Do beauty colleges actually teach anything these days?

[Sassy Hassy]

Before I go any further I must point out that this thread is not aimed at anyone who has done this, but I get amazed time and again how we get students on here posting assignment questions with no idea where to find the answer.

Don't these beauty tutors teach anything these days? Why not just give the students a big text book, a huge list of questions and tell them to get on with it. At least it would be one step further than many seem to be doing already, at least they would have a text book. Most seem to just give the questions with no help of where the heck to find the resources to find the answers.

Is it laziness? Is it lack of resources? Is it a lack of properly trained tutors? Is it how our education really has ended up - a load of questions with no actual teaching?

Sorry this is somewhere between a rant outloud and a topic for discussion. Does anyone have the answer ... or at least tell me where I should look for it? lol!!!

 

[oey]

When I was at college doing my level 2 there were a number of students who were fresh out of school, who would insist that we weren't given enough info and literature to be able to answer our homework questions. Well, I certainly managed to get the assignments done with the documents supplied by college and the others were there at the same time as me.

I do feel that the colleges are to blame for allot of the things that people should get taught, but I don't think they are 100% responsible.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

When I was at college doing my level 2 there were a number of students who were fresh out of school, who would insist that we weren't given enough info and literature to be able to answer our homework questions. Well, I certainly managed to get the assignments done with the documents supplied by college and the others were there at the same time as me.

I do feel that the colleges are to blame for allot of the things that people should get taught, but I don't think they are 100% responsible.

Ah now I hadn't thought of that! Thanks Theresa! But I do feel that too much is left to being looked up by the student in a book, rather than actual face to face teaching. Some people (like myself) can cope with this. However how can we be sure that all students really understand the answers they give when basically they just copy it from a book? If I don't understand something then I keep asking to the point of being annoying until I do grasp it ... but I know many are too scared to ask and so they aren't learning - they just copy well!

 

[pure]

I can't speak for full time courses as I have done/am doing all my studying part-time. Last year i did NVQ2 beauty Therapy at my local college. Because we have to cover a full time curriculum but in half the hours per week, then an awful lot of the teaching is done alone with a text book, and then covered by the tutor the following week to ensure everyone has the correct answers.

This applies with NVQ3 also, which I am currently studying.

It is not ideal. I personally feel that I have learnt as much, if not more, from geeks than I did at college - or it has certainly consolidated much of my learning.

All colleges are going to be different, some better than others, but all I can say is thank god I found this site!!:lol:

I love my chosen career with a passion, but I do feel let down by my college very often

VERY good topic too Sassy!

 

[oey]

I keep asking to the point of being annoying until I do grasp it ... but I know many are too scared to ask and so they aren't learning - they just copy well!

You are absolutely right here Sass! When the other girls in the class didnt understand something or needed further information they would always ask me to ask the question for them. Not surprisingly as far as I am aware none of these girls are working in the Beauty Industry now as I know half of them left the course before the end because it was too much like hard work.

 

[chantell simone]

for every course i have done we were given class notes and a recommended book list

yes the tutor won't give the answers but you were told what resources would help you with your assignments

 

[Sassy Hassy]

for every course i have done we were given class notes and a recommended book list

yes the tutor won't give the answers but you were told what resources would help you with your assignments

Out of interest, when you had done your assignments did your tutor then go through the topic and teach it to you to make sure you really did have a good understanding of the subject and time for a Q& A session? Or was it just - set a question - go look it up in a book - put it in your own words - and not actually discussed in class?

 

[joe90]

Now I can see this from both sides of the coin as I am currently studying my level 3 holistics at college.

I have been given an assignment today and all it has on it is:

Heading: Lifestyle patterns and effects then with a list of 6 things to research
ie diet and fluids, hobbies, exercise, sleep patterns, smoking, family responsibilities, occupation.
This assignment is going to take me at least 3-4 days to complete (as I am a bit obsessive about them)

Now because of my previous courses I can probably do this and do it well as I have my other assignments but for someone who is just fresh out of school with no knowledge whatsoever, no real life experience and no guidance from the tutor I can see why some may want to ask us more experienced geeks as they find it quite daunting, god I know I do sometimes.

I obviously don't want to do someone's homework/assignments for them but surely we can give a little helping hand in the right direction. However, I wouldn't want to keep giving the same person the answers all the time as this would make them lazy.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Heading: Lifestyle patterns and effects then with a list of 6 things to research
ie diet and fluids, hobbies, exercise, sleep patterns, smoking, family responsibilities, occupation.
This assignment is going to take me at least 3-4 days to complete (as I am a bit obsessive about them)

Flip I don't even understand the question, never mind give an answer!!!!!!!! Can I have that again in English please! No wonder people struggle. Good grief!

 

[nicky's nails]

when i did my VTCT in april this year, there was a few younger ones in the class, who just didnt get it, they thought they would just paint nails and pass the course, now i admit i did ask for advice, but only with one question i just couldnt find the info on, and over all the confusion over cuticle and eponychium,

but there were some that week after week, had not done the given assignment or started their portfolio, so copied assignment every week while on coffee breaks and panicked when the portfolio was due and wondered why the tutor was showing them ours and saying this is what you should have produced, and ive got to say, some of them hadnt even made an effort to buy the dividers for their files or anything, you wondered why they were there, one of them just used to copy great chunks off the internet, but she dindt understand anything IYKWIM

so it really annoys me , seeing them askin the questions, i mean im not the most studious of people, i left school with not much under my belt at all, but if i can do it at the age of 34 with 3 kids to look after , ill health and numerous other problems, then anyone can lol

but in defense , my tutor was not the best and if not for this site leading me in the right direction, i would not have done half as well as i did, i used the net and the library more than i have ever done in my whole life, she used to blab on about cuticle when she meant eponychium and vice versa and i ended up asking her about it once, she just brushed me off, and she banged on about the damage 'false nails' do, even though she used to teach this too, and one or two of us seemed more knowlegable about nail diseases etc than she was and she run her own salon too

scary eh, these people are tutoring us !!!

great thread sassxxxxx:hug:

 

[chantell simone]

Out of interest, when you had done your assignments did your tutor then go through the topic and teach it to you to make sure you really did have a good understanding of the subject and time for a Q& A session? Or was it just - set a question - go look it up in a book - put it in your own words - and not actually discussed in class?

we would discuss the assignment in class and we would get example answers so we knew what was expected of us and we were shown previous students work as well

 

[nicky's nails]

Out of interest, when you had done your assignments did your tutor then go through the topic and teach it to you to make sure you really did have a good understanding of the subject and time for a Q& A session? Or was it just - set a question - go look it up in a book - put it in your own words - and not actually discussed in class?

this is what mine was like, we briefly and i mean briefly discussed it, then went away and did it then it got handed in and she went onto the next thing we had to do, never any great discussion, we used to discuss it and help each other out at break time etc, some of them didnt have any background at all, luckily id already done a course and had this site, some of them knew nothing, and just didnt grasp it at all

 

[joe90]

Exactly Sass, what they actually want (after staying behind and annoying the tutor for more info) is to describe how those list of things can have both a positive and detrimental effect to your clients health and wellbeing and also to give recommendations to your client for improvements.

I know I will get asked tomorrow when back in college "what's this assignment all about then?"

 

[Sassy Hassy]

we would discuss the assignment in class and we would get example answers so we knew what was expected of us and we were shown previous students work as well

Sounds like you are one of the lucky ones who was on a good course.

As I've banged on before, I did level 2 in Cosmetic Makeup. We did loads of work on eyelash tinting and perming, but when it came to the makeup side (that of course we had all gone on the course for) we were told, ooh this a very intensive course with so much to cover, you will need to go and do a lot of home study on this. Now I don't mind home study, but we never had any on hands practical training at all. I might as well have just bought a book and read it at home. I still think it was because our tutor actually wasn't able to teach it; she'd only done the actual course herself the year before and her real topic of teaching was hairdressing. She just taught this to cover the demand for people wanting to take the course. To be fair though she did cover the theory A&P side quite well. But the practical sucked BIG TIME!

 

[joe90]

To be fair though she did cover the theory A&P side quite well. But the practical sucked BIG TIME!

In defence of the college I am at we have a different tutor for A&P and she is so exacting and thorough and yet she makes it so interesting I could do a whole day on it, I can't get enough. She is also freqeuntly testing us when we are massaging asking what muscle we are on, what its function is etc etc. If only some other parts of the course were this thorough.

 

[Susie H]

Great thread Sassy, the problem as I see it is:
Kids straight from school are used to being spoon fed their courses and when they get to collage its a whole different ball game, you are expected to do your own research and find your own answers and some kids just cant cope with it, but bottom line when you get into the working world, thats what you have to do, find out for your self.
Also a lot of these vocational courses do not require the tutor to have a PGCE qualification, just because you are a good tech, doesn't mean you're a good teacher.

 

[chantell simone]

Great thread Sassy, the problem as I see it is:
just because you are a good tech, doesn't mean you're a good teacher.

i couldn't have put it better myself

i have always said it takes a certain kind of person to teach!

 

[Sassy Hassy]

In defence of the college I am at we have a different tutor for A&P and she is so exacting and thorough and yet she makes it so interesting I could do a whole day on it, I can't get enough. She is also freqeuntly testing us when we are massaging asking what muscle we are on, what its function is etc etc. If only some other parts of the course were this thorough.

Ooh now that reminds me of another college course I started - Indian Head Massage. We did the practical before the theory - I think because most of the students had massage qualifications, but a couple of us didn't. I was not impressed when she shouted down at me - that's not the trapezius muscle - erm well if you'd taught me it in the first place I may just get it right .... I quit the course a very disgruntled person, feeling very small indeed (and I'm pretty small anyway lol)

 

[kittenclaws]

i did my nail nvq 2&3 independently so didnt have the "class room" discusions etc but my tutor was fab, as i went to her for all my training courses she gave me a list of books that i would need aswell as putting a lot of the things i needed to learn in to bite size pieces in a manual, she was always at the other end of the phone when i had a question as i did most of the study at home and even when i called her in the evening (as i did most of the study when the kids were in bed) she would talk me through anything i didnt understand, with her teaching and support and the support of the geek site i managed to complete nvq 2&3 together (i did them both at the same time) in 10 months,

 

[sodabubble]

I'd say all colleges/schools/training centres vary greatly. I got LOADS from my course, 2 years of blood, sweat, tears & tantrums but totally worth it, we had fab teachers, excellent resources, and very well equipped salons and learning centers. I did a BTec Nat Dip in Beauty Therapy Sciences at Lincoln College, and it was fantastic. Our kits included quite a few good text books too.