Welcome to Shop Class Solutions
Welcome to the site! I wanted to give a little background about myself and my journey to this point. I've been teaching since 2004 (with a break in the middle to pursue engineering...more on that another time) and being a shop teacher was not on my radar when my career began.
I began teaching at a large urban high school as a math teacher. I taught traditional math classes like Algebra 2 and Precalculus. It was challenging, interesting, hard and I felt good about what I got up to do each day.
I loved the autonomy and creativity of being a classroom teacher and I felt like I thrived when I was creating curriculum. The ability to go back and revisit subjects I had only experienced from the student perspective, but now as an instructor was amazing. I found that I got a whole new level of appreciation and understanding for topics when forced to explain to novice learners.
Over the last 20 years, I've taught almost all levels of math from 6th grade in middle school to AP Computer Science and physics at the high school level. Two years ago I got the opportunity to teach a "Design & Fabrication Technology" course. This class had gone through different iterations since I'd been at the school since 2012. Ultimately, a once thriving course (5 sections of students) had dwindled down to one section of 18 kids.
I loved the hands on learning experience students got with both computer science and physics projects. I felt confident as a teacher and hoped my background in Computer Aided Design and building experience, mostly on the DIY level, would allow me to transition a traditional woodshop curriculum into a more vibrant, relevant and sustainable course.
The reality of that journey was, and continues to be, eye opening. Teaching this class has been the hardest thing I've done as an educator. I also think it's one of the most important things I've done. I think the most deep learning comes from taking an idea, developing a plan and building that physical object. There is no substitute.
The photo at the top of this post is the final product from a student this year. One of the first projects students create is a simple wooden box where the joinery uses a combination of power tools (e.g. drills) and hand tools (e.g. chisels and files). Students design, draw, measure and then fabricate. To be blunt, the boxes that I showcased above are not well done. There are gaps, mismeasurements, poor construction skills a general lack of attention to detail and an enthusiastic amount of wood filler!
However, these were honest attempts at the task. Further, the students LEARNED a lot during the process. Shop class is a space where you can't hide from your misconceptions or mistakes. Cut something the wrong length, it just doesn't fit right. It also takes the teacher out of the middle of the learning process. These student knew that their box had issues, I didn't have to tell them, but instead got to facilitate a discussion about their process and next steps.
As educators we often lose site of the process. Whether it's a problem set, an essay or a wooden box, the lessons learned in the process are what ultimately stick. I tell my computer science students that I don't need another 60 versions of a blackjack simulation (I've got a dozen years worth), but I do need them to struggle through the process, make mistakes and ultimately learn from them. Shop class is ideal for this learning environment.
My goal here is to provide some insight from what I've experienced, but also lean on others who are also trying to give k-12 students these experiences. We see this wit the rise of "Maker Spaces", STEAM curriculum and traditional shop classes. Simply put, teaching in these environments is hugely different than "normal" class instruction. I hope to provide strategies, curriculum and physical products that help make this a reality for more schools.