video or instructor?

[SteveJ]

I don't know if this will be of interest to anyone else, but one of the other threads brought to mind something which I've thought a lot about since I started woodworking. It concerns how I should go about learning woodworking.

A lot of those who commented on that thread suggested an instructor or a club where the novice can receive personal attention and benefit from the wisdom of a more experienced person. Some others, including me, suggested a DVD. I know that none of the other comments were meant to be either/or suggestions but I do think that for a lot of us one approach is better than the other.

My own preference is to learn from a video or book. I know these media have their limitations, but they also have some very good advantages. For instance while it's true an instructor is there to answer questions and provide other types of feedback, a video has the advantage of being replayed from the comfort of one's own home, or a book can be reread. I've learned a great deal from watching David Marks' show and I have them on tape so I can replay them when I need to.

At present, my thinking is that it depends a lot on the personality of the student. I'm an introvert by nature and I've never particularly enjoyed a classroom or group atmosphere where the more outgoing types tend to float to the top and get most of the attention.

Of course the best method of learning might be to combine all these types of instruction and that's why the internet (with forums such as this one) is so great. With this forum we can, if we want, combine the instruction received from a book or video with the experience and feedback from those who've been woodworking for much longer than we have. I don't think there's ever been a better time to learn woodworking.

Anyone else want to weigh in on this?

Steve

[LCHIEN]

one of the advanatges of a video is that you can watch it, absorb the typical 20-30%, go try for a while, then after you make a few mistakes, go back and watch it again and pick up on some tehniques and tips that didn't register or make sense the first time around.

[Tree Farmer]

Interesting question. I teach Business Admin. courses at a community college and recently participated in a debate ( http://www.cccc.edu/PR/075_april_2006/teaching.html ) on the topic of whether seated instruction with a live teacher is superior to "distance education", which essentially means learning concepts from books, videos, digital content, web-based discussion forums, etc. I like both, but was asked to represent the distance ed. argument. In researching the topic, I found that most students, on average, perform about the same in either type of class. That said, much research has concluded that mature, working adults with high cogitive abilities tend to favor distance delivery methods and show much better peformance than their counterparts taking seated classes. Some of the comments I often hear about web courses and video courses include, "Fits my schedule", "Can read concepts and procedures, try them out, give myself immediate feedback, then go back to absorb more."

My opinion is that the instructional delivery must be prescribed on a case-by-case basis. Not everyone's cut out for video-learning, nor is everyone well-suited to live lecturing or tutoring.

[SteveJ]

Hi Jon: Ms. Rusher's point that the student should be taught in the classroom so they may be exposed to real life situations is one often made by the opponents of distance education, and I think it's wrong for a couple of reasons; one is the fact that few places are less like real life than a college classroom, and two, there are classes setup specifically for students who need to improve their social interaction skills, like speech or lifeskils. It's not the physics teachers job to teach social interaction.

Here in my neck of the woods we have one woodworking class available to us at the Community College. The cost is 250 dollars per semester plus a 75 dollar lab fee. The teacher is always a local woodworker who is very good at his trade, but for whom teaching is a second job. The course is 3 hrs. on Monday nights. The teacher is usually tired from already working a long day as are the students. There is very little enthusiasm for this class at this hour.

Now, for that kind of money I could buy several woodworking instruction DVDs taught by a master woodworker, and have some left over for wood. Also, once they're bought, I will own them, and as someone has already said, I can watch them as many times as I want, at my own speed.

Steve

[wreckwriter]

On this subject, any recommendations for good basic woodworking DVD/videos?

[jarhead]

A lot of those who commented on that thread suggested an instructor or a club where the novice can receive personal attention and benefit from the wisdom of a more experienced person.

Steve,
I, personally, have benefited a great deal by joining a local WW club and having a mentor. I did purchase a few DVDs and books on the subject, but learned the most by working with an experienced woodworker.

[SteveJ]

On this subject, any recommendations for good basic woodworking DVD/videos?

I've used some of these and they all were well done and David Marks' show is good, if you can still find it.

http://technicalvideorental.com/inde...x&cPath=118_30

[wreckwriter]

Thanks much.

[jwaterdawg]

.... and two, there are classes setup specifically for students who need to improve their social interaction skills, like speech or lifeskils. It's not the physics teachers job to teach social interaction.

Although there have been some good points made about education/learning here, I thought I would chime in here, being a teacher of physics classes. There has been a tremendous amount of research (e.g. PER - Physics Education Research, CER - Chemical Education Research, etc.) which demonstrates that taken as a collective, students benefit more from collaborative learning rather than traditional lecture (which includes video instruction, or any other instructional method that does not provide immediate, and peer-based feedback). That's not to say that there are not exceptions to the rule (students who learn better by simply absorbing material vs. those needing lots of feedback). In our classes we require the students to work in small groups to study the material as part of the lecture. The students get immediate feedback from their peers and, one of the positive side effects is that they do in fact improve their social skills. Let's face it, in the real world most of us have to work with other people (some of which we may not like) and communication is essential.

But I digress, ideally you should use whatever method works best for you, which is something you will have to figure out for yourself as you progress in your new addictive behaviour Combining video with some personalized approach is a good starting point.

[Travis J I Corcoran]

Technical Video Rental

I've used some of these and they all were well done and David Marks' show is good, if you can still find it.

http://technicalvideorental.com/inde...x&cPath=118_30

Hi, I'm Travis Corcoran, founder and president of Technical Video Rental.

Steve, thanks for the recommendation!

I'd just like to say that I'm a woodworker and all-around shop hobbyist, and I started Technical Video Rental because there were lots of instructional videos that I wanted to watch myself! We've got a really good selection of wood turning, wood working, and project videos (with a few thousand more on other topics, if you're interested in home construction, or aircraft piloting, or gunsmithing, etc.).

Please check us out at http://technicalvideorental.com

Thanks!

Travis

[Jeffrey Schronce]

In order of preference :
1) Book
2) Friend
3) Video
4) Instructor

[NJFrank]

Isn't there an online Woodworking channel? I 'm thinking it's something availble from Fine woodworking.

If so that may be an option also.

[jabe]

Video or Instructor

Aloha,
As a retired (27yrs) high school woodshop/bldg. & costruction teacher, I used both videos and I instructed my students on woodworking. Everyone learns differently, some are visual learners, auditory learners and others must have demonstrations. I used all three delivery systems as when it comes to safety you can never take anything for granted. I was fortunate not to have any serious accidents, no one lost a finger or eye. I also taught some adult ed. woodworking classes at nite and most of my students were women. The women in the class were great as they ask a lot of questions and respected the machinery. I once had a nite class with mostly medical doctors, boy was I nervous, I didn't want ay surgeon lossing any fingers during my class session. Anyway, which ever way you learn best is your decision but, having a mentor by your side can be extremly helpful. Just be safe, do not take any chances, if you don't know how to do a specific task ask someone for help or in your case review your videos. Think SAFETY, SAFETY SAFETY!