Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes

Tune in: Thinking about Uniforms

15 minutes

Find out: Making of a hoodie

30 minutes

Take action: Improving the uniform

5 minutes

Reflection

Tune in: Thinking about uniforms (15 mins)

Step 1.

Invite students to contribute to a map of uniform types. This could be done together around a board or some large sheets of paper. Appoint some students as scribes. Ask the students what kinds of uniforms they know of and how they might be related to each other.

You may like to complete this using a digital word cloud generator such as Mentimeter.

Possible responses: school uniforms, flight attendants, firefighters, police, military, nurses, and sports teams.

Step 2.

Divide students into groups of 3 to 4 to complete a Then, Now, Tomorrow thinking routine, which can be found on the student worksheet. Invite students to think about uniforms and how they have developed/changed over time by guiding them with these prompts.

Then	Now	Tomorrow
How long have uniforms been around? Why were uniforms first introduced? What was their main purpose?	What are the main functions of uniforms today? Have these changed or remained much the same? Has the style of uniforms changed over time? What are some of the main differences between past uniforms and present uniforms?	Do you think uniforms will continue to be used well into the future? For what purposes or groups? Do you think there is a benefit in continuing to have uniforms for certain groups? How do you imagine the design of uniforms might change in the future?

Step 3.

Invite groups to share some of their responses to the Then, Now, Tomorrow activity. Have students identify whether the groups came up with consistent responses or if their answers were quite different from one another.

Students may wish to conduct online research to support their assertions about uniforms. They might be able to bring up images of uniforms from the past and today to compare them. Perhaps futuristic films also provide possible uniform designs that don’t exist yet.

Step 4.

In the same groups, pose the following question to the class and ask the class to agree on a shared response: what does it mean to have a collective identity?

Find out: Making of a hoodie (15 mins)

Step 1.

Play the following clip from the Coreen School episode (https://shows.acast.com/making-of-a-hoodie-podcast/episodes/coreen-school) of the Making of a Hoodie podcast from 5:00 to 8:45. The transcript for this section can be found on the student worksheet as well as in the link provided.

Step 2.

Show students the final hoodie design for Coreen School. This image can be found in the attached visual explainer.

Step 3.

Invite students to reflect on these questions:

What do you like about the idea of having a school uniform that the students have designed themselves?
What do you think of the idea of using a hoodie as a uniform? Could hoodies be used outside of schools as uniforms? Why/why not?
What might it mean to you to wear a hoodie that has been designed by yourself and others from a group you belong to?

Take action: Improving the uniform (30 mins)

Step 1.

Invite students to conduct some research into their favourite uniform using some of the suggestions from the start of the lesson. They might choose their school uniform, sporting team, military uniform or anything else that appeals to them.

They should:

Find visual examples of the uniform in different time periods or for different events and label them.
Observe and explain how the uniform has adapted over time or to suit different occasions. They can critique which adaptations they thought were improvements and which ones were less effective.
Imagine how they might redesign this uniform to make it more inclusive or representative of the times we live in. They might like to draw a new design or describe it in words.

You might take students through this website by the Carlton Blues AFL club and critique the uniform changes as a class. Be sure to highlight the Indigenous Round guernsey. Similar guernseys are worn for 2 weeks each year during the Sir Doug Nicholls rounds to highlight the important and valued role of Indigenous players in the AFL. These guernseys are designed each year by an Indigenous artist and tell a story of culture and belonging. You can learn more about the stories behind the 2022 guernseys here.

Step 2.

In pairs, have students complete this sentence:

If uniforms were to create a sense of belonging, identity and pride, they would need to…

Have students write their answers into a collaborative document or on the board. Group their answers where possible. Use their answers to discuss the following: what are the key aspects needed for designing an effective uniform?

Reflection (5 mins)

Invite students to complete these reflection questions:

If my school were to change their uniform policy, I’d like…
I feel a sense of belonging when… (make a list)

Uniform as Collective Identity

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