Fashion Forward: Personal (Re)presentations of Clothing

Virginia Atkins

Attempting to narrow the gap between what I will teach and what my students will learn in this unit, Latin American art will establish the cultural context to how my students will present and (re)present clothing. Providing an opportunity for students to write and talk about themselves and about what their wear year-round, the connections between what they learn and their own motivation will exponentially increase. Gaining knowledge does not take place in isolation. Teachers often describe the importance of spanning classroom teaching and learning with competencies that include critical thinking, collaboration and communication. Applying a proficiency approach, this instructional unit promote intercultural communication by exploring language, clothing and culture. This curriculum unit is designed to introduce students to their cultural identity shaped by clothing as it relates to an understanding of how information is conveyed through Latin American Art. Getting my students to practice metacognition to think about how they can use old structures to talk about new topics will allow them to practice their communicative skills reflexively and will personalize the activities with opportunities to contribute from their own life experiences and cultural contributions. In addition, the strategies included in this unit will be centered on learning through student’s ‘real-life’ interpretation which is much different from a passive assimilation of information. Student’s personal meaning will be linked to Latin American Art and constructed representing different perspectives, values, and cultures.