Fostering Creativity and Resourcefulness in Ms. Vining's Textiles Class

Ms. Vining shared her approach to bringing up creativity and design within her classroom. It becomes evident that her teaching philosophy revolves around empowering students to unleash their potential when we slowly dive into her framework to assist the students in the textiles class.

Ms. Vining showed us the importance on supporting creativity by creating assignments and assessments to align with students' ideas, talents, and passions. She achieves this by having her projects open-ended and providing students with “a pool of choices”. This approach allows students to find the unlimited possibilities to create unique projects. She always implied that providing certain limitations can be a boost for innovation such as working with specific materials or having tight deadlines.

Ms. Vining introduces students to a diverse array of textiles materials and teaches them to identify which ones are best suited for various projects. The class often relies on donated, affordable, or leftover materials due to budget within the course. Fabrics like flannelette and plain cotton are frequently used, and students are challenged to use with what is available. Yarn and various types of string, including regular thread and embroidery floss, are also constitutional components of their projects, each serving specific purposes and adding depth to the learning experience.