ideas as fashion

The thought ideas as fashion, is definitely one that that I had to wrap my head around.  I had to complete all of the readings to get over the fact that I strongly held the idea that fashion is so superficial and not important in the school setting, yet I truly believe that the impression you make on a person depends on how you present yourself.  After completing the readings I’m over my mixed feelings.  To paraphrase the Wong article that “both fashion and ideas involve the awakening of perception, the engagement of both thinking and feeling, and the interchange of viewpoints and experiences with others”, that idea makes perfect sense . The part about awakening of perception and engagement has always been a part of my teaching.  The new piece I take from this is “the interchange of viewpoints and experiences with others”.  This piece brings learning to a new level.  Comparing learning to fashion we take the example of one person’s poor sense of fashion that she found compelling but the rest of the world sees the clothes as ugly or silly.  She had never shared her thoughts with others and her friends were afraid to be honest with her.  Once she followed the advice of experts, she was able to blend her love of textiles with a sophisticated fashion sense.  This course also forces us to share our ideas and productions with fellow classmates.  This helps bring up the quality of the work because we have to look at our own work and envision how others will see it.  I need to create an end product that will create a powerful feeling in the viewer.  It raises the bar and pushes students out of their comfort zone.  I need to look at my teaching not so much as an expert passively handing out information, but as someone who actively engages the student so that they produce a visual change to share with others and look for feedback.  The sharing of viewpoints allows for diversity of ideas and increased creativity.