I will be teaching skills to learn Adobe Photoshop by demonstrating certain aspects of the software from the "ground up" by starting with project-based activities. Even if a student knows nothing about the software, they will learn to use the tools in the program by following a demonstration and practice during my demonstration. After that, they will create their own project using the skills learned during the demo and complete the activity.

The next project would add more tools from the software, plus one or two from the first demonstration to see how the tools combine with one another. I would demonstrate another project-based activity, and the students would complete the project. This continues to repeat itself until students are familiar with all of the possibilites of Adobe Photoshop.

By combining the tools and techniques, building the smaller and easier strategies with one another first, the students gather the knowlege needed to work effortlessly within the software creatively on almost any project, no matter the assignment. Many projects have the student selecting their own images to allow for personal freedom of design, one or two many have my selection of images to narrow the focus of the activity, simply for streamlining the task at hand. For these projects, progress is more important than the final result.

In my 31 years of teaching high school students, I have found this system of teaching to be the most effective and enjoyable way for my students to learn Adobe Photoshop and to retain the skills they have learned in class.