Be prepared

Stardate 2009-01-24
New term again, id decided this term to shift the focus with the new learners away from the infamous butterfly project onto starting off with a traditional leaded light. I had become aware that many learners didn’t really get the opportunity to try this technique in their first term. In doing this it required the redesigning of the sow which presented me the change to incorporate things I learned about course planning along the way. But it seems it requires continual adaptation and refinement as I discovered the first session. The learners all completed the first cutting task part of the session and I encouraged them to experiment and just play at cutting to get a feel for the tool. Later we discussed beginning with a simple leaded panel. It was at this point I ran into a hurdle. Many of the pattern books are filled with tiffany sun catches but it seemed were somewhat limited in the beginner’s leaded light field. I showed the learners some simple demonstration projects but seemed unable to motivate the design process in the. Reflecting on the problem on the way home I decided to create a range of suitable simple designs for the evening class to choose from or adapt if they felt so inclined. Repeating the session that night with the new 6 designs I made that afternoon went much better and all the new learners at least began to cut out their chosen projects one even began to grind the glass. It’s difficult to gauge learner creativity; in the past new learners have had goals they enrolled on the course with the hope of achieving, be it re-leading a window or building a lamp. I need to be prepared for all eventualities.