Rethinking shop class

It has been awhile since between posts & podcasts but I am hoping to get back into it now that FLL (First Lego League), the holiday's and first semester are behind me.  I can now start to focus more on teaching, writing, curriculum development, presenting, and most importantly family.

Today I am going to talk about a book I just recently finished listening too entitled "Shop Class As SoulCraft" by Mathew B. Crawford. I ran across it as I was looking for books on teaching shop classes and CTE classes because I made yet another change to my middle school engineering class this semester. Every year I try

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to change things up to both keep me on my toes but more importantly to keep the kids interested in my classes as an elective. It is a lot of work on my part but I feel it pays off in the long run. I know that some of you are cringing at reading this from a teaching stand point because it is a lot of work and also because if you are like me you get frustrated with change. I have learned to mange my frustration with change as long as I am the one in control of that change. I am lucky to work with a principal who both was a former shop teacher and embraces me changing things up so often as he recognizes that it helps keep me and the kids sharp and up on the latest trends. Really the only change he hasn't let me do is start up a meat smoking class (although I haven't given up yet, sorry Mark).
So you may be wondering how change relates to a book about Shop classes and work ethic. That is a great question which I intend to answer today.

The title of this post has a double meaning to it. On the one had it is about me changing up my class to do something different. the big change I made was to make my engineering class more like my old middle school shop class. One where students are able to select from a list of projects they want to do that relate to engineering. Projects range from electrical engineering, to 2d & 3d design, to wood working, to programming, and beyond. I am still fiddling with what projects are appropriate and are doable in the time span of 2 to 3 months. It is going well but I could use some advice and/or suggestions of projects kids can do that give them the opportunity to apply the engineering process. The second meaning is a little more philosophical in nature.

The second meaning comes directly from the book I mentioned early. The author talks about the importance of shop class and finding work we enjoying doing among other things but it is these that i want to focus in on. In the book the author talks about how shop class in its original form was a way to help prepare kids to be assembly line workers; help them make the transition into factory work where it wasn't about quality so much as quantity. Workers needed to be trained to not focus on the product they created but more on the process. This is an interesting concept that we are still doing today as we transition from a factory/manufacturing economy to a knowledge economy. The author talks about how schools are trying to prep kids to be thinkers and problem solvers by pushing them into more academic college prep type classes and getting rid of shop type classes where kids work with tools on crafts; what I like to call getting their hands dirty. His assertion in the book is that these classes while not for everyone are also having the opposite affect that what is intended. They are making kids less of a thinker/problem solver.  His assertion is that it is actually in shop class where kids work with tools and crafts that they learn to become problem solvers.

In the book he talks about his journey to becoming a motorcycle mechanic. He goes into some of the problems he faced and had to and is still working to overcome in his quest to become a motorcycle mechanic. I can't agree more with the message. In my classes I see kids come in wanting to have things spoon fed to them and not want to think or problem solve. When they encounter a problem their first instinct is to raise their hand (arrgh I hate that) and ask for help. I frustrate them in many ways:

1. By making them use real world strategies of getting help (ask others, look it up on google, email me or submit a trouble ticket)
2. Answering their question with guidance on where they can find potential solutions
3. Only giving them feedback as it relate to how the end product will turn out if it is printed or manufactured as opposed to if it meets spec or "does it look good".
4. Giving them tutorials and project management charts with activities rather than direct instruction

I can say that once kids leave my class they are able to at least know how to start solving a problem in a constructive way. The two best compliments I received from kids in my class are "This class is hard; nothing like I thought it would be." (with a smile on their face) and "This class taught me how to learn and think." These reaffirm what I got out of the book which is that kids need more opportunity to use their knowledge in real world ways as opposed to more knowledge.

In the linked podcast I talk about some of the above and some other points of the book that are important for teachers and parents to know as it relates to "Rethinking shop class".

The Power of Projects

I have been writing for awhile now about my journey in education and sharing my thoughts and experiences. I am by no means and expert and struggle with the term master educator when people sometimes refer to me as such. I prefer the term life long learner. I am always learning new things especially from those new to the profession who have the gift of being shown the latest research in educational practice. It is also nice to see them come into the profession fresh and excited to teach. I am learning to check myself as a veteran teacher in telling them things to avoid and things to try as was done for me. I want to encourage them to try out what they know and see what works for them. I am doing this with a new member of my staff who is new to my department and school. I am also trying to learn from what they are doing and trying out rather than "showing them the ropes." I am also trying to learn from a fellow teacher who is what I could consider to be in the middle of their career. I am hoping to glean from both teachers more about their knowledge and mastery of having students do projects.

Every year when asked what kids will be doing in my class I tell people that we are changing it up from years past because I like to "drive my principal nuts" (he loves this by the way as I know he is watching/listening). This year was no different as I decided to delve into my past as a middle school student and bring back the experience of "shop" class. We started out the year learning about classroom procedures and then a month on the engineering process. After that I gave students a menu of projects they could work on and turned them loose. My expectation is that complete 1 project a month for a total of 3 projects. This is on-top of the 20% time project I have students work on throughout the semester. I was a little nervous in starting this endeavor as I though 1 project a month would be too much. However what I am finding is quite the opposite that 1 project a month may be too little. Also I am finding that when I give students the ability to work not constrained by a set "curriculum" their creativity start to flow a bit more. It is this creativity that I hope to stoke more and see what they may come up with down the road. I will admit I am struggling to keep up with the demand of sending projects to 3d print, vinyl creations to cut out, and feedback to give but I am managing.

In the managing of projects this is where I could use some help. In the past I have had students work on 1 project and all the same project usually through a set curriculum. It was easy for me to manage and students did ok but quickly got bored as they completed the steps ahead of others or were so far behind felt they couldn't catch up. As mentioned before I am the one trying to play catch up but in a presently surprised way. This is where I hope to learn more from our new teachers and those with experience in managing students working on multiple projects. 

Use this link to listen to a podcast version of this blog post.
The music in the podcast is protected under creative commons licensing. Attribution information is below:
Music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fearless First" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)