Drafting Sketchbooks From Insight Technical Education

Description

Insight Technical Education has come up with a unique approach to technical art. Technical art manifests itself as drafting and computer-aided design. The author, Mel Peterman, has spent years doing drafting and CAD work in architecture, piping and electrical blueprints, and machinery design. Mel's idea is to give students the foundational work of doing technical drawing manually so that they may have a better "feel" and "style" when progressing to CAD programs.

The Complete-A-Sketch books should be the first books used. Mel's approach is very much "hands-on" - after a brief explanation of orthographic projections, isometric projections, and perspectives, it's drawing, drawing, drawing. But the drawing technique is easy to follow - easy enough, he even suggests starting Complete-A-Sketch with 4-6 year-olds! For each exercise, a small version of the object is shown, then the large version has all the corners and intersections filled in. The student connects all of the lines to complete the object. The objects get more detailed as you go. This volume "bridges the gap" between Complete-A-Sketch Vol. 3 and Practical Drafting, by teaching advanced technical sketching and also introducing drafting concepts and CAD. It includes 37 sketching projects, eight 3-D paper models to build and 25 bonus projects. Unlike the other volumes in the series, this one is on .pdf format on CD, so you can print pages for consumption.

Once you have completed the Complete-A-Sketch books, you are ready for Practical Drafting (recommended for Jr. High and up). The author asks that the student do each exercise both manually and using CAD software. To complete the project manually, the student will need some additional supplies. Of course, to complete the project on a computer, you will need some type of CAD program for your computer.

The last item is more free-form. Practical Graphic Design deals with page layout and design techniques for print projects. Points of discussion include margins, text columns, headers, footers, mastheads, headlines, subheads, captions, graphic objects and white space.

This program would be a good way to test the waters to see if your student in interested in engineering or technical art.

Teaching Method
Traditional
Teacher-centered curriculum commonly used in classrooms that may include a text, teacher manual, tests, etc.
Charlotte Mason
A methodology based on the work of a 19th century educator who maintained that children learn best from literature (Living Books), not textbooks.
Classical
A methodology based on the Latin Trivium (three stages of learning), including the grammar stage (memorization and facts), logic stage (critical thinking), and rhetoric stage (developing/defending ideas).
Unit Study
A thematic or topical approach centered around one topic that integrates multiple subject areas.
Montessori (Discovery)
A methodology based on the work of a 20th century educator that emphasizes student and sensory-driven discovery learning and real-life applications.
Other
Other methodologies
Religious Content
Secular
Contains content contrary to common Christian beliefs (i.e. evolution).
Neutral
Avoids religious or theoretical topics or presents multiple viewpoints without preference.
Christian/Religious
Faith-based or including instructional religious content.
Learning Modality
Auditory
Learns through listening, talking out loud or reading out loud.
Visual
Learns through seeing, prefers written instructions and visual materials.
Kinesthetic/Tactile (Hands-On)
Learns through moving, doing and touching.
Multi-Sensory
Curriculum that employ a variety of activities/components.
Presentation
Sequential
Curriculum progresses through well-defined learning objectives. Emphasizes mastery before moving to the next topic.
Spiral
Topics and concepts are repeated from level to level, adding more depth at each pass and connecting with review.
Conceptual/Topical
Focus is on the “why,” often with a unifying concept as well as specific skills; coverage may be broader.
Teacher Involvement
Low Teacher Involvement
Student-led materials; parent acts as a facilitator.
Medium Teacher Involvement
A mix of teacher-led time and independent student work.
High Teacher Involvement
Teacher-led lessons; may utilize discussions, hands-on activities and working together.
Additional Materials Required
No other materials needed
Everything you need is included.
Other Materials Required
There are additional required resources that are a separate purchase.
Other Materials Optional
There are additional resources mentioned or recommended but are not absolutely necessary.
Consumable
Consumable
Designed to be written in; not reusable.
Non-Consumable
Not designed to be written in; reusable.