It’s going to be a snow day in Houston! we canceled school two days early…. The last big piece of work I’ll do this week: I can’t really explain this one. Context is nothing when you have a big cow sculpture hanging out the back of your truck. It’s like trying to explain missing homeworkContinue reading “This Week in the Classroom: SNOW DAY!”
Category Archives: This Week In the Classroom
This Week In the Classroom: Computers Ain’t Everything
Took over our conference room to work through some design challenges today. My students used Google SketchUp to start creating jewelry boxes, art car vehicles and bookshelves. During the Art Car class, I led the group building a 3D model on the big (like 50-60″ screen) TV. Computers+big screen TV+3d modeling software+we are building aContinue reading “This Week In the Classroom: Computers Ain’t Everything”
This Week in the Classroom: Quality from a Student
Finished only one true project this week in the shop. Instead of trying to complete projects with the students, I slowed down and tried to focus on the journey, and focus on quality. What does it look like in my shop, and do I facilitate it, or do my students discover it for themselves? WhatContinue reading “This Week in the Classroom: Quality from a Student”
This Week In the Classroom: New Tools and Old Tools In the Shop (It’s Not What You Think)
Just got the best new, free tool in the woodshop today. It looks like this: It’s a printed out (thank god the paper-waster nazi wasn’t around) version of the ENTIRE trilogy of Mission Furniture and How to Make It published by Project Gutenberg via Popular Mechanics from 1910. The students flip through it and findContinue reading “This Week In the Classroom: New Tools and Old Tools In the Shop (It’s Not What You Think)”
This Week In the Classroom: Progress in 2011
What a student-driven, project-based learning can result in: The joints look remarkably tight in this photo, and the stain quite even, but don’t be fooled. This is about as rough as work gets. (Not including the Clock, which may be finished and rejected this week…) It was the first attempt at an entire project likeContinue reading “This Week In the Classroom: Progress in 2011”
This Week In the Classroom: Curriculum Plan for Spring of 2011
Good week for struggles and not-quite-there-yets in the woodshop this week. Three projects left the floor complete. The first, chalkboard that has been wind-blown, vandalized and otherwise destroyed three times. We’ll see if it sticks this time. The other two projects I failed to take a picture of. On Mon or Tues, I’ll put upContinue reading “This Week In the Classroom: Curriculum Plan for Spring of 2011”
This Week in the Classroom: It’s that Kind of Day
This Week In the Classroom: What Am I Supposed to Make of This?
What exactly am I to make of this? It sits in the outdoor storage area at work. What should I turn it into? My co-workers grabbed it on a supply run I wasn’t invited on. Oh, and the bikes have been delivered, well some anyways, for the chop class. Eventually we will get them inContinue reading “This Week In the Classroom: What Am I Supposed to Make of This?”
This Week in the Classroom: The Butterfly Bench & Butterfly Growers
I missed Monday and Tuesday this week – my wife was in the hospital with a parasite. Luckily, the parasite left on his own and we’ve named him Jack. Jack is our second son, born on Sun 13 at 5:30am. A whopping 8 lbs. A beautiful boy. But this blog is about woodshop & teaching. Continue reading “This Week in the Classroom: The Butterfly Bench & Butterfly Growers”
This Week In the Classroom: Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It
In the spirit of my saw guide, I had the opportunity this weekend to build a few jigs for future use. In about twenty min, here they are: From front to back: A bench hook, which I consider a necessity for students to learn to saw by themselves. A wooden speed square – just aContinue reading “This Week In the Classroom: Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It”
WSC Designs 