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scottiebie

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  1. Thank you to Pres & Hulk, Here's more specs of the class - the course description is focused to teach beginning throwing on the potter's wheel, meets 16 weeks a semester, once a week, for 2 hours & 50 minutes (subtract 20 minutes for clean up time), 19 wheels - 25 students, no open extra studio hours outside of class time (we use an off-site studio venue which has strict time liability policy). I'm offered a contract to teach the class, with the specs., no say in scheduling hours and meeting times
  2. I'm teaching a wheel throwing class, titled "Beginning Ceramics-Wheel" consisting of senior adults. It's a "zero" unit class at a junior college and is repeatable open enrollment which means students can repeat the class over and over. Because of the repeatable enrollment policy and only 16 Brent wheels (2 of the 16 have extended legs for standing) and 3 Aspire table top wheels, how would I kept everyone happy with a class of 25 and approximately there's about 13 brand new beginning students, 5second semester and 7 multiple semester, experienced (advanced skill level) students. Over the years, I've had to divide the class into to groups. The second semester and advanced/experienced students on the wheel would take a wheel first hour and the beginners scheduled for the second hour. I would do a demo on what the experienced students should be throwing and after the demo would lecture on what is ceramics , clay, firing are all about. This would be my schedule for the past years. and looking to change it up. Anyone have any suggestions of changing how to approach a mixed experienced level throwing group of students?
  3. I teach basic wheel throwing to a diverse group of senior adults. I have 3 Asian senior adult students in a class of about 20 students. One of these students is a Korean woman that has very limited understanding of the English language. I try to speak slowly, but she does not understand the words I say. I do have two or three Caucasian students that don't mind trying to help her, but still there's the language barrier. The other Asian students are of different ethnicity, with having cultural differences, they rather spend class time on their own pieces. After 5 weeks, she has figured out the first step to throwing is properly centering the clay. Right now her successes in centering is hit and miss. I foresee challenges teaching this student glaze application. Any suggestions?
  4. Has anyone use polymer clay to make a mold to use as a press mold? If so, was it a successful press mold to get good results?
  5. Hello Pres, I have my students wipe their bisque with a clean damp sponge before applying glaze. I assumed that my answer of leaving the glaze pinholes alone and let the glaze firing melt down the pinholes or lightly rub the dried glaze pinholes away. Apparently, this one beginning student who is a retired engineer thought my options were not working for his piece and decided to take it upon himself to try sanding the pinholes away without telling me. In my many years of teaching, I have never had a beginning student sand off glaze from their glazed bisque. Now thinking back after my demo, I didn't talk about and emphasize what might happen if you touch, rub, scratch the dried, glazed surface after application. Thank you for your insight.
  6. I demonstrated to my beginning throwing students on how to apply cone 10 glazes by dipping and pouring on their bisque ware. A student noticed after the application was dried, there was small bubble/blisters on the glazed surface. I told students to leave the surface alone and hope the glaze firing will melt and smooth away the bubbles. I also showed them how to use their finger to gently rub away the bubbles. The next day, I found one of my students trying to sand away the bubbles with a piece of sandpaper. I asked why the sanding? And while questioning this student I found out he was a retired engineer and I guess thought it was okay to sand away the bubbles after application. I was surprised and had to ask how do you gauge how much glaze you might be sanding away/off? I also said the glaze dust created by sanding is toxic and that the sanding should stop. I guess the student thought the glazed surface would be hard enough to sand away the bubbles. This student wants to see what's going to happen to his sanded glazed piece after firing. I'm guessing his fired results will be an uneven glazed surface with bare clay spots showing through. Anyone have thoughts?
  7. By the way, the struggling students are senior adults ranging from 50ish to 70ish years old. We started with 2 pounds of clay and showing them centering using two hands to cone up and to cone down. They find it hard to remember to repeat the same hand positions, so I thought maybe one hand might be an option with centering only one pound of clay.
  8. Thank you for everyone's comments and suggestions. I have a handful of beginners that are struggling with centering using both hands. Is centering a pound of clay and using one hand okay to teach a beginner?
  9. Can a person use only one hand to center clay on the potter's wheel?
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