Over the
last ten years, I have taught a Drafting class at our homeschool
co-op classes. The first time I taught the class I found a book on
Ebay, Exploring Drafting, fundamentals of technology by John R
Walker (I have an older version). I didn't know anything about the book other than the title
chapters covered what I wanted to teach and it was aimed at high
school students.
I have
since used the book to teach the class several more times and the
book has been my guide every time. I also use information from a
book from my college drafting class, Architectural Drafting and
Design by Ernest R Weidhaas.
Both
books cover more information than I can teach in a one hour per
week/ten week course, but the students do get a good introduction and
overview of drafting, mechanical and architectural.
Many
people wonder why I bother to teach an 'old-fashioned' drafting class
with t-squares, triangles, and other tools of the trade. Do I not
know that there are computer aided drafting programs? Yes, I know
that.
However,
expecting a student to be able to properly use a CAD program without
knowing the fundamentals of drafting is like expecting a child to use
a word processor without knowing how to spell or construct a
sentence. You must have basic understanding to progress into the
computer programs.
Drafting
is a skill that offers many career opportunities. It is the perfect
elective for students to explore while in high school.
Exploring Drafting by John R Walker is available on Amazon. I believe that a
student could use this book to learn the fundamentals of drafting by
reading it and working the exercises provided. A teacher would not
have to know the information in this book, they could read and learn
along with the student.
Some
basic tools are required for this course:
Pencils-
4H and H leads
Printer
paper (blank paper)
You might find a drafting kit with many of the required tools that will save you money. You will need to add a T-Square and drawing board to most kits.
Other
tools are mentioned in the book, but the ones listed above will be
enough to do the exercises in the book.
Depending
on how you use the book, you could give your student one full credit
or ½ credit in Drafting Fundamentals. If the student enjoys the
course, you might move on to a CAD class.
For my
ten week class, I cover the information in Chapters 3-12, and Chapter
23. We move quickly and I expect a lot from my students, but they
progress from not knowing anything about drafting to producing some
very impressive work including a final design project.
Consider adding Drafting Fundamentals to your student's high school curriculum. He/she may find an affinity for a skill they didn't know existed.
**This post contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase something from the link I will get a small commission, but you do not pay any extra.
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1 comment:
Thank you for your post 5 years ago. As I am looking for a nonCAD book for my high schooler.
Momof 12
Cm
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