Last week we talked about using zone teaching to more effectively manage our student salons. Below are some examples of how you can implement this into your program.
There are multiple ways you can divide up a student salon. You can divide them by level of students and number of educators assigned to the student salon. For example, if you have 3 instructors and a 1500-hour program, you can place students that have 1200 – 1500 hours in one section, students from 600 – 1200 hours in another section and students from 300 – 600 in another. If you have more space and more educators, you can create more sections.
What I really like about this option it is another fun goal that students can work toward. They get excited when they get to move to another area of the student salon that they were not allowed to sit in before. You can tie it into not only hours but practical exams as well. Create a policy that says in order for a student to advance to the next zone, they must complete the required hours and pass their practical exam. This encourages students to show up and clock their hours and get their practical skills prepared so they can pass the test. Another option, however, is to simply spread the students around evenly through the student salon and assign one instructor to each area.
No matter which approach you take, zone teaching is something that must be planned. At the beginning of each week, meet with all the instructors and let them know which zone they are assigned to. Also, consider making a plan for instructor breaks and lunchtime and which instructor will cover which zone when others are on break. Before they leave, they should have a conference with the instructor covering their zone to let them know what services are currently being performed so they are on the same page. Remember, the goal is to eliminate any confusion and create consistency.