It was my first time teaching a course like this so I wanted to be sure I did good job and kept my head above water. I worked really hard to revamp all the course materials and find newer, more helpful directions for projects. If I couldn't understand the instructions, how could I expect students to understand them? Also, I wanted to update the rubrics to more accurately capture what the project expectations were. Overall, I was happy with the rubrics and will make more changes next year, incorporating standards.
One of the first projects we tried were making beads out of paper. A simple and easy way to introduce students to bead making. We then moved to more difficult projects and I figured out really quick that students worked WAY better when they had a larger practice simulation. Meaning, instead of practicing with little beads we practiced with huge pony beads, straws and yarn. It helped students master the techniques before moving to the more tedious smaller beads. The practice time was essential to having them produce a high quality product with less frustration.
When reviewing our content, I noticed there was overlap between the practical arts class and the beadwork class. I sat down with Rachel and talked about her curriculum and compared it to FACS. What I determined was that beadwork needed to reflect our national standards and should not overlap with another department's curriculum. And thus......
I proposed the course be changed to Textile Arts next fall. Using beadwork projects as a base, integrate more projects with more textiles.
Lazy Stitch
Lazy Stitch
Wire Crocheted Bracelet
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