Some Thoughts on Fashion

People are always fascinated with fashion in their lives. To me, fashion is important because it creates an identity, lends confidence, and entail emotions. Fashion is expressive so its effect is always immediate. As a result, I had not thought about the relationship between fashion and teaching until I read the article "If Ideas Were Fashion."

I think there are some similarities between teaching and fashion. Teachers work with students on ideas, often new ideas that we wish students to accept and integrate into their knowledge systems. Like asking people to get rid of old clothes and put on new ones, teaching sometimes affects the identity of a person so it may create a similar discomfort among students. They have to be willing to open their minds, consider new ideas, try to see how new ideas change their existing psychological identity and become more "fashionable" with these new ideas.

While unlike new clothes that result in an immediate change, the role of new ideas is gradual but fundamental for a person. Try to find and simulate the same level of sensational feeling from fashion to education is probably a challenge for educators. No doubt - emotion plays an important role in the acceptance of new ideas. For example, we often see students accept new technologies such as Facebook, Twitter and iPad with great enthusiasm. These applications not only offer some kind of utility but only psychological satisfaction. Oftentimes, what we teach in the classroom lacks of emotional elements even it is new knowledge and certainly useful.

As the article "If Ideas Were Fashion" states, "To fashion is to imagine, create, and express" and the experience from consuming fashion is what makes a difference. If our teaching can simulate a similar experience that allows students to imagine, create and express, it is possible that students can experience excitement and engagement. A way to achieve such an effect is to make teaching a knowledge co-creation process. From such a process each student can find something that fits their "style of thinking" and forms their psychological identity. This is what characterizes our students in the age of Web 2.0. And we should teach like a fashion expert.