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Wyndham

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  1. Like
    Wyndham got a reaction from Phwriter11 in Teaching Ceramics to Adults   
    I'm a little late for the discussion but thought I'd jump in for a moment
     
    I think I see something slightly overlooked in this teaching clay thread. It is something that became very apparant when I took my first classes in clay, some 27 years ago.
    It takes time for people who have never worked with clay to get the muscle memory to work with clay. Of the few people that I have assisted in learning to turn, it was obovious they had not spent enough time with the wheel or slab or coil to feel comfortable with the clay. It takes time and a few hours a week is not enough to develop these skills in a quick  mannor.
    I remember how sore my muscles were at first, how tired my hands and wrist were.
     
    I know that even now after turning some larger pieces I have to work with smaller light pieces because my hands and arms are starting to get tired.
    I also know that my hands get tired before my brain knows I'm tired and I messup some pieces before I tell myself to stop and take a break or quit for the day.
     
    Youtube is one of the great teaching aids we can have. Youtube allows students to see how other potters work, how they center and how they,position themselves, etc.
    This allows the students to absorb visually what is hard to transmitt verbally.
     
    As much fun and pleasure clay can bring, the fact is, it's hard work. I think some beginning students and not aware of the physical demands of learning pottery and lose motivation to dig deeper.
     
    Just my 2 cents and change
    Wyndham
  2. Like
    Wyndham got a reaction from Pres in Teaching Ceramics to Adults   
    I'm a little late for the discussion but thought I'd jump in for a moment
     
    I think I see something slightly overlooked in this teaching clay thread. It is something that became very apparant when I took my first classes in clay, some 27 years ago.
    It takes time for people who have never worked with clay to get the muscle memory to work with clay. Of the few people that I have assisted in learning to turn, it was obovious they had not spent enough time with the wheel or slab or coil to feel comfortable with the clay. It takes time and a few hours a week is not enough to develop these skills in a quick  mannor.
    I remember how sore my muscles were at first, how tired my hands and wrist were.
     
    I know that even now after turning some larger pieces I have to work with smaller light pieces because my hands and arms are starting to get tired.
    I also know that my hands get tired before my brain knows I'm tired and I messup some pieces before I tell myself to stop and take a break or quit for the day.
     
    Youtube is one of the great teaching aids we can have. Youtube allows students to see how other potters work, how they center and how they,position themselves, etc.
    This allows the students to absorb visually what is hard to transmitt verbally.
     
    As much fun and pleasure clay can bring, the fact is, it's hard work. I think some beginning students and not aware of the physical demands of learning pottery and lose motivation to dig deeper.
     
    Just my 2 cents and change
    Wyndham
  3. Like
    Wyndham got a reaction from Min in Teaching Ceramics to Adults   
    I'm a little late for the discussion but thought I'd jump in for a moment
     
    I think I see something slightly overlooked in this teaching clay thread. It is something that became very apparant when I took my first classes in clay, some 27 years ago.
    It takes time for people who have never worked with clay to get the muscle memory to work with clay. Of the few people that I have assisted in learning to turn, it was obovious they had not spent enough time with the wheel or slab or coil to feel comfortable with the clay. It takes time and a few hours a week is not enough to develop these skills in a quick  mannor.
    I remember how sore my muscles were at first, how tired my hands and wrist were.
     
    I know that even now after turning some larger pieces I have to work with smaller light pieces because my hands and arms are starting to get tired.
    I also know that my hands get tired before my brain knows I'm tired and I messup some pieces before I tell myself to stop and take a break or quit for the day.
     
    Youtube is one of the great teaching aids we can have. Youtube allows students to see how other potters work, how they center and how they,position themselves, etc.
    This allows the students to absorb visually what is hard to transmitt verbally.
     
    As much fun and pleasure clay can bring, the fact is, it's hard work. I think some beginning students and not aware of the physical demands of learning pottery and lose motivation to dig deeper.
     
    Just my 2 cents and change
    Wyndham
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