Tag Archives: A&S class

Share the Knowledge! How to Turn Your A&S Project Into a Class

07 Thursday Apr 2016

Posted by in Arts & Sciences

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From Mistress Alicia Langland, Chancellor of the Æthelmearc Æcademy:

Were you one of the many artisans who devoted uncounted hours to researching, crafting, and documenting your Ice Dragon entry?

Photo by Lady Aine ny Allane.

Photo by Lady Aine ny Allane.

So much time and effort went into your piece … Wouldn’t it be nice to have all that work transcend a single event?

Why not have your Pent entry do double duty by using what you’ve created as the basis for a class?

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Historical Background Class

The research you did for your entry provides you with the historical background and practices needed to understand who, when, where, why, and how someone in the Middle Ages would have crafted your item.  This information would also be of interest to students in a class.  In a Historical Background class based on your research, you might include information about:
  • the item’s time period, culture, or geographical area
  • the artifact, illustration or painting, historical document, or website that inspired your work
  • how your item would have been produced in the Middle Ages or Renaissance
  • additional books, websites, and other sources you used for researching your project

Sharing this information will speed your students on their way toward creating their own versions.

How-I-Did-It Class
Chances are, as you created your item, you had to make decisions along the way.  A class in which you describe in detail the decisions you made — about tools, materials, and procedures — would be of immense help to someone who’s always wanted to try doing what you’ve accomplished.  In a How-I-Did-It class based on your entry, you might include information about:
  • what tools and materials you used to make your item, why you chose them, and where you obtained them (If you made the tools you used, include how you did that as well!)
  • what techniques you used and why you used them
  • any particular steps you would change if you were to do this project again

Especially helpful — in addition to your finished project, of course — would be any practice pieces or missteps.  Sharing problems to avoid or solutions that worked for you would give your students confidence that they, too, can be successful.

Make-and-Take Class

With the knowledge and skills gained by creating your entry, you can help others make their own great thing.  By providing tried-and-tested materials and demonstrating recommended techniques, you can help your students avoid time-consuming and costly mistakes.  In a Make-and-Take class based on your entry, you might provide:
  • (for a reasonable fee) supplies and materials needed to make the item
  • loaner tools needed to make the item
  • step-by-step instructions needed to make the item

If you took progress photos of your entry as you worked on it, these would provide you with a step-by-step format to follow in your class.  Sharing the photos with the class would help visual learners — those who learn best by seeing — understand and remember what you’ve said.  They would also serve as a reminder for students who continue working after the class is over.

You’ve already done so much work to create your piece … in fact, much of the work of putting together a class is already done!

If you have questions about how to turn your Ice Dragon entry into a class, please contact me at ae.aecademy@aethelmearc.org