What can teachers learn by positioning themselves as facilitators, rather than leaders, of the child’s learning? What can children learn through the process of making their own clothes?

In this conversation, Amelia Cobb will share insights from a child-led sustainable fashion project that generated meaningful learning opportunities for children, educators and the wider school community.

The Montessori East Sustainable Fashion Show saw children developing ecological awareness as they thought creatively and sustainably about fashion, acquiring valuable skills and techniques to up-cycle clothing and give garments a second life. This empowered the children to see themselves as creative agents capable of shaping a more sustainable future. Further, this project enabled children to experiment with self expression through garment making. They participated in workshops with Megan Hanson, a local textile artist and technician from UNSW, who empowered them to experiment with fabrics as a vehicle for self expression.

Using this sustainable fashion show as a case study, Amelia will provoke participants to consider the power of child-led learning in generating authentic and engaged educational experiences.

Amelia Cobb is a passionate educator, facilitator and lifelong learner. Currently a lead teacher at Montessori East Primary School, Amelia strives to make learning inclusive, dynamic and relevant. Amelia holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Indigenous Studies, a Graduate Diploma of Fine Arts as well as a Masters of Education.

Megan Hanson is a freelance costume maker, textiles artist and technician living and working on Wangal and Gadigal land. She holds an MFA with UNSW, where she is currently working as a Textiles Technician.