Case study 1
Knowing and meeting the needs of diverse learners
My role is a specialist garment technician on a MA course which challenge students just think outside the norm of garment design, pattern cutting, sustainability issues and garment construction creating an identity for them to create collections.
When I joined LCF, to do a maternity cover I met two students who would change destiny, for me and introduce me to the teaching world.
The first might have a disability but we will never know for confidential reasons. The second student made me realise we are so strong about gender, in the fashion world, but actually the world is not like that anymore.
My background is in industry, working for design houses and having my own bridal brand and now five years teaching. My industry background allowed me to create beautiful garments through my hands and methods of pattern cutting and garment construction.
In the student world, this is the next generation. Meeting these two students confirmed that it was the right choice to move from industry to education.
Student 1 – Colour
When I met this young lady, she was very anxious. I asked how can I help? (She had just been in a tutorial) she said I could not understand how to adjust her pattern as the teacher had just rubbed out her pattern. We are in an open access area; students use our expertise as technicians to support additional learning.
I started redrawing her pattern with a pencil but while I was doing this, I could see her anxiety increasing, so I paused I asked her if she was OK. She said, “No, no, no, I still don’t understand there are too many lines on my paper now”, so I asked her what she meant, she said when there’s too many lines I don’t understand.
I paused to think.
How can I do this with her? I thought what I would do for myself and came up with an idea of colour coding. Each new line drawn on the paper would be in a different colour indicating the alteration and at the side we made a colour chart, describing the alteration that we had done in the same colour as the new lines on paper. This allowed her to understand and to be independent as a learner and could take this method forward for herself. She slightly smiled and relaxed.
Although Mehta and Zhu (2009, pp.1226-1229) note that the evidence of use of colour to improve cognition is inconsistent, in my experience creating a colour-code specific to a student has proven beneficial to them. [They] “also provide process evidence suggesting that the activation of alternative motivations mediates the effect of color on cognitive task performances.”
Student 2 – Gender
A non-gendered student, through dress code not by any medical reason, so he (I understand that I’ve used the word he as a pronoun as this is what he liked to be known), would like to make a collection through a non-gendered process.
It was my first time working with this method or thought, as I came from a very strong background of male and female garments. I was open with him about this and my own sexuality as a gay man, and open to learning with him, how we can create non gender garments.
I explained to him there will be some obstacles in measurements for him to consider like the skeleton, muscles, and flesh of a body form, male and female e.g., neck to waist, cross shoulder, neck measurement, as well as functionality of getting in or out of garments.
He was excited because we were both learning together and he could see that there was a goal in sight, that he could make a collection.
Reflection
As I am dyslexic, reading and writing is not my strength, but thinking in multiple ways to solve problems, is my strength. For many years I have hidden my dyslexia through my industry work practise.
Now I embrace it, as it allows me to think outside the box and create with my hands and to show students with learning difficulties, diverse culture or gender identity that there is always a way forward to remove blocks and achieve your visions.
Reference List
Hye-Jin, S, 2022. Gender-Neutral Trend Catches on in Korea. The Chosun Daily, [Online] 23 September. Available at Gender-Neutral Trend Catches on in Korea (chosun.com) [Accessed 22 March 2024].
Lee, J., & Kwak, T. (2020). Study on gender-neutral style in modern fashion, Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association 22 (3),pp.111-126. Available at Study on gender-neutral style in modern fashion -Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association | Korea Science [Accessed 22 March 2024].
Mehta, R., & Zhu, R. (2009). Blue or Red? Exploring the Effect of Color on Cognitive Task Performances, Science, 323 (5918), pp.1226-1229.