Connecting learning: making research fun
- Rebecca Smye-Rumsby
- Aug 31, 2018
- 3 min read
Learning Context
Dressmart is a module connecting Social Studies and Technology:
Social Studies: To MAKE SENSE by understanding rights & responsibilities
Technology: To MAKE SENSE by analysing existing practice to find meaning
What social and environmental impacts does the current fashion industry have?
How can we, as global citizens, support positive change?
We will be looking at the journey of clothing; from how we obtain the resources, to how we dispose of our garments.
In this module, you will explore and make sense of the impact and ethics of the fashion industry.
You will also explore current examples of conscious and considerate approaches within the industry and be inspired to make your own changes.
During this module, you will develop skills in critical thinking, communicating ideas and graphing.
You will also develop skills on the sewing machine and other soft tech resources.
Reflecting
I've taught a similar module before and thought that the context was really strong, yet the research focused learning objective for the term seemed to lack engagement. I also observed that students didn't truly grasp the extent in which the clothing industry has evolved, because they weren't involved in the journey.
How can you make research more engaging, relevant and connected to the learners?
Refining
By creating practical experiences based on more historical and natural processes, students were able to see how laborious, time-consuming and therefore costly it was to create aspects of clothing.
We experimented with making natural dye, and found that the only colours that were obtainable with our ingredients were pinks, oranges and yellows. So what does it take to make blues, purples, whites, blacks? How can you make colours vibrant?
We discovered that in the past, in England, blue was made from old cabbage and purple from rotten shellfish. We've looked into synthetic dyes and have started to find out about their impact on the environment and the people that use them.
Students tested the material properties of silk, wool, cotton and nylon. This allowed them to really get to know the materials whilst discovering where they are from, what they are used for and what happens to them when they are thrown away.
Students also tried weaving and then investigated the tools, machinery and inventions that have increased speed and reduced man-power through out time. Here is the class Textile timeline.
How much would you pay for a purple, woollen, woven jumper?
This was a class discussion that brought together our learning around dyeing, resources and fabric making.
Students offered a few possible prices for this jumper: 15, 50, 80 nzd. I then nominated a few members of the class, including co-teachers to play a role within the making of the jumper from the medieval period. This included the weaver, wool spinner, farmer and shepherd, dyer and the fisherman providing the shell fish. Each person had a wage of 20 nzd an hour and had to tell me how long the job would take based on their understanding of what was involved. Our final calculation was over 1000 nzd.
It was up to the students to identify and explain what factors were involved in the reduction of cost from our medieval jumper to a modern day example. It also opened a new discussion around where in the world our clothes are made, and what factors affect the cost in this respect.
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