The starting point of the Is it possible! – Revision: Data organisation elements maths lesson for the 7th grade students from Colegiul National Emil Racovita was the Do not waste your waste – how to make a no-sew-t-shirt-bag international SmartHands workshop.
The purpose of the lesson was to raising awareness of the importance and applicability of data organisation elements when calculating the cost of a product in a sustainable economy.

After introducing the context of the lesson (What is a sustainable economy and how can we support it? Are we aware of the steps in the making of a T-shirt made of natural or synthetic fibres? What is the difference between the two?) the teacher introduced the study case: Bangladesh and Purna textile industry comparison.

The teacher implemented a role play: Imagine you have just got the position of Cost Manager in a textile factory. Some of you work in Bangladesh for a company based on a consumption economy, others work in Purna for a company based on a sustainable economy. The company CEO asks you to modify the price of the T-shirts to be more competitive on the marketplace, so that the company makes bigger profits. In order to do that, you need to know what the cost consists of.

The students

  • studied the cost components/elements of a T-shirt and organised the data in a table using the information from the case study,
  • determined the % that each element has in the final cost of the T-shirt (the final cost is the price one pay for the T-shirt when we buy it),
  • in pairs, exchanged data,
  • organised the comparative data in a diagram,
  • made a comparative analysis of the elements that form the T-shirt cost,
  • made at least 3 adjustments/modifications to the price of the T-shirt so that it brings more profit to the company, and it is more competitive on the marketplace,
  • wrote a note to the company CEO informing them of the new cost and presented at least 3 arguments in favour of their choice.

Teachers’ reflections:

  • The classes were interactive.
  • The students got involved, for the most part, managing to play the assumed roles, they were active and interested.
  • Students correctly identified the components of a price, worked the graphs and charts correctly and studied the case study carefully.
  • The projects presented as well as the assignments sent on Google Classroom were interesting, original, well thought out and carefully crafted.
  • The students carefully followed the presentations and asked relevant questions, which led to debates about the proposed changes.
  • The students voted correctly on the price change projects, responsibly arguing the vote given.

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