As this was our first time teaching, we had to learn a lot of things that helped our workshop thrive. In order to fully understand the complex topic of the fast fashion industry, we took a lot of time to research about the history of fast fashion, in which we used to then study the techniques and practices people have done to combat the issues brought forth by it. Our workshop lessons and activities were curated in a way to educate our students and introduce them to the sustainable art of thrift-flips and junk jewelry.
In CPSA260, we learned about how classroom management could facilitate group discussion and creative thinking. We started to move our classroom around, having our students on days of activity introduction sitting in a big group in order for them to help each other with the new and unfamiliar activity. As for brainstorming and studio days, we organized the room to have separate desk, in order to give space for our students to focus on their research and design. As students ourselves, we know first-hand how nerve-wracking it can be to be in a class full of new-faces. With classroom management, we were able to foster a comfortable and creative environment, simply through organizing seating and activity placement.
Overall, it was an amazing and eye-opening experience. We learned that teaching and lesson-planning takes a lot of organization, problem-solving, time management, and other skills.