I have followed the teacher evaluation and qualification thread with great interest, both as a student and as a teacher. Janice, I think it is a good idea to provide the evaluation form beforehand to IOLI teachers - especially the new ones - and also give guidelines to teachers as to how to deal with students who are either under and over qualified for a class, and those who demand much more than their fair share of class time. Maybe a short session at the Teachers Meeting?
No matter how well a class is described by the teacher, different students will interpret it to mean different things. What does "beginner", "intermediate" and "advanced" really mean? It varies from one lace maker to the next how they perceive their skills. More illustrations might help, and that is now possible on the websites. But even illustrations are open to interpretation. Some teachers who plan to write a book on their subject might be reluctant to give out written material, as it will be copied and distributed by students. It probably comes down to whether one teaches to share the love and knowledge of lace or as a business. Others might argue that one learns more from taking notes than receiving a handout, which may or may not make sense. I am personally in favor of clearly illustrated hand-outs. We all teach and learn in different ways. As a teacher I always learn something from my students while teaching. I have been very fortunate during my many years teaching lace making to have met a lot of wonderful people, and it always pleases me tremendously when I see my former students enjoy lace making, advance to a new technique, entering a contest, teaching, etc. That to me is the real payment for teaching. Karen in Washington, DC - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
