Learning Through Sharing

Having just spent a couple of fantastic days in our neighbouring state of South Australia demonstrating for the Northern Woodturners in Adelaide, I can now reflect what makes demonstrating so rewarding to me.

After many years of secondary school teaching I became conscious that so much of the teaching process is based on problem solving. I worked on the premise of teaching students concepts from which they could develop their own designs, then I taught them skills with which their designs could be realised. It was an environment of sharing and developing ideas, now I'm in the position of sharing ideas, skills and knowledge with like-minded people. And it’s even better when you get invited to do so with people you’d not connect with in your local community.

So it was wonderful to be invited to run a two day workshop in Adelaide this last weekend and meet a whole new group of fellow turners with whom I spent hours joking, telling stories and learning from, and hopefully passing some of my insights onto.

As I say to my audience, don't hesitate to ask questions if there is something that isn't clear. You may be querying something that others don't understand but are shy of asking about. After all, I'm here to share information. You're here to learn. But there isn't any reason why those roles cannot change, where you share and I learn. We're all here to learn from each other.

It was a case of BYO chair to reserve a seat, but the coffee and biscuits only needed to last until the next coffee break.

Camaraderie is one of the greatest things that come from meeting fellow turners, but you’ll always learn some more tricks to add to your personal arsenal, because no matter how much you think you know, there are always others who know something else. And isn’t it all about learning –from both sides?

So many thanks to all who made this trip possible, and most of all my hosts who allowed me to feel at home once the day was completed.