I found this a very personally pertinent and interesting read as somebody who teaches a technical (or should I say Sloyd) subject like Techincal Arts (as the name implies it’s a technical skill-oriented course). I’ve always been technically minded and focused both as a teacher and as a student, as a student I longed to be taught objective, skill-based, techniques to improve my craft, and as a teacher, I loved being about to give objective critique and solve a tangible problem. That being said there’s a degree of cowardice here, my appreciation for Sloyd is rooted in not having to challenge myself intellectually and stand on a subjective opinion, if a student asks why a conceptual painting isn’t working what do you say? I have to put a more vulnerable version of myself forward and offer more than just “That’s not how you use that paint, you used the wrong additive”
Reflecting broader as a whole the four types of Sloyd teaching are a fascinating conversation. I’ve heard students bounce around their preferences without knowing the perfect language for years “I’m a hands-on learner” “I prefer things explained to me” “I like to learn by trial of fire” or my personal favourite “I like to dive in and sit with the problems”. As the paper mentioned there isn’t a one-way ideal method to teach the arts, it’s better to pepper your teaching with a sampling of all four types;
- The Instructor
- The Facilitator
- The Advisor
- The Educator
As we all experience in teaching, no matter what approach you favor in your lessons or demonstrations students will hustle on up to you afterward and ask for clarification in their preferred method. Adjusting your tempo to each student’s needs is all part of the gig.
Even as a teacher in the more strict Sloyd discipline with a preference to hide away from scary things like concepts, there is a delight when engaging with students’ conceptual, thematic, or narrative desires when they’re making a piece. It’s often the most enlightening time to learn who the student is and what they want to say about the world. In a way, the technique is for the student and the concepts can be for the teacher.
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