Juliana K. Hart on thu 1 nov 01
Hi all
I am looking for help with preparation for an 8 week adult ed class. I
have not taught a class like this before, so all suggestions are
welcome. There are 8 wheels, with students of varying levels of
experience. Does anyone have a 'prepared' list of topics that are
important to cover?
And it starts next week!!!
Thanks
Juliana
Bruce Girrell on thu 1 nov 01
> I am looking for help with preparation for an 8 week adult ed class. I
> have not taught a class like this before, so all suggestions are
> welcome. There are 8 wheels, with students of varying levels of
> experience. Does anyone have a 'prepared' list of topics that are
> important to cover?
If _you_ signed up for this course, what would you expect to have learned by
its conclusion? How would you determine if you had gotten your money's
worth?
Just answering those questions should get you pretty well started on a list
of subjects. Your next chore is to determine how much time you need to
dedicate to each of the subjects to accomplish your goals for each. Be sure
to allow time for students to ask questions and to make mistakes. Often at
this point there is a sudden realization that it will be impossible to cover
all of the material that you would like to cover, so it is necessary to cull
some of the topics. Finally, find a logical order in which to present your
material.
This sometimes turns out to be an iterative process for, as you are placing
things in order, you may realize that you've forgotten something essential
or that there may be something that is extraneous. If it seems like you
won't have enough material, it's probably just about right. It's very easy
to fall into the trap of trying to touch on everything and ending up not
covering anything in sufficient detail.
I teach a lot of technical sessions (not related to clay) and I find that it
helps to ask the students what their expectations are. I let them know what
I plan to cover and do my best to make sure that I meet their expectations
while staying within my general plan. Don't forget to get all your supplies
and teaching material ordered well ahead of time.
There's an old adage for presenters: Tell them what you're going to tell
them. Tell them. Then tell them what you told them.
Bruce "but what would I know about art, I'm just an engineer" Girrell
CAROL SEIDMAN on fri 2 nov 01
Juliana:
Good luck with your new classes. You mentioned 8 wheels. How many students
will you have, and will any of them be rank beginners? I teach adult ed, but
stricktly handbuilding, a 10 week class. The course description gives
expectations to the student before they enroll. I start by explaining about
the materials, what they can expect to accomplish, safety issues, the timing
for each session in regard to set up, working time and clean up. I ask for
questions and begin with a demonstration. My class is not in an art center.
It is a community program, given in a local high school, with non-artists
taking the class who mostly want to explore the process and get a little
dirty. WE have a blast. If I can help more, write off list. Carol Seidman
Hi all
I am looking for help with preparation for an 8 week adult ed class. I
have not taught a class like this before, so all suggestions are
welcome. There are 8 wheels, with students of varying levels of
experience. Does anyone have a 'prepared' list of topics that are
important to cover?
And it starts next week!!!
Thanks
Juliana
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