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Description
Students are introduced to fast fashion, what it means, and the problems it creates for environmental sustainability, the health of the planet and all living things. They will also discuss potential actions for avoiding fast fashion.
Students will
- create an infographic, brochure, or poster to share their understanding of fast fashion, its negative aspects, or the damage it causes environmentally.
- work collaboratively through a project-based learning approach to brainstorm potential solutions and actions for avoiding fast fashion and sharing the message of the negative impact fast fashion can have.
- take action on the plan they create.
- use the Commit2Act app to log actions they take to avoid fast fashion (as well as other actions they may take to increase environmental sustainability).
General Assessment
Strengths
- The resource is well-organized and easy to use
- Provides a list of all the materials needed
- Provides an action plan and encourages students to develop their own action plans to avoid fast fashion
- Ideas for additional lessons, additional activities, and resources can be found at the end of this document
- Suggestions for accommodations for students
- The lesson design is very effective in connecting learning to students' lives.
- Lesson plans and accompanying additional resources provide the foundation for engaging in opportunities for action and environmental stewardship.
- The resource suggests interdisciplinary and cross-curricular connections to what students are learning or seeking
- The author identifies the SDGs that align with the lesson and gives an example of a link and an idea for integrating the SDG into the lesson
Recommendation of how and where to use it
Avoid Fast Fashion is an engaging resource aimed at the middle school student. It helps to address Science curriculum outcomes related to human impacts of the environment, climate change, and interactions in ecosystems. In addition, it also addresses outcomes related to living sustainably and being a responsible consumer.
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- Arts
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- Arts Education: Through art making, one’s sense of identity and community continually evolves.
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- Arts Education: Individual and collective expression can be achieved through the arts.
Themes Addressed
Air, Atmosphere & Climate (1)
- Climate Change
Citizenship (1)
- Sustainable Consumption
Waste Management (2)
- Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Solid Waste Disposal
Sustainability Education Principles
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Good | Students are informed about fast fashion, what it means and the problems it causes. They will develop an understanding of the negative aspects of this fashion related to environmental sustainability, its effects on our planet, the threats to the health of living beings and the actions they could take to avoid it. The resource uses several reliable videos and resources. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
| ||
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Good | Students learn about the consequences of human activities, including the fashion industry, on Earth systems and explore ways to manage and reduce these impacts. They explore and develop an understanding of what fast fashion is and the damage it can cause to our planet, ecosystems, and living organisms, including human beings. Fast fashion often uses cheap labor in developing countries, where workers can face poor working conditions and low wages, perpetuating cycles of poverty. |
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
| ||
| Respects Complexity | Good | The videos, slides, and guidelines for the discussion represent the complexity of the issue well. Students identify challenges, potential solutions, and actions that could be taken to avoid fast fashion. |
| Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
| Acting on Learning | Very Good | Students discuss and plan actions they can take. They will use the Commit2Act app to record their actions they are taking to avoid fast fashion as well as other actions they could take to improve environmental sustainability. |
| Acting on Learning: Learning moves from understanding issues to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community, or for the planet
| ||
| Values Education | Very Good | Throughout this lesson, students will be able to express their beliefs and values during the multiple discussions, during the creation of their infographic, and by thinking about solutions and actions they can take. |
| Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
| Empathy & Respect for Humans | Satisfactory | The resource links to SDG1: No poverty. Fast fashion often uses cheap labor in developing countries, where workers can face poor working conditions and low wages, perpetuating cycles of poverty. It would be up to the teacher to deepen the learning on this theme. |
| Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.). | ||
| Personal Affinity with Earth | Good | Students will develop an understanding of the negative aspects of fast fashion related to environmental sustainability and its effects on ecosystems and our planet. |
| Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
| ||
| Locally-Focused Learning | Good | Students plan individual or group actions to avoid fast fashion and spread the message of the negative impact it can have at home, at school, or in their community. |
| Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
| ||
| Past, Present & Future | Satisfactory | |
| Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. | ||
Pedagogical Approaches
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Open-Ended Instruction | Very Good | Students will develop an understanding of what fast fashion is and the damage it can cause to our planet, ecosystems, and living organisms, including human beings. In groups or individually, they will identify challenges, potential solutions and actions that could be taken to avoid fast fashion through discussions and reflections. |
| Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
| Integrated Learning | Very Good | The resource suggests several interdisciplinary links such as: data analysis, writing activities and publications that share their collected information and the creation of videos or podcasts. Art and graphic design could be included during the creation of infographics, and presentations to the community could be organized. |
| Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
| ||
| Inquiry Learning | Satisfactory | While this resource asks students to do prescribed activities, students will have the opportunity to reflect on their own actions to avoid fast fashion. Students are encouraged to develop their own action plans to address this issue rather than being prescribed an action plan, as student autonomy and ownership of the process are important in a project-based learning approach. |
| Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
| ||
| Differentiated Instruction | Good | Students will be able to reflect using various tools: technological or more traditional. They will be able to use writing, visuals, video, discussions with other students, etc. It is recommended to vary thinking methods in order to maintain engagement and metacognition. The resource suggests that discussions and activities should be oriented to be age and level-appropriate. Older students can delve deeper into the topic and do more detailed research, while younger students can approach in a more basic way. Ideas for additional lessons, additional activities, and resources can be found at the end of the document. |
| Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
| ||
| Experiential Learning | Very Good | Taking action is an essential part of this lesson. There are many opportunities for students to take action to avoid fast fashion. Action plans should be relevant to students, their community and their interests. |
| Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
| ||
| Cooperative Learning | Good | Students will work collaboratively through a project-based learning approach to brainstorm potential solutions and actions to avoid fast fashion and spread the message of the negative impact it can have. |
| Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
| ||
| Assessment & Evaluation | Good | Teachers can use the reflections in the journals, the KWL chart, and the infographic to assess students' understanding of the topic as well as students' progress. |
| Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc. | ||
| Peer Teaching | Good | Groups are encouraged to share their presentation by asking what they want/need to learn to understand fast fashion and avoid it. Students are asked to share their discoveries and creations with the class. They can create a presentation (digital or other format) or other type of medium to do so. Another option is to share them orally with the class during group discussions. Another suggestion is to organize presentations to key audiences. For example, presentations could be made to local community leaders, politicians, businesses, parents, the school community, students from other classes, etc. |
| Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
| ||
| Case Studies | Good | The resource suggests several videos with comprehensive descriptions of real events. |
| Case Studies: Relevant case studies are included. Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore concepts in an authentic context. | ||
| Locus of Control | Good | The lesson unfolds through a series of steps. There are many resources provided in the lesson if students wish to delve deeper into the matter. Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary links suggest several ways students can deepen their knowledge. |
| Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue. | ||
