How to become a more effective quilt teacher

How to Become A More Effective Teacher

by Patricia Lynne Grace Cummings

Teaching, like quilting, is an art in itself. A good quilt teacher not only knows the subject of quilting well, he/she also knows how to motivate students to become the best quilters they can be. A great teacher is able to impart enough knowledge to each student in a way that they, too, can become successful with the technique, project, or concepts being taught. The inspiring teacher will brim with enthusiasm and will come to class fully prepared. This teacher will keep in mind that not all students learn at the same rate and that every student has a unique way of learning. For example, while some students can learn just by listening, others need hands-on practice.

Students Learn by Various Means

The effective teacher may describe the technique and then might draw an illustration on a chalkboard or give the students written instructions. Then, he/she will perhaps take needle and thread in hand (if showing a technique done by hand), or sit at her sewing machine to demonstrate a process. Next, the students will try to emulate what has just been presented. Keep in mind that some students are auditory learners, some are visual learners, and others learn best by a hands-on approach. As a teacher, be prepared to be flexible so that all of these different ways of learning are taken into account.

First Goal of Teacher: Acceptance

A teacher’s first goal in any classroom is to create an atmosphere of acceptance for every student. For the class to proceed well, students need assurance that it is okay to try, and even to fail on their first attempts. If a particular student expresses a lack of confidence, sometimes just standing in close proximity to that student will help to allay the fear of being “on their own” in trying a new method. Of course, be ready to answer questions at any time. Also, move about the entire room with frequency.

Relaxing Atmosphere Needed to Maximize Learning

In an effort to make students feel at home, and if the class is small enough (eight or less), it is helpful to start the class by engaging in a brief question and answer period. For this, the teacher can prepare ahead of time a stack of note cards with questions that are non-threatening, and which would not elicit only a yes or no response. Bring enough questions so that you have a different one for each student in the class. These should be fun questions that no one would mind answering such as “What is your favorite color and why,?” “What is your most favorite quilt of all time,?”or “What was the most amazing thing you have learned within the last week?”

When I have tried this method with my students, we have all ended up feeling more relaxed and as if we know each other a little better. The camaraderie sets the tone for the class. After all, your students may not be as expert as you are in quilting, but everyone likes to feel that their opinions are worthwhile and valued.

Start Class on Time

After this, the time for more serious learning has begun. You have been asked to teach because you are a person who excels at the art of quilting. Your students hope to learn much from this experience. What next? Hopefully, you have started the class promptly, at the appointed hour, even though you have delayed a little, by introducing yourself and by giving the students a chance to know each other by the question/answer period. You have spent about ten minutes already, with the full knowledge that someone will always be late to class.

Of course, there are reasons. The babysitter did not show up on time. The car broke down. The person could not find the classroom or got lost coming into town. The class time is a commitment for both students and teacher. It is important not to waste valuable class time by delaying the start time for someone who may or may not ever show up. When someone comes in late, try to provide only as much information as is needed to get the student on task. There is really no need to penalize (bore) the rest of the class by giving a total rehash of everything previously said to that point. If something is vital to the student’s understanding, perhaps the individual can stay after class to catch up a bit.

Make Your Supplies List Relevant

One complaint that I have heard from quilting students who have signed up for quilting classes is that sometimes they are provided with a long list of supplies needed for class, yet, when they get to class, these supplies are not used. One woman reports having been told to buy no less than thirty-six, quarter yard pieces of fabric, and after sitting through the entire class, she had not cut into one piece of that fabric.

Perhaps the teacher had changed her mind and decided to do a lecture instead of a hands-on process class. If so, she should have let the students know. For some students who want to learn to quilt, it is a stretch even to pay for your class, so please be sensitive to financial issues and be very clear about which fabrics and supplies are required, and which are optional.

Keep learning fun! Take a playful approach. One memorable line I once heard Mary Ellen Hopkins utter on a Simply Quilts (Home/Garden TV program) is this: “Could you see it (the mistake) from a galloping horse?” The world will not come to an end because an intersection did not match, someone didn’t get fourteen stitches to the inch in their hand quilting, or a corner is not perfectly mitered.

No Need to Require Perfection the First Time

Quilting is not about being perfect, rather, it is about being creative. Therefore, be patient. Be understanding. Never, ever, laugh at a student’s attempts or suggest that their quilt in progress might be a good candidate for the “World’s Worst Quilt Contest”! It may be true, but think back to your first quilt. Mine left a lot to be desired!!!! In a classroom situation, students are on edge, afraid of making a mistake. The teacher’s task involves providing a comfort zone in which it is okay to NOT do something right the first time.

Adult Learners Learn for Enjoyment

Consider why students are taking your class. When it comes to adult learners, there may be a number of reasons. For quilters with a myriad of responsibilities at home and at work, your class may be serving as a “mini-vacation.” If it is appropriate, add the element of background music. In one Sashiko class that I taught, a CD of Japanese music played softly and was a very pleasant touch providing ambiance and cultural exposure. Whenever possible, add environmental changes like this which will make your teaching special.

Be Prepared!

To summarize, be prepared! Know your subject well and plan in great detail how you will present it. Get to know your students. Be open to the ways in which they learn, as individuals. Start on time, having provided a list of materials that will be necessary for use in the class. Move about the classroom, as you teach, hovering close to the more reluctant students. Be encouraging. Keep the class fun. Provide music, when appropriate.

Of course, any quilting class is an opportunity to share some information about the greater quilting world. Perhaps you know of an upcoming exhibit nearby that your students would enjoy, or maybe there is a new must-have quilting book that you can recommend, or a magazine (like The Quilter) that is a sure winner every time. If you are already a quilt teacher, you are probably a very good quilter. Now I challenge you to be the best teacher that you can be!

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The author of this article has taught how-to classes in hand quilting, appliqué, crazy quilting, and color theory, and has presented lectures on antique quilt dating, Victorian Crazy Quilts, Redwork and other antique embroideries, in addition to Spanish, bread-making, swimming, and journalism.

Pat is available to present programs (New England area only) on various topics of interest to quilters and those who are interested in history. Two new programs this year (2008) are:

1) "Sweetheart Pillows" - Military Collectibles from the Greatest Generation

2) Around the World with Textiles

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