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Alternate Classroom Activities

Sustainability

Sustainability has many definitions and is a concept used within many industries including textiles/fashion. It can be described as:

• the ability to use materials without being completely used up or destroyed.
• involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources.
• the ability to last or continue for a long time.
• supporting longterm ecological balance.

It is important for students to understand sustainability within society and practice sustainability within the classroom.

Traceability is becoming more in demand by consumers in this generation. Consumers want to ensure they are shopping sustainably and this requires companies to provide their customers with the information to make an informed decision. Traceability can be defined as:

• allowing consumers to verify the history, location, or application of an item.
• the capability and implementation of keeping track of all production stages.

The best way to make students ethical shoppers is to inform them of the global issues relating to non-ethical companies and easy ways to become an ethical shopper and how this can better our planet. Display the steps of becoming an ethical shopper somewhere in the classroom:

þ Buy seasonally and locally

þ Shop with a conscience

þ Read the fine print

þ Get informed at Shop Ethically

Check out this Prezi or use it in your classroom to show fashion labels that reflect sustainability.

Colour Psychology

Colour psychology is the study of hues as a determination of human emotion and behaviour. Colour is a form of non verbal communication and can carry specific meaning, the perception of colour although individual between each person causes an automatic evaluation and this evaluation process forces colour-motivated behaviour. 

Although the meaning of colours can change between different cultures, generally:

Red is the colour of energy, passion, action, ambition and determination,

Orange is the colour of social communication and optimism,

Yellow is the colour of optimism and happiness,

Green is the colour of balance and growth,

Blue is the colour of trust and peace, and,

Purple is the colour of the intuition and imagination.

In a classroom environment such as a textiles classroom I like to include all colours in the classroom decor. It is important to remember that all forms of creativity are created by the artists' emotions, sometimes happiness may influence their work, sometimes passion may be the central meaning of their work. I include all colours within my classroom to influence and inspire the students, students will find their attraction to selected colours vary day to day and this will be evident in their work.

Check out the below videos for a good insight into the psychology of colours -

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Classroom Environment

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Sources of Inspiration

Fashion Forecasting and Understanding Trends

What do you need to know?!

Fashion forecasting is the focussing of upcoming trends within the fashion industry, this includes colours, fabrics, patterns, and styles that start from the runway and make their way into the shops. As home economics teachers we must be up to date with all these trends and understand the fashion interests of all our students, so how can we keep up to date? The following websites are great fashion trend sources to regularly visit -

The Creative Curriculum

Teaching Philosophy & Fostering Student Growth and Development

These four points sum up my teaching philosophy and how I choose to foster student growth and development:

Belonging To An Academic Community

Students will be motivated in an environment where they feel connected academically to their fellow peers and teachers. The feeling of belonging within a learning environment helps students understand and feel comfortable with the learning process and know the journey is not one that is taken alone. It is my goal every time I step into any classroom to have my students feeling comfortable and confident to learn and develop in the classroom environment. I aim to have the students being a part of an academic community where every single person including the teacher is there to learn and grow. No student is to feel incompetent and all students are encouraged to help each other to grow and develop together as a group whilst having fun.

Belief In Success

A students self belief in their own success is a better measure of their abilities than their academic success. It is important that each student is encouraged to believe that they can succeed at any task. Students are able to strive and work harder at a task when they feel that they are likely to succeed. Verbal communication of encouragement in succeeding from the teacher to the student is important, it helps form an academic trust and relationship between the teacher and the student, and if successfully done as a whole class creates a support group for encouraging that success. Encouraging posters around the classroom is also a positive reminder for students to remember that they can succeed and practice positive self talk.

Valuable And Meaningful Units/Activities

Students are more likely to work toward completing a task when the academic work is seen to be relevant to their interests, lives, and concerns. The act of looking for connections in new information is natural and students will put more focused energy and attention on completing a task that is seen as valuable and meaningful. Connecting with students’ interests and values is the best way to plan and implement lessons and activities that will have students working to their best ability.

With Effort Skills And Knowledge Can Develop

Students and teachers must have the belief that with effort the skills and knowledge of students can develop. Teachers must be able to educate their students in understanding how to interpret setbacks and to create opportunities in these to learn and improve and continue to keep trying. This mind set in students is vital in their development and growth within the classroom, and being able to see each task as an opportunity to master a skill is an attribute that will see students succeeding throughout their education and further into their chosen careers.

When I am feeling unsure or questioning my skills as a teacher this is what makes me strive to be the best teacher I can be!