I have been practicing the chain stitch(ch) in my spare time, and have recently moved onto the single crochet(sc). The single crochet is similar to the chain stitch, but it is adding another chain onto the side of the existing chain. This stitch added a layer of difficulty to crochet; I now need to count the number of loops I make in each chain and be able to find a certain part of each loop to bring my hook through. This challenge has changed the lens with which I assess my own work; instead of looking at the size of each loop I am now concerned with the number of loops and the tension in each chain.

As pictured to the right, I was not 100% accurate with my counting on this series of sc’s. The lack of accuracy is visible through the angle of the right side of the piece. I am now very careful to count each sc I produce to eliminate the issue.

Throughout learning the sc I have reflected on how this applies to learning. There would have been little value for me to have learned the sc before I could ch, it just wouldn’t have made sense. As a result, when I am teaching new concepts and skills I will need to ensure that they are built in a logical way, and that foundational skills have been established before moving past them.  If I do not do so learners may just end up feeling confused an discouraged, which is not a good learning outcome.