07/25/14

Fashion Design Project/Unit

During my practicum I designed a small fashion design unit to do with the Fashion Design 12 students. Previously, their class had been mostly construction oriented. There had been some discussion as to the elements and principles of design, but little had been done concerning the design process. I wanted to introduce students to the design and portfolio process, provide an opportunity for students to take creative risks, and get students thinking about the various ways to express an artistic vision. The final project and performance task for the unit was a mini fashion portfolio for 3 designs inspired by a fairy tale.

Here is my original unit plan. Here is the original project outline and rubric.

One way I supported my students was to make a small slide show and link to on-line resources on my teaching blog.

Because several of the students were English language learners, I made some worksheets to help them through some of the skills-based activities we did. This project involved a lot of terminology, so having it written down and accompanying visual examples was helpful to them.

Worksheet – Elements of Design

Worksheet – Principles of Design

Worksheet – Watercolour Pencils or Paint (I print this on watercolour paper)

 

One of my main goals in the instruction of this unit was allowing for multimodal expression and engaging students in authentic assessment. The criteria for the assignment were taken directly from the Textiles 12 IRPs and integrated into a performance task I felt would be relevant to their future lives. There were content objectives, but how students expressed those objectives was largely up to them. Some met the criteria in the speech of their presentation, some included it all in the portfolio, and some accompanied their portfolio with a small essay. Throughout working on the project I gave feedback and set aside class time for the students to peer-assess.

Here is the simplified rubric I used for the final assessment & marking. Students seemed to find the original rubric overwhelming. I preferred, and they responded better to, a simplified rubric that had only the exemplary standards and plenty of room for individualized feedback comments. I felt this helped me give more constructive feedback.

Here’s one example of a student’s work:

Her inspiration ‘board’:

 

Her designs:

IMG_1537

 

 

06/30/14

The Joys of Sewing

Sarai just posted a great article on the Coletterie about 3 of the reasons she sews. I’ll give you a moment to read it.

I love her reasons because they are all reasons I particularly love sewing. But they also all relate to why I feel sewing has so much potential in and for education. Practising creativity, developing an appreciation for what we take for granted, and being part of a community are important for all of us. Sewing and textiles is such an amazing way to bring all of these lessons and community into the school. Sometimes I see textiles being dismissed as being into shallow fashion. But we all (or most of us anyway) wear clothes. Clothing is a huge industry, need, and use of resources. And we have the opportunity to combine this essential industry with exploring our own creativities in supportive communities. I’m just so excited about it.

01/25/14

Video: Multimodal social-semiotic approaches with English language learners

“USC professor Christian Chun delivers the keynote address to the recent graduates, current students, and faculty at the Facultad de Idiomas, Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, Mexico on August 14, 2012. His talk, entitled “Critical literacies in action: Multimodal approaches with English language learners,” explores how teachers can facilitate more active student engagement in their encounters with multimodal texts in the classroom and everyday life. Teaching students how to deconstruct specific meanings made via social-semiotic resources can help them connect their classroom texts to texts outside the classroom in powerful and meaningful ways.”

01/22/14

Spice Up Your Life

My campaign to have this be the official song of the 2013-14 Home-Ec & PE UBC Teacher Education Cohort begins now.

Patron Spice of PE – Sporty
Patron Spice of Foods – Ginger
Patron Spice of Family Studies – Baby
Patron Spice of Psychology – Scary
Patron Spice of Textiles and Fashion Design – Posh

01/20/14

Khan Academy

Interesting TED talk that touches on using technology in the classroom for assessment, flipped classrooms, developing international education communities, and increasing access to education.

Also, you can visit the Khan Academy Web-Site and watch great ‘lectures’ for free.

01/19/14

Valuing Home Economics Education

Why Don’t We Value Home Economics?

            As someone who has chosen to commit myself to teaching home economics to youth, it can sometimes surprise me how little others value its potential. Granted, part of the reason I think Home Economics is undervalued is because it can seem like so much fun. We struggle to get students to see the fun in science and math, while ignoring the subjects and activities that are already incorporating science and math. We see these subjects as trivial. Perhaps it is difficult for people to appreciate just how much home economics can bring to the lives of students because it is at once so practical, and yet so holistic and broad. We don’t see everything it touches because it has so long been relegated to being ‘just’ in the home. Continue reading →