CHAPTER I

PRODUCTIVE WORK

#1. Suggested Plan for Shop Organization.#--While it is entirely satisfactory to have any of the toys mentioned in this book made as individual projects, they are here offered as suitable group projects or production projects. Production work may be defined as work done by a class to turn out a number of similar projects that have a marketable value, with the aid of jigs, fixtures, and other means of duplication, illustrating the industrial or practical application to the tasks in hand, Figs. 1, 2, and 3. This does not mean, however, that the school shops be transformed into a factory in the full sense of the word. It should differ from a factory in that the education of the student is the major part of the product, while in the factory production is the foremost aim.

In doing work by the productive plan two important problems will present themselves at the outset; first, the time element; and second, industrial or practical application to the tasks in hand.

A brief explanation of the plan of organization in one of the author's classes will attempt to show how nearly these problems can be solved.

[Illustration: Fig. 1. Material for toys, prepared on a large scale]

#2. Grouping of Students.#--Classes are divided into groups of between four and six boys, with a boy foreman appointed at the head of each group. The foreman is held responsible for the work turned out by his boys. He is to see that they understand just what is to be done and how it is to be done. All the group foremen are directly responsible to the general foreman who in turn is responsible to the instructor. The general foreman is to act as an inspector of finished work after it has received the group foreman's O.K. He is also held responsible for the condition of the shop during his class hour. This includes looking after all material, the manner in which stock is put away after class, and adherence to all shop rules that have been adopted to help in the efficiency of shop procedure.

[Illustration: Fig. 2. A large order of toys partly constructed]

#3. The Time Clerk and Tool-Room Clerk.#--A "_Time Clerk_" is appointed to take charge of the time cards. He is also held responsible for all the clerical work that is to be done in the shop.

A _Tool-Room Clerk_ is appointed to take charge of the shop tool room. He is to keep check of all tools given out and taken in. His spare time should be devoted to the care of tools.

If possible, each boy in the class should be given an opportunity to act in each capacity that has been created, so that he may get the most varied experience in shop procedure. This will necessitate the changing of boys from one group to another; the changing of foremen, clerks, etc., at intervals which will of course be governed by the size of the class and the number of hours devoted to the work.

[Illustration: Fig. 3. Milk wagons completed by the production method]

#4. Recording Attendance.#--Boys, upon entering the shop, register their presence at the Time-Card Rack, Fig. 4. This is done by turning the time card shown in Fig. 5, so that the back side, which has the word present printed at top, is exposed. The time clerk then inspects the cards and notes those that have not been turned, and records the absences. He then fills in the date and passes the cards out to the boys in the shop. Toward the latter part of the period, a few minutes time is given the boys to fill in the necessary data on the time card.

The time cards are then collected by the time clerk and put into a box where the time cards of all the classes are kept. In the meantime the time clerk puts back into the time rack the cards of the incoming class. This duty is performed by the time clerks of all the classes, thereby necessitating the use of only one time card rack.

[Illustration: Fig. 4. The time-card rack.]

#5. Time Cards.#--Referring to the time card mentioned in Fig. 5 it will be seen that the workman's shop number is filled in at the top. Then under the heading of "Woodworking Department" are two horizontal rows of items which need very little explanation. Following are three columns headed "Operation," "Assignment," and "Time." Below the word "Operation" are set down the various operations undertaken in the woodworking department, with several vacant spaces provided where other and special operations can be filled in. It will also be noticed that "Operations" are divided into two kinds, machine work and bench work. The instructor's glance at the time card will tell him at once what phase of the work the boy has been employed in and will help him in apportioning the work so that the boy is offered a varied experience.

#6. Using Time Card.#--For shops that are not equipped with the kind of machines marked on the illustrated card, it would be well to omit the names of machines in the "operation" column. The instructor may then fill in the operation whatever it may be.

Under the heading "Assignment" and against the operation which is to be undertaken by the student, the instructor writes in the name of the part to be made. This is the student's assignment and it should be read by him at the time he records his presence at the time-card rack upon entering the shop.

In making assignments, the instructor may find it rather difficult to keep up with large classes of boys. This difficulty may be overcome by making an assignment to an entire group instead of to each boy. For example, in a class of twenty-five that would probably be divided into five groups, the instructor may make the assignment to the foreman of each group and each foreman in turn can inform the boys of his group as to the nature of the assignment. The boys can then enter the assignment on their time cards at the end of the period when the time spent on the job at hand is also recorded.

The student's shop number, name, and grade should be filled in by the time clerk who can get out a number of cards for each student in advance and these are kept ready for use by the instructor. The instructor can then mark the project and the job number together with the student's assignment. At the same time he estimates the journeyman's time and rate and enters them in the space provided.

The time card in Fig. 5, is 3-1/2 inches by 9 inches, made of three-ply bristol board. All worker's cards are printed on white colored bristol while those of the foremen are of blue colored bristol. This plan is for the instructor's convenience to be able to pick out the foremen's time cards at a glance.

In the triple column under the heading "TIME" is provided room for the date and spaces in which the student can write the time in minutes spent on the various operations on that date. The triple columns on each side of the card allow of the cards being used for six days. If a job lasts longer than six days another card should be used marking them No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the space marked "Card No." Both cards should be fastened and kept together.

[Illustration: Fig. 5. Time card]

Effort should always be made to have all the assignments short (less than six days) so that the student's record may be computed at the end of each week by the time clerk.

#7. Grading Students.#--The next four spaces contain in condensed form, the information itemized in other parts of the card. This, together with other information set down by the instructor, is the vital material sought for.

The item A "Journeyman's Time" is very easily recorded by the instructor. It is arrived at in the same way as in making out the estimate for any piece of work and can be recorded almost at once. The main purpose here is to set for the student a standard of time on which to work.

The item B is the rate in points per hour, based on the journeyman's time.

The item C is the total of the student's time added together from the various spaces under "Time."

Item D "Quality Decimal" is the quality of the student's job expressed in the form of a decimal, with 100% as the maximum. This mark should be filled in by the instructor when the student completes his job.

The next item, the number of points the student earns is found by the formula Points = (AxB)D

Points earned per hour = ((AxB)D)/C

For example, a student receives an assignment to cut to thickness, width, and length, sixty chair legs. The size of the legs he is to get from the job blueprint. He spends 60 minutes a day, for three days, making a total of 180 minutes or 3 hours. The time it would take a journeyman to do the same job is estimated at 2 hours. The rate adopted is at 80 points per hour; the journeyman therefore earns AxB = 2x80 = 160 Points. The quality of the student's job is graded by the instructor as 75%. The number of points the student earns is found by the formula Points = (AxB)D = (2x80).75 = 120 Points. To find the number of points the student earns per hour, divide 120 points by the number of hours it took the student to complete the job, which equals 120/3 = 40, the number of points the student earns per hour. However, if the student would be graded 100%, he would earn the same number of points as the journeyman. But of course, he would have done it in three hours where the journeyman has earned the same number of points in two hours. It will readily be seen that this scheme offers the student an everlasting incentive to equal the journeyman's record.

Having obtained the points on the time card or assignment card as it may be called, these are then transferred to a monthly accomplishment sheet as shown in Fig. 6, which is provided for all the students in all classes.

[Illustration: Fig. 6. Monthly accomplishment sheet]

The total number of points for each boy, group, and class can then be easily obtained. These totals can be put up in poster form and hung on the shop's bulletin board, showing the standing of each boy, group, and class. It is surprising the amount of interest and competition that can be aroused; everyone working for the highest honors, unconsciously, with a competitive spirit that will bring out considerable thought and effort to the matter of handling material for maximum production.

#8. Preliminary Discussion and Preparation for Shopwork.#--Of course, no time card or assignment-record scheme can hope entirely to eliminate the necessary preliminary discussions and preparation. The author has found it of material help to meet the foremen of all the classes at hours other than their regular class hour and discuss such topics as "Securing Cooperation," "Instructing Workers," "Maintaining Cleanliness and Order," "Records and Reports," "Inspecting Work," "Routing Material Thru Shop," "Care of Stock," etc.

Details regarding construction and assembling should be worked out by the instructor beforehand, and also developed with the class as the work progresses. Care should be taken that plans are carefully made regarding the storage of stock and unfinished parts.

The old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," is an old one, but a good one.

#9. Bazaars, Toy Sales, Etc.#--The plan of selling toys, that are made in the school shop, to the boys and girls of the school is a plausible one. It can very easily be accomplished in the form of bazaars, exhibitions, or school toy sales.

The writer has had a number of samples of different toys made and put on exhibition, and orders taken, requiring a deposit on each order. These were then turned in to the shop department and the toys made on the productive plan.

The boys in the shop would receive school checks, Fig. 7, for the total number of points that they earned for the semester. These checks could then be used by them towards the purchasing of any of the toys that were put on sale; a certain number of points required for the purchase of different toys.

[Illustration: Fig. 7. Credit check, based on number of points carved]

This plan was made possible by adding on to the number of orders received an additional number equal to the number of boys in the shop. For example, twenty-four orders for toy milk wagons were received by a class of twenty-four boys. Then instead of making twenty-four toy milk wagons we doubled the number and made forty-eight of them. The price that was figured on for the twenty-four orders would more than cover the cost of material for the other twenty-four articles that the boys would be able to buy with their earned checks.

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