Instead of you and the toy meeting the need, carpentry teaches your child to work to meet his need. And so he learns some independence and that he can, with effort, learn to take care of his own needs. As a woodworking teacher, your job is to teach a class of students how to cut and shape wood to create practical or artistic results. A workshop may include children, teenagers or adults with varying levels of skill and experience, so the ability to adjust lesson plans to take into account the individual needs of each student is essential for success.
As a woodworking teacher, you may demonstrate woodworking techniques, supervise school or woodworking classroom supplies, and help enforce safety rules. You may also demonstrate advanced tools and methods when students are ready, such as wood joining or power cutting tools. Students will be able to name certain common woodworking tools and techniques. I had created this lacking lifestyle for myself to force my hand.
I had no idea what impact this fascinating decision would have on me. The first thing I had to build was a bed frame. Then a million other things, but those were the first two immediate noises in my head. In The School in Rose Valley’s woodworking classes, students develop a variety of} woodworking skills, as well as ways to use different tools.
The secret to keeping the children really engaged in woodworking is that they follow their own interests and solve their own problems to create their work. Teachers who visit the woodworking area always notice the children’s deep levels of concentration and commitment, and are surprised to see the same children still working on their creations an hour or two later. Mr. Kolchak conducts ongoing research on woodworking in early childhood education and is an honorary research fellow at the University of Bristol’s Graduate School of Education.
Today, teachers who teach woodwork regularly observe exceptional levels of engagement, with deep attention and concentration accompanied by persistence and perseverance in challenging tasks, especially in solving complex problems. While this universal admiration for manual dexterity is appreciated, the truth is that woodworking is no mystery. Encompassing many aspects of the curriculum, the benefits of woodworking for children’s development are evident in all areas of learning. Through hands-on learning, children are building a foundation in their STEAM thinking skills and are much more likely to develop an interest in and pursue STEAM topics – so once again woodworking could be seen as beneficial to the wider narrative.
The Big Bang Project is at the forefront of this, providing many free resources to teachers around the world, as well as delivering training and researching the impact of woodworking on children’s learning and development. Woodworking, once almost eradicated for fear of litigation, is making a comeback in early childhood. Children are seen working with their hands, building models and working on projects, but in reality the real transformation is within the child – personal development is at the heart of woodworking. That kind of experience may exist in old books or woodworking schools, but the real world is quite different.
Woodworking incorporates mathematical thinking, scientific enquiry, the development of knowledge of technology, a deeper understanding of the world, as well as physical development and coordination, communication and language, and personal and social development.