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Anyone Got A Quiz for New Turners?

R

Rick M

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At the request of a nearby High School with a large but underutilized Shop Classroom, I'm coordinating a half day woodturning demo by a group of volunteer turners that concludes with some turner-assisted hands-on pen making for participating students. One or more pens each student completes will go to Freedom Pens, and thanks to the generosity of some of the volunteers enough additional blanks and kits will be available for each student to complete 1 pen to keep.

Aiming to add incentive and build pre-demo interest while exposing the students to new terms and concepts, one activity I'm considering is having the teachers give them a quiz covering topics from safety to tool identification and sharpening (including suggested bevel angles); parts of the lathe; pen parts, turning, and assembly components; plus any related topics that arise.

As one incentive to do well, those with the highest scores will be offered the opportunity to "go first" for the hands-on portion of the demo. On demo day, at various points during the process, volunteer turners can pause to pose questions for their group to answer--thus reinforcing the terms and concepts.

I'm prepared to spend quite a bit of time to put such a quiz together if necessary, but before possibly "reinventing the wheel", I wondered whether anyone already knew of any existing quizzes that I could borrow from?
 
I think that the teacher already has a full plate when it comes to grading homework and quizzes. Also, I do not feel that a quiz will help add any interest to the subject. One on one interaction between the student and instructor is probably the best way to teach and get instant feedback on how well the student is doing.
 
The original request to do the demo came from the shop teacher (a non-turner) and another who teaches Talented Arts students (also a non-turner, but has at least been to some woodturning symposiums).

I have been developing an agenda and working closely with both, especially since I'm married to the latter one 🙂 and already have a pretty good idea what they'd both like. Both will get their first hands-on opportunity tomorrow at a pen turn-a-thon our club is holding.

Lets just say its a nice big shop (at the school), but not an ideal situation lending itself to multiple weekly opportunities to instruct new turners. We're basically gonna get this 1 initial opportunity to re-spark interest in woodturning (they've had 2 pen lathes and a PM-90 sitting idle for who knows how long), and we have to present it to all 30 +/- students whether they're currently interested or not. Afterward, we'll be depending mostly on the shop teacher to continue working with motivated students, with a few of us revisiting occasionally to gauge progress, lend assistance, and plan new events if there's interest.

I pretty much appreciate anyone's constructive feedback, but at this stage I'm not looking as much for opinions as I am in search of leads to source material.

Perhaps there's a shop teacher who can volunteer some assistance or an avid reader who recalls something they've seen on paper or the web.
 
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Woodturning quiz sounds great

Hands on should be about how.

Book learning should be about what.

Hands on can be much more effective when you don't have to answer questions like what's a live center.
 
Gynia said:
Hands on should be about how.

Book learning should be about what.

Hands on can be much more effective when you don't have to answer questions like what's a live center.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I'd like to achieve. Thank you.
 
Hey: Flyrod444

Jack is a high school shop teacher and a wonderful turner. If he does not pick up on this thread, then send him an e-mail. He should be able to help. 🙂
 
Why not ask them what the difference is between art and craft as it relates to woodturning. That always gets a lot of responses on this board. 🙂
 
john lucas said:
Why not ask them what the difference is between art and craft as it relates to woodturning. That always gets a lot of responses on this board. 🙂
Click to expand...

I learned the answer to this question at the very first meeting that I attended of the Woodturners of North Texas. The person doing the critique of the instant gallery picked up a hollow form vessel that was full of holes and pronounced it as being art. He then went on to explain that the way to tell the difference between art and craft is to fill it with water. If it won't hold water, then it is art. I knew at that point that I had found the right group with a great sense of humor.
 
You might start with Keith Rowley's Woodturning A foundation Course, New Edition. (isbn 1861081146 )
It is a great resource for developing a lesson plan for new turners.
You should be able to distill a quiz or two from the content.

Mark.
 
Question is this going to be a demo/hands 1/2 day type or a corse and if you quiz the kids and let the ones that score the best on the quiz go first what about the kids that don't test well but have great hand eye coordination.
If it is just a 1/2 day you don't have a lot of time for a quiz and if you give the book or hand out a week before you start with out some help explaining the book or hand out they will get bored and loose intrest right away. I don't want to start anything here but I hope you get what I am trying to say woodturning is something that you have to want to do or have some intrest in it and have to have the right teachers that can teach how to turn wood and make it something to enjoy not a have to do thing. Just my thoughts
 
Quiz as a learning tool -

Quiz is a learning tool when well used, provides emphasis on key learning points - Like safety practices.

Little quizes are different than comprehensive final exams ---

I remember a circula for new turners over on the AAW webpages with a series of exercises to build things using the skills acquired. That could be a good reference
 
Don't have a freebie for you, but you can certainly whip up a bit of a five to ten question type by asking some from places like this http://www3.sympatico.ca/3jdw8/glossary.htm or http://www.aseasontoturn.com/glossary/glossary_index.html Terminology quizzes are a good way of getting a handle where to start. Makes sure you're speaking the same language. You might be able to start a bit further along than you thought.

Make it simple at first, like cove, bead, tenon, taper, etc.

Or do a tool recognition and purpose type. Write the test to teach, and let the project get a grade.

I still favor the Shaker peg as the best teaching project. It's got the four basic moves, and three of them is a coat rack.
 
Time for an update and the opportunity to thank everyone for their often excellent, always well intended replies, even those not always on point. I do understand the concerns expressed, but given the ratio of potential number of students to lathes and turners, within the time available to turn, the teachers and turners all agree the students will have an advantage if they grasp some of the terms and concepts beforehand.

Using any results or participation toward a "grade" is up to the teachers. It's to be given before the day of the demo, but otherwise up to them whether to use it "in class" or "take home", working individually or paired together. Scoring a quiz as previously described is just a tool to appeal to their competitive nature and let the turners have some rough idea what each student brings to their first experience at a lathe. I have also provided the teachers an optional assignment (with guidelines) as a means for students to earn Bonus Points by bringing in pictures of various pen types, thus gaining insight to consider possible final shapes to take their own works, within the parameters of the blank and kit style.

Along with the experience both teachers got last weekend, each turning their first pen, these materials will serve as references for students who choose to continue turning after we're not around.

I have followed most of, if not all, the excellent and much appreciated suggestions. Every day brings more reminders what a complex task it can be to coordinate a project like this one, but the feedback keeps me believing it's gonna be a memorable and satisfying experience for all. I better stop for now and get some open item-related emails sent.

Thanks for your interest and assistance.
 
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Flyrod444,

You have a PM sent yesterday. Hope you've had a chance to take a look at it.
 
Hi Rick,
I still haven't found the written material a turner gave me a few years back. As far as my students I don't use any written material. I do demo's one day and put the students on the lathes the next. Start with small items and work their way up to big ones. One of the first things is to mount green spindle blanks up and make some saw dust. After they have some tool control down we move on to a turned top and as long a tooth pick as they can turn. Pot style turkey calls come next and then into some small bowls. The first bowls are turned down thin and let them dry. After they do a few bowls like this we move to turning bowls out of better wood, bagging drying and returning. I always have a couple of students that have some skill in turning and they help me a great deal in helping my new students into the vortex of turning. The hardest thing for me with 5 lathes going is keeping the tools sharp. I still need to get a few more 1/2" scrappers, and skews some how. Hope every thing goes great for you. Turning has helped me motivate my students more than anything I've ever done in my 27 years as a shop teacher.
Jack
 
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