What connections can you make or what implications do you foresee for home economics teaching bas...

1. Diane O.: "I believe that the “hands-on” experiences, home economics brings to educational practices is valuable in engaging students in examining what they know and expanding their knowledge and skills in new ways."

2. Diane O.: "I believe that in home economics we have valuable opportunities to examine and question real life concerns – to think about them critically – to increase knowledge and understanding."

3. Diane O.: "As we move from a technical model to that of emancipatory action, we are encouraging our students to not just think about the practical problems but to do more with their understandings, knowledge and skills – often in what might be small ways but things that are really big and important such as acknowledging the need for food banks or homeless shelters, eating disorder clinics, etc and doing something about those needs be it volunteering, raising funds, etc."

4. Jen: "One purpose of Family Studies is to help shape individuals who can contribute positively to their family life and by default, to society as well. As Giroux states, “culture not only mediates history but shapes it” (Giroux, p.60). The Family Studies curriculum could be enriched by including a more in depth look into cultural diversity, as culture is a significant part of who we are as individuals."

5. Jen: "The idea that learning takes place across a spectrum of social practices and settings is definitely connected to home economics. The course in itself is a social setting at times, and the learning experience is heightened due to those interactions."

6. Kelsey: "Teaching is not about indoctrination or saying what’s right and what’s wrong… It’s about providing information so that students can make their own informed decisions."

7. “As a critical practice, pedagogy’s role lies not only in changing how people think about themselves and their relationship to others and the world, but also in energizing students and others to engage in those struggles that further possibilities for living in a more just society."

7.1. Kelsey: "Likely without even realizing, in foods labs students engage in social interactions that require them to work cooperatively and respectfully with others.

7.2. Diane O.: "Isn’t this the underlying force of home economics empowering individuals and families to a better quality of life – definitely beyond the school boundaries!"

7.3. Jen: "I think that home economics education is a fantastic setting for these types of challenges. Examples could include making quilts to send away and the students could do the leg work to figure out where they are most needed, students developing new initiatives to help the society in which they live, or helping out in a mission serving food. The possibilities are endless really, and home economics educators are lucky to have a curriculum that can be applied so easily to bettering the society in which we live. "

8. Kelsey: "Giroux talks about cultural studies as being a largely academic discourse and how it is often removed from public pedagogy... aiming for a balance of theoretical/academic understanding and practice is important. I quite enjoyed reading this article as it offers that ‘energizing’ that Giroux talks about – that push to keep on challenging our practice, and challenging students."