Marco Galdames on mon 25 jan 99
I have a 12 year old student in my children's wheel class who is left
handed. She is a total beginner at this, and I'm a little stymied as to
the best method to teach her. Should I teach her the right handed method
so that if and when she continues on, she won't be confused by all the
right-handed information she'll no doubt receive? Should I reverse the
instructions to accomodate her left handedness, and also reverse the
direction of the wheel? If anyone has any ideas or experience I'd love
to hear from you!TIA.
Caryl
JCooper on tue 26 jan 99
As a lefthander who learned from another lefthander, my suggestion is
that you show your student which way the wheel turns and let her go from
there. Aside from showing her that clay can be centered and pots thrown
from the clay, that's all there is to it.
the cat lady on tue 26 jan 99
Marco Galdames wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I have a 12 year old student in my children's wheel class who is left
> handed. She is a total beginner at this, and I'm a little stymied as to
> the best method to teach her. Should I teach her the right handed method
> so that if and when she continues on, she won't be confused by all the
> right-handed information she'll no doubt receive? Should I reverse the
> instructions to accomodate her left handedness, and also reverse the
> direction of the wheel? If anyone has any ideas or experience I'd love
> to hear from you!TIA.
>
> Caryl
Hi Caryl:
This has been addressed before. Throwing uses both hands, so there is no
right or left handed throwing. Simply one hand inside, one hand outside.
I'm left handed (sinister ;) and throw "normally" - ie. counterclockwise.
No accomodation to handedness is required or useful.
--
sam - alias the cat lady
Melbourne, Ontario
SW Ontario CANADA
http://www.geocities.com/paris/3110
scuttell@odyssey.on.ca
"Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods.
Cats have never forgotten this."
Alex Wilson on tue 26 jan 99
You should not change anything to accommodate the corrie-handed student,
rather, tie her left arm tightly behind her back until she learns to use the
proper hand. Well, if it was good enough for Grannie...... :)
But really, if you start her off throwing right-handed, she should be O.K..
How else to explain all those right-handed Chinese/Korean/Japanese making
perfectly good pots, and with the wheel going round the wrong way?
Good Throwing to the both of you, and anyone else who read this far.
Alex.
Lili Krakowski on wed 27 jan 99
On Mon, 25 Jan 1999, Marco Galdames wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I have a 12 year old student in my children's wheel class who is left
> handed. She is a total beginner at this, and I'm a little stymied as to
> the best method to teach her. Should I teach her the right handed method
> so that if and when she continues on, she won't be confused by all the
> right-handed information she'll no doubt receive? Should I reverse the
> instructions to accomodate her left handedness, and also reverse the
> direction of the wheel? If anyone has any ideas or experience I'd love
> to hear from you!TIA.
>
> Caryl
Some of the finest potters I have known were left handed. just tell your
student that each hand is equally needed as both arms of a pair of pliers
are. The problem seems to be that left-handed people have a bad habit of
twisting themselves around when throwing because they are used to doing it
when they write. I have found that once you reassure them that it makes
no difference (after all the Japanese run their wheels in the opposite
direction we do, and 85% of their population must be righthanded as that
seems to be the general statistic. and that in fact when they get to big
shallow bowls being a leftie is a PLUS they cheer up. Just check that
yor student sits or stands COMFORTABLY FOR HER at the wheel, and does not
do this twisting bit learned when writing from left to right as a leftie.
>
Lili Krakowski
John Hesselberth on wed 27 jan 99
the cat lady wrote:
>No accomodation to handedness is required or useful.
I beg to differ. The above is true if the person will never, ever, ever
want to throw on a traditional kick wheel. Left handed people are
normally left footed also and will find it extremely difficult to kick a
wheel counterclockwise. Since I learned on a kickwheel I throw clockwise
and have never caused any great difficulty for my teachers along the way.
I would recommend favoring the student's needs rather than the teacher's.
John Hesselberth
Frog Pond Pottery
P.O. Box 88
Pocopson, PA 19366 USA
EMail: john@frogpondpottery.com web site: http://www.frogpondpottery.com
"It is time for potters to claim their proper field. Pottery in its pure
form relies neither on sculptural additions nor on pictorial decorations.
but on the counterpoint of form, design, colour, texture and the quality
of the material, all directed to a function." Michael Cardew in "Pioneer
Pottery"
doug shea on wed 27 jan 99
Marco Galdames wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I have a 12 year old student in my children's wheel class who is left
> handed. She is a total beginner at this, and I'm a little stymied as to
> the best method to teach her. Should I teach her the right handed method
> so that if and when she continues on, she won't be confused by all the
> right-handed information she'll no doubt receive? Should I reverse the
> instructions to accomodate her left handedness, and also reverse the
> direction of the wheel? If anyone has any ideas or experience I'd love
> to hear from you!TIA.
Caryl,
I'm a left-handed person and I throw like everyone else. I also
teach college students (non-credit course) and always get a lefty that
thinks that they have to throw with the wheel spinning clockwise because
the righties spin counter-clockwise. What I learned and try to teach is
that you are using both hands equally when throwing, so what does it
matter which hand is inside the pot. Would you have them try to switch
hands on the piano? If you stress that she is using both hands so it's
not really a left-handed thing, it may work. I usually get one or two
students that can't seem to grasp this, so I just tell them that they
should spin the wheel clockwise and reverse all hand positions. They
seem to have a harder time than the lefties that are able to cope.
I give in to the (right-handed) Man because it gives them more
options. Some of the wheels at the studio that I work at only work for
righties. Since you use both hands when throwing, it's easier to do the
same thing that everyone else does.
One tip if she can't seem to get this: make sure she is facing you
every time you demonstrate something. It will help her if she thinks
that she is looking in the mirror.
Jim Shea in Choconut PA
Where I make mugs with handles that curve and fit both lefties
and "THE MAN"
Thonas C. Curran on wed 27 jan 99
Marco Galdames wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I have a 12 year old student in my children's wheel class who is left
> handed. She is a total beginner at this, and I'm a little stymied as to
> the best method to teach her. Should I teach her the right handed method
> so that if and when she continues on, she won't be confused by all the
> right-handed information she'll no doubt receive? Should I reverse the
> instructions to accomodate her left handedness, and also reverse the
> direction of the wheel? If anyone has any ideas or experience I'd love
> to hear from you!TIA.
>
> Caryl
Dear Caryl, I am left handed and throw with wheel turning clockwise
Japanese style. Actually, I first had about 5 evenings of instruction
in '68 on an old counterclockwise wheel, but from then on potting was
self taught on a Brent kick wheel I built from a kit. I guess I was left
footed, too, for without thinking I kicked with my left foot, so the
wheel went clockwise. For a long time I didn't even realize I was
throwing in the opposite way from others. Duhhh... Got a reversing
Shimpo eventually to save the knees, now have a Creative Industry wheel
as well which reverses direction. I would recommend having a wheel
which you can reverse for possible "sinister" students, but as for me,
living in a right hand world, I guess I would just transpose a demo in
my own mind to accommodate my leftiness. Actually, I have demonstrated
throwing techniques to righthanded people (new to clay) without
trouble...only questions come up when experienced potters see me throw
and wonder what is wrong. It might be interesting to have a poll of all
lefties to see how they all have coped and how they were taught. also
wonder how many right handed people throw Japanese style. (By the way,
traditional wheels in Japan had a flywheel which was also the throwing
head, and it was propelled by either a few good pulls of the potter's
strong right arm or by a stick. Result was clockwise motion of wheel.)
Hope you get some good feedback. I would not agonize over things...
What are the feelings of the student? Lefties often do their own mental
shifting of gears and may not need as much special attention as you are
talking about. (I recently bought left handed scissors and can't cut
straight with them...guess I have compensated all these years of using
regular scissors and now may have to retrain my poor brain again. Back
to kindergarten - have failed scissor skills.) I'm sure there will be
other points of view...lefties out there?
Cheers, Carolyn
Chris Huske on wed 27 jan 99
Throw in front of a mirror.
Dewitt Gimblet on wed 27 jan 99
>Hi Caryl:
>
>This has been addressed before. Throwing uses both hands, so there is no
>right or left handed throwing. Simply one hand inside, one hand outside.
>I'm left handed (sinister ;) and throw "normally" - ie. counterclockwise.
>No accomodation to handedness is required or useful.
>--
>sam - alias the cat lady
As another leftie, I agree. However, as a novice I find trimming
counterclockwise a bit of a pain. The natural position is to hold the
trimming tool in my non-dominant right hand, but I would obviously have
better control with my left. Any suggestions?
deg
R. Everett on wed 27 jan 99
Being left handed and trying to throw can be dificult. If you are taught
"right handed" and it works for you that is great, but some people have
quite a tendancy to use the left hand. I instinctivly want to place my
hands in the opposite manner than a right hander does. For throwing that
confuses things. If you try to center the clay from the opposite direction
you are trying to force the clay, rather than shaping it. Reversing the
direction of the wheel can solve the problem. If I were teaching a left
hander to throw I would have them try it "right handed" and if it doesn't
work let them do it whichever way they have a tendanct toward.
---R.Everett
_______________________________________________________
Get your free, private email at http://mail.excite.com/
Ernesto Burciaga on wed 27 jan 99
I'm left handed. Over half of my drawing class mates were left
handed. My first ceramics teacher was right handed. she taught me to
throw right handed and that is the way I still throw. It was a
totally new to me and that is the way it is done.
Ernesto
eburciag@rt66.com
Vince Pitelka on wed 27 jan 99
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>As a lefthander who learned from another lefthander, my suggestion is
>that you show your student which way the wheel turns and let her go from
>there. Aside from showing her that clay can be centered and pots thrown
>from the clay, that's all there is to it.
In my years of teaching I have occasionally come across a left-handed person
who really NEEDED to throw lefthanded, with the wheel going clockwise.
Otherwise I always encourage left-handed people to throw right-handed, so
that they watch others working and more easily learn from them. I am left
handed, but I throw right handed and play the guitar right handed. When you
are doing something which requires manual dexterity with both hands, it
doesn't really matter which hand does what, as long as you learn the skill
one way and build from there. So there is little point in learning
completely backwards from what everyone else is doing. But as I said, every
now and then I do come across someone who is simply unable to throw
right-handed, and in those cases I certainly encourage them to throw
left-handed, and give them all the help I can.
Good luck -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka - vpitelka@DeKalb.net
Home 615/597-5376, work 615/597-6801, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Stephen Grimmer on wed 27 jan 99
Caryl,
Teach lefties to throw the same way they teach lefties to play piano:
the same way as righties. No need to reverse the keys.
The hands are equally important to throwing, and it is simply convention
that we put the left hand inside. Some cultures do it the other way, by
convention.
steve grimmer
southpaw
marion illinois
----------
>From: Marco Galdames
>To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
>Subject: teaching left handed students
>Date: Mon, Jan 25, 1999, 7:53 PM
>
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I have a 12 year old student in my children's wheel class who is left
>handed. She is a total beginner at this, and I'm a little stymied as to
>the best method to teach her. Should I teach her the right handed method
>so that if and when she continues on, she won't be confused by all the
>right-handed information she'll no doubt receive? Should I reverse the
>instructions to accomodate her left handedness, and also reverse the
>direction of the wheel? If anyone has any ideas or experience I'd love
>to hear from you!TIA.
>
>Caryl
>
Frank Gaydos on wed 27 jan 99
I usually accommodate our left handed students by reversing the wheel
direction. I do this only after the lefties try and cannot do it the regular
way. I must admit, it a hard way to go as you have no experience throwing
that way. So I ended up talking them through it rather than demonstration.
They ended up doing well and transferring to four year art schools, but it
was through dogged persistence on their part. Maybe they are used to the
world being designed for righties and figured it out like in most things.
-----Original Message-----
From: JCooper
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Date: Tuesday, January 26, 1999 10:12 AM
Subject: Re: teaching left handed students
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>As a lefthander who learned from another lefthander, my suggestion is
>that you show your student which way the wheel turns and let her go from
>there. Aside from showing her that clay can be centered and pots thrown
>from the clay, that's all there is to it.
>
John Koren on thu 28 jan 99
Hi.
I am left handed and when I started to throw I couldn't do a thing
right - handed. I still feel much more comfortable throwing clockwise. I
can center much more clay left - handed and there is much less stress on my
body.
I was lucky to have a prof. that was left handed. He realized that some
people are much more left handed than others. Over the years he learned to
throw right - handed to be of more help to his students.
I was his tech for a while and as a result of helping students, I can
throw righty but it isn't natural for me. I am still much quicker and more
productive left-handed.
Would it be too much to ask of an experienced teacher to spend a little
time on the clock-wise? With their experience of throwing, they would pick
it up much quicker that a truely left- handed beginner. I'm not talking
about 100 lbs. pots, just small ones. They might even gain a new perspective
on the difficulties some lefties experience throwing right -handed.
I know it is a right handed world but why make it more difficult than it
has to be.
Just my 2 cents worth,
John
David Harriman on thu 28 jan 99
I am left handed and learned to throw right handed. Learning to throw is so
foreign it should not be all that difficult to learn to throw right handed.
I am no expert, but I am sure I can get a fair amount of agreement in this
regard.
Throwing pots in Brown County, Indiana
David Harriman
-----Original Message-----
From: Ceramic Arts Discussion List [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU]On Behalf
Of R. Everett
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 1999 1:43 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Re: teaching left handed students
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Being left handed and trying to throw can be dificult. If you are taught
"right handed" and it works for you that is great, but some people have
quite a tendancy to use the left hand. I instinctivly want to place my
hands in the opposite manner than a right hander does. For throwing that
confuses things. If you try to center the clay from the opposite direction
you are trying to force the clay, rather than shaping it. Reversing the
direction of the wheel can solve the problem. If I were teaching a left
hander to throw I would have them try it "right handed" and if it doesn't
work let them do it whichever way they have a tendanct toward.
---R.Everett
_______________________________________________________
Get your free, private email at http://mail.excite.com/
Vince Pitelka on thu 28 jan 99
>I beg to differ. The above is true if the person will never, ever, ever
>want to throw on a traditional kick wheel. Left handed people are
>normally left footed also and will find it extremely difficult to kick a
>wheel counterclockwise. Since I learned on a kickwheel I throw clockwise
>and have never caused any great difficulty for my teachers along the way.
> I would recommend favoring the student's needs rather than the teacher's.
John -
I am not at all comfortable with the suggestion that encouraging left-handed
students to throw counter-clockwise favors the teacher's needs rather than
the student's. The implication is absurd. When we encourage left-handed
students to throw right-handed we are only looking out for their own best
interests. They will learn far more quickly and easily if all their
throwing movements are not completely opposite those of other students. I
have taught many left-handers to throw right-handed, and only once have I
encountered a student whose natural inclinations seemed to truly favor
left-handed throwing. As mentioned in my earlier post, in that case I
encouraged the student to go ahead and throw left-handed.
I learned on a kick-wheel, and never had a problem learning right-handed,
although I am left-handed. I do not recall any of my left-handed students
ever having a problem throwing right-handed on a kick wheel. I really
cannot see that this is a problem, since kicking involves muscle buildup and
control, but nothing like the finesse required in the hands during throwing.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka - vpitelka@DeKalb.net
Home 615/597-5376, work 615/597-6801, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
David McBeth on fri 29 jan 99
As may have been said before, throwing is so both-handed that I don't
really understand this discussion of throwing with one or the other
predominate hand. I am VERY right-handed, I have been throwing for over
20 years. When I center my left hand doing more control, work, finesse
than my right hand. When I open, my left hand is doing more work than
my right. When I pull straight up both hands must work together,
supporting one another. When I stretch a bowl out, my left hand is
doing most of the work. When I push the form in the right hand is doing
the most work with the support of the left. By the way, when I throw
with my feet, I open the form with my left foot and shape the rim with
my right.
--
David McBeth, MFA
Associate Professor of Art
330 B Gooch Hall
University of Tennessee at Martin
Martin, TN 38238
901-587-7416
http://fmc.utm.edu/~dmcbeth/dmcbeth.htm
Jon Kirkendall on fri 29 jan 99
Hi all,
Turning the tables a bit -- I'm a right handed potter who learned from
and did a two year apprenticeship with a left handed potter. I wedge
differently than most right handed potters I know, as I wedge primarily
with my left hand! Gosh wedging was hard to learn! But, I've now got
it down and have tried to wedge favoring my right hand and it's not
worth the effort.
I had a student once who had learned to throw in Japan several years
ago. Because of her experience, she wanted to throw clockwise.
However, it turned out to be a frustrating experience for both of us,
and she didn't return. Probably my fault.
Jonathan in DC
Tom Wirt on fri 29 jan 99
Have to agree about throwing being so foreign that left/right shouldn't be
much. My understanding is that one of the reason for the Japanese
clockwise wheel is to get the right hand (stronger for right handed people)
on the inside of the pot where most of the work is done.
I've had a number of right handed small kids who naturally gravitate to the
right hand in, left hand out, work at 9 o'clock, and had no end of trouble
reversing it all to the 3 o'clock position.
Maybe that's why handbuilding is better.
Tom Wirt, Betsy Price
Clay Coyote Pottery
17614 240th St.
Hutchinson, MN 55350
320-587-2599 fax 320-234-6849
claypot@hutchtel.net
Beth Ward on fri 29 jan 99
In a message dated 1/27/99 10:43:30 AM Pacific Standard Time, r-
everett@excite.com writes:
<< ping it. Reversing the
direction of the wheel can solve the problem. If I were teaching a left
hander to throw I would have them try it "right handed" and if it doesn't
work let them do it whichever way they have a tendanct toward.
---R.Everett >>
What if you put the front of the wheel to the front of the wheel. That way the
leftie could see what it is supposed to look like in a kind of warped mirror
image scenario?? With the two of you facing each other it should translate
quite nicely.
My daughter is right handed but just for writing. When she did gymnastics she
did everything left handed. I do not think that is something you should force
people to change.
Beth
Rick hugel on sat 30 jan 99
I don't know what the discussion is either. In Japan, everyone is taught
to throw clockwise. I don't think anyone ever thinks about "handedness".
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>As may have been said before, throwing is so both-handed that I don't
>really understand this discussion of throwing with one or the other
>predominate hand. I am VERY right-handed, I have been throwing for over
>20 years. When I center my left hand doing more control, work, finesse
>than my right hand. When I open, my left hand is doing more work than
>my right. When I pull straight up both hands must work together,
>supporting one another. When I stretch a bowl out, my left hand is
>doing most of the work. When I push the form in the right hand is doing
>the most work with the support of the left. By the way, when I throw
>with my feet, I open the form with my left foot and shape the rim with
>my right.
>
>--
>David McBeth, MFA
>Associate Professor of Art
>330 B Gooch Hall
>University of Tennessee at Martin
>Martin, TN 38238
>901-587-7416
>http://fmc.utm.edu/~dmcbeth/dmcbeth.htm
Rick hugel on sat 30 jan 99
Gee that is interesting, but why did you reverse it? That is like the old
days when the school teacher would force lefties to write right-handed. In
all this discussion, I can't figure out what difference it makes as long as
good pots are being thrown.
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Have to agree about throwing being so foreign that left/right shouldn't be
>much. My understanding is that one of the reason for the Japanese
>clockwise wheel is to get the right hand (stronger for right handed people)
>on the inside of the pot where most of the work is done.
>
>I've had a number of right handed small kids who naturally gravitate to the
>right hand in, left hand out, work at 9 o'clock, and had no end of trouble
>reversing it all to the 3 o'clock position.
>
>Maybe that's why handbuilding is better.
>
>
>Tom Wirt, Betsy Price
>Clay Coyote Pottery
>17614 240th St.
>Hutchinson, MN 55350
>320-587-2599 fax 320-234-6849
>claypot@hutchtel.net
Jane Danic on sat 30 jan 99
Hello Everyone:
I too, am left handed and learned to throw right handed. Because of the
strength in my left hand, I think it took me a little longer to learn to
centre. Seems I was always getting it off centre at the last minute.
When it finally clicked in to my brain, what true centering felt like, I
was away to the races. My instructor at the time, suggested I try and
learn to throw right handed, said it would be to my advantage, in the
long run. I am glad I persisted learning right handed. Now there are
other challenges to work on.
Hope to meet many at NCECA this year.
Regards, Jane S. Danic.
Kate Smith on sun 31 jan 99
My 2 bits. I think that Warren McKenzie is left handed. I seem to
remember reading that this actually became an asset for him because of
control on the inner walls of the pots. Left handedness can be asset
in throwing. Kate
Phil & Kate Smith
PotterSmiths'
White Bear Lake, MN
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