Hi Denise,
Good strategy. This way you are kept focused while your students know how the class is going to flow.
Gary
Students like to know what is going to happen and when. I learned from a fellow instructor to put a timeline of what is going to happen in class on the board before the students arrive. I am going to try to do that. It is also a reminder for me.
Hi Amie,
Good job with keeping your students engaged over such a long period of time. The breaks are critical as well as the offering a variety of activities to keep the students focused. I teach long block courses as well and I find that I am constantly challenged to offer the variety of instruction that will keep my students on task.
Gary
My class is a four and a half hour meeting. It is hard as attention span does not expand that long. I use 15 minutes breaks after an hour and design a plan so much so that the class won't be boring and monotonous. I use lecture, video presentations, group discussions, film showing alternately.
Gina,
I agree with you. Everything in the culinary world is based on time. when students are in the earlier part of the program we introduce the concept of specific time managment. As they progress through the program time becomes more a factor and component of the lesson plan.
Hi Shawn,
Good plan. This should work well for you.
Gary
My schedule is also very tight. I found by putting the days objectives, by class segment(3),on the board for today and tomorrow I am held to a time segment and the students know whats coming next. We do stay flexable, on point and on time.
I tend to buid in an extra 20 minutes or so of Q+A in my lecture classes, and keep my lab classes a little more stuctured, as I can control the time in those classes a little better.
In lecture-based classes I usually plan on spending extra time on certain subjects and on allowing for extra time in the case on non-comprehension. That being said I usually know going in where we need to be at each hourly break and will cut off some of the discussion to make that goal.
This is great because it also simulates the time contraints that are inherent in the food service industry as a whole - helps the students to be better prepared for that.
Hi Gina,
This is a good plan all the way around in terms of introducing the time factor. Meal preparation is based upon time so time becomes one of the learning needs of students. So in addition to the basics of learning the Culinary Arts the students are learning about business standards as well.
Gary
