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Our Changing Workplace
Project type: Introductory Activity
Related topic:
Sewing Seeds: Clothing Workers Fight For Better Conditions
Sewing Seeds: Clothing Workers Fight For Better Conditions
Subjects
Business Studies
Summary
In this introductory activity, students explore the changes to garment workers’ working conditions in Canada during the 20th century.
Duration
1 lesson
Purpose
To explore how worker activism, legislation, and unions have shaped working conditions in the manufacturing sector
Before Exploring
Ask students to talk about their knowledge of work in a manufacturing setting (i.e., a factory). Ask them to discuss what they think (or know) working conditions are like. Discuss any prior knowledge they may have about the changes in working conditions over time.
Outline the Opportunity
Have students visit the topic Sewing Seeds: Clothing Workers Fight for Better Conditions on the CBC Digital Archives website. They will listen to the clips Shedding light on the rag trade and 'Tough cookies' of the Great Depression and view the clips Union organizer arrested for 'seditious conspiracy', The 'job ghetto' of women's work, Workers walk out over Orwellian TV monitors, Working at night, Favouring foreign contracts, and The homeworkers market.
As they listen and view, have students take notes on the download sheet Our Changing Workplace.
Revisit and Reflect
Ask students to share their impressions and responses to garment workers’ conditions in the past and today. As a class, discuss the following questions:
How have working conditions improved?
What measures are in place today to protect Canadian workers from being exploited?
Do all countries have worker protection measures in place?
To conclude the lesson, have students reflect on and respond to what they learned, considering what they now know and how it connects to their prior knowledge.
Assessment Tip
Consider having students keep a response journal over the course of the semester for video clips and readings and recording their reflections in this journal. The response journal can be used as evidence of their Thinking/Inquiry development at the end of the semester.
Extension
Students can research the provincial and federal laws that protect workers’ rights, and then summarize key points from relevant legislation. In light of the current legislation, could Canadian garment workers experience the same conditions today as they did in the 1920s, 1930s, or even 1970s? Why or why not?
All Grades
9-10
11-12
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