The Instant Life of Aprons and Pockets (LS-RO-252)
Have you noticed how the apron is enjoying a resurgence nowadays? This protective garment, with or without (front/side) pockets, worn over other clothes and covering the front part of your body, is being used in many different settings, from kitchens to laboratories, artisan workshops, Art classrooms in schools, butcher’s shops and gardens. One of the modern cultural factors contributing to the rising interest in aprons is the slow food movement, which has inspired people to cook for pleasure.
Spare time activities
Cooking for pleasure is a spare time activity that can have whole lessons built around. The learning scenario I am presenting has arisen from the idea of making an apron to be worn proudly on a particular occasion (a cooking fair in particular). The teacher of Technology and Practical Applications offers guidance and support. Students use historical aprons as references in their design, express one need out of those expressed during the class discussion (cooking for pleasure in particular), relate their design to today’s societal context, and show the interpretation of the functional aspect of aprons with/without pockets by integrating at least one element of personalisation.
English as a Foreign Language
The English language component revolves around the concept of giving instructions using the imperative, a sub-skill that learners of English as a Foreign Language at A2+ level are already familiar with. The lesson helps to take this to a new level by narrating events in the Present Continuous and/or the Past Tense.
Function and fashion
For both function and fashion reasons, aprons are likely to be around for centuries to come. While implementing this learning scenario, students can experiment with the interplay between fashion and function. The result will stand as linking the past with the present in a novel way.
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The featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana Collections and belongs to the public domain.