Visual Aids and Handouts

Some people are visual learners, some are auditory learners, and some are tactile learners. And knitting is a tactile activity, with a lot of visual activity thrown in for good measure.

For the new knitter in the first session, I hand out the following.

1. A sheet from a package of the handouts that the Michael's stores use for their knitting classes. (When I was doing the volunteer teaching as part of the Craft Yarn Council of America certification program, the knitting teacher at Michael's was so grateful for the assistance I provided that she gave me a full package of these handouts.)
2. A sheet listing all of the differences between knit and purl stitches - I empasize that the purl is the reverse of the knit in every aspect.
3. The preworked sample of knitting that I described in the blog entry at http://knittingteachers.blogspot.com/2009/06/students-first-stitches.html


For the slightly more experienced knitter, at the "pattern reading and more" session, I hand out the following:

1. A sheet describing a couple of different increases and decreases.
2. The Bernat pattern sheets used for reading patterns - see the related blog entry at http://knittingteachers.blogspot.com/2009/07/pattern-reading-resources.html
3. A sample schematic for a sweater.

I also do a lot of drawing on either a whiteboard or a piece of paper, especially when discussing the baby afghan pattern - both for the shape and for the stitch pattern.

I am thinking of converting the pattern reading course into a PowerPoint slide show - I think that will work out really well.

What do you use for visual aids and handouts? Please comment.

Thanks


Judy Obee
My Knitting Website