15 to 20 minutes of the session are reserved for learning how to type. Each lesson lasts for 2 hours, but despite this, we often do not want to part, because it is not just about training, but also a time to socialize with fellow students.

I like my work very much and I try to make sure that my students know as much as possible after they have completed the course. I am sure that knowledge of computers will help my students to become confident in using computers and then find meaningful work.