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Free Inquiry #5 – Connecting to Teaching Practices

ceadrahardardt

After diving into my inquiry and exploring sustainable fashion centered on individuality and self-expression, I’ve been reflecting on ways to bring these ideas into the classroom.

When I think about individuality and uniqueness, my mind instantly thinks of children at the upper intermediate levels, where self-expression begins to really form while also simultaneously having much outward input on self-expression that might dictate their likes and dislikes. This influence, while inevitable and maybe natural, often comes from mentors — whether peers, friends, teachers, or parents — but can also, and perhaps more importantly, come from social expectation through social media. This can be overwhelming for a young person, and with so much suggestion from the outside world it can feel impossible to represent yourself in a genuine way. Therefore, I think it is important to teach individuality and self-expression alongside social media digital-literacy, encouraging authentic representation of self online and teaching practices that help students honour their individuality while filtering through outward influences.

While this all sounds great, how can it be realistically done in the classroom? First, I think it is important for the teacher to represent themselves in an authentic and genuine way, and to be proud of this individuality. When we think about outward influences, in the classroom a teacher might just be one of the most powerful ones. It is important to encourage diversity, and remind students that we don’t all have to be the same. There is only one of each of us, and that’s pretty special, so we should honour that! It would also be helpful to teach students to be introspective, and I think that a daily or weekly journal prompt could be a powerful tool to help develop this. Some prompts might be as follows:

  • What is one thing that someone might not know about me?
  • What is my favourite colour? Why?
  • What is one of my favourite qualities about myself? Why?
  • What is your favourite thing about school? Why?

This article has 55 great prompts that can be used as guiding questions, take a look: https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/journal-prompts-kids-self-expression

Okay, with all of this being said, I think it is important to mention that it is impossible for anyone to have a solid sense of individuality without any outward input. As humans, we constantly change, evolve, and try new things as we navigate through life, and that’s important! Expression never needs to be stagnant or solidified, and might change in different environments, social settings, or with different people, and that is okay! Actually, that is normal! And as children grow up, they continue to navigate these complexities while exploring their identity, and that can feel challenging. So, when it comes down to it, as teachers all we can really do is be there, provide a safe space, honour strengths, and encourage diversity.