Stephen Chavez

I think what I'm understanding in this module is the priority need to listen to your students.  Often times we get caught up in lecture and the giving of information without stopping to ask questions of the students as to how the information impacts them, or have them give an example of a time they did this, or experienced that.  Allowing them space to have input keeps them engaged and more active in the learning process.

Sometimes it is difficult for ESL students to comprehend the material in a group situation, but with a little patience and some 1 on 1 after lecture time, I find that they can comprehend the material better.  It also helps to have a supportivr group of classmates who will help that person to understand. So I guess if you can help foster a culture in the class where everyone is supportivethen that can make all teh difference

Because our culinary school is a destination school located on either coast, the student population is very diverse.  My current class mix includes a white male from Georgia, a female African American from Brooklyn, an Asian male from Seattle, and female students from Australia and Japan. It is one of the most culturally, ethnically, and socially complex groups I have ever had in 15 years of teaching. All of this material applies completely and totally to my current class situation.

I find the biggest challenge I currently face in the classroom is the understanding and application of new gender normals.  For years we have lways shouted "Let's go guys" to a group of students regardless of the gender mix of the classroom.  Nowadays that simple statement "Gyys" can be a cause of problems because of it's specific gender identity term, and is something that we should all get away from.

E-learning and creating online portfolios for assesments is a great idea.  With the current Instagram culture, everyone is taking pictures of their products.  Creating e-portfolios to be submitted is a great and innovative way to use technology in grading and eveluation of performance.

Cooperative learning in the culinary world has always been necessary due to shared tasting of foods and perfecting recipes.  The new challenge is to find ways to add that shared learning experience with basic knowledge activities such as conversions, sanitation, and daily recipe and ingredient learning

The modern challenge is to adapt to the changing attention span of students.  Current culinary trends on social media sites come in short one or two minute videos. How can we adapt our lectures and demonstrations to retain the attention and focus of the modern culinary student?  I hope to find some answers in this module