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How to Make Wood Works at School

The benefits of hands-on education have been discussed by educational theorists for centuries. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, an 18th-century philosopher, said "The great secret of education is to combine mental and physical work so that one kind of exercise refreshes the other." Woodworking is a fun activity that allows students to apply classroom knowledge to practical use. Basic math skills, spatial reasoning and creative thinking are all involved in the process of building. Doug Stowe, a teacher and woodworker, provides several rules for setting up a woodworking course in a school.

Instructions

- 1
  Start with simple projects that have clear instructions. Let students experiment once they've obtained some experience. Stowe says to "move gradually from the known to the unknown, from the easy to the more difficult, from the concrete to the abstract."
- 2
  Design activities that involve the senses. Allowing students to exercise their senses of touch and sight will help them to process the concept of form.
- 3
  Design projects that illustrate the connections between family, school and community. For instance, have students build small boxes as gifts for family or birdhouses for the local park.
- 4
  Introduce tools one or two at a time. Don't overload students with too much information at once. Allow them time to develop an understanding of the uses and limitations of one tool before moving on to the next.

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