Reading: David Wong and Danah Hendricksen, “If Ideas WERE Fashion.” Mirror Images. Diana Silberman-Keller et al, Eds. Pp. 179-198. http://www.jstor.org.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/stable/42979228 When I began to read this article I felt the purpose of the fashion metaphor was to highlight the use of engagement in teaching and learning. I am a strong supporter of ensuring that instruction is provided in a relevant and engaging format as to aid in transfer. Without transfer, the learner will not remember the information for future use.
As I read further into the article I began to see the use of "fashion" as a learning tool. It was this reflection which brought me to consider what impact "fashion" had or has on learning. One example I thought of was the previous perspective that only nerds and smart people wore glasses. There was an episode of Happy Days where the "Fonz" was rejecting glasses because they were uncool. Obviously the impact of glasses on learning is fairly simple when you consider that when you can't read the board, you are likely to struggle. For learners in those days, glasses weren't fashionable and were in fact "uncool". As such, if you wanted to be "cool", you didn't wear glasses. Glasses have evolved since this time and have become a fashion statement in their own right. In today's society glasses are "cool" and kids today ask for their parents to buy them glasses even if they don't "need" them to see. This change in attitude means those learners who need them are able to wear them without the fashion faux paux concern. The impact on learning for those students is positive as a result of this shift in fashion.
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