Free Inquiry #7 – Teaching Sustainability in the Classroom
While my previous post focused on fostering qualities of self-expression and individuality in the classroom, I wanted to dive into the sustainable side of fashion that I have reflected on over the past few weeks, too! I am curious how to teach sustainability in fun and approachable ways so that children feel empowered to take action.
As upper elementary and middle school aged children begin to gain more sense of individuality and self-expression and perhaps begin to have more autonomy over their fashion choices, it is important to inform them of the impacts of these choices so that they can take accountability for their actions. Starting this at a young age fosters environmental literacy, and as children grow up and become more active members of society, perhaps can inspire advocacy and change. Like I have said before (or David Suzuki said, actually): “action says you hope something different is possible.” Through environmental literacy, perhaps we can help inspire learners to take action.
Activities and Lesson Plans
Fast Fashion The T-Shirt Board Game: https://resources4rethinking.ca/en/resource/fast-fashion-the-t-shirt-board-game
This website (Recourses for Thinking), to begin with, seems like a wonderful source for teaching materials. I am impressed by the format of each resource, with detailed descriptions, assessment strategies, and overarching themes being covered. Furthermore, there is a built in tool which allows you to explore curriculum links in your province or territory:
In the Fast Fashion The T-Shirt Board Game lesson, students explore sustainable fashion by considering both environmental and social effects while following the lifecycle of a T-shirt:
Teaching more heavy topics, such as the realities of fast fashion, can be made more approachable by gamified learning such as this activity. While this lesson is directed at middle and secondary levels, it could be brought down to the younger grades by making the material more approachable and digestible for the age level. This is reality, and opening a discussion at a young age can be valuable, and can encourage accountability and action.
Fashion Takes Action
I am so impressed with this resource, and am so grateful to have stumbled upon it because it seems like a very valuable tool. The website provides unit and individual lesson plans, as well as in-person and digital workshops. It seems like they only have curricular connections for Ontario curriculum at the moment, but there is a note that they are working to expand to curriculum of other provinces/territories. The only downside to this resource is that it is paid, but perhaps funding can be provided through school districts or administration. Even so, it is nice to know that the conversation around environmental literacy through a fashion lens is being thought about and incorporated into educational content.
Threadingchange.org: https://www.threadingchange.org/education-programs
Threading change is a youth led non-profit. They offer educational resources for educators, such as workshops, lesson activities, art projects, etc. This is another wonderful resource!
In conclusion, I am really impressed with the vast amount of resources out there for educators to teach environmental literacy through a fashion lens. This is a really important topic, and it is great to see that there is a conversation being brought forward!