Listening oddly enough is very important in the kitchen. As a chef, you have to learn to multi-task a number of items at the same time while all the while getting directions. I often yell out instructions during the class as situations present themselves (dirty dishes, a change in the recipe or method, etc..) In a restaurant the Chef is constantly calling out orders to the line cooks and they have to be able to hear them and continue with the work they are already doing. By working on those skills now in the class labs, the students are setting up good habits for the future.
Hi Darron:
Great sensitivity to the students who may have a hard time with viewing raw carcasses. Other sensory assistance you may already use might iinclude wearing masks to diminish the smell, gloves in handling tools and tissue, and ear plugs around electric or pneumatic saws. These would be examples of providing a barrier to auxillary sensory stimuli that could be harmful to your instructional process.
Regards, Barry
As an instructor in a meat fabrication course, it tends to get very uncomfortable for some students. I try to use a blend of subtle humor, along w/ a sense of respect for the product that is being fabricated. I use powerpoint presentations extensively prior to a hands on demo, to sort of break the ice w/ visuals of the product. Once we take away the initial shock factor of seeing a carcass, it becomes a learning experience. STudents now know WHAT they are looking at & WHAT they are looking for, they're not focusing on the carcass itelf, but the pieces & components of it, and how they apply to their cooking.
Hi Cindy:
Yeah, planning to involve students in their learning can be quite a creative exercise. We can't always integrate all the senses in every lesson, and sometimes one or two sensory points are emphasized over others. But here is the ideal opportunity to think outside the box and get creative. Students will respond more to their learning when it seems fun and related to the topic.
Regards, Barry
I thought this topic area was interesting because in the classroom I always tell my students if they 1) see it, 2) hear it and 3) write (touch) it then they "got it"!
Hi Sarah:
Good reflection on the experience o0f one of your peers.
Regards, Barry
Your post gives me pause for thought. I am going to see how to incorporate your ideas in my class. I teach a first term class and use different exercises to get culinary students to think about their senses. We do a lot of Boal work that engages the senses. Before they even give their first speech we do a "tour of place" in which they lead another student around who has their eyes closed as they take them through a detailed description of thier favorite place. Many students comment that they can actually hear the ocean or smell the food when all they have really done is walk around a classroom. We also do an empathy listening exercise, a listening exercise that involves having two conversations at once, directional exercises, etc. We then relate these exercise to the kitchen. After an exercise I ask them "If this was the kitchen, what's in it for you" It is exciting to watch them make the discoveries. I only wish I had time to do more!!!
Hi Carriann:
Good examples. Of course there are other senses (such as pressure, temperature, balance, pain, etc) but I would imagine these are less useful in most learning situations. I can say though, the skilled crafsman sense in the pressure of an instrument or the correct balance can be quite meaninful. You're right though, we usually don't get enough time to explore these multifaceted experiences.
Regards, Barry
I try to incorporate all five senses in the student's learning as much as possible. They are almost always using sight, hearing, and touching through instruction and handling dental instruments. The taste and smell is experienced some with certain procedures/class involvement, but not as often as I would like.
Hi Jeffrey:
I enjoyed reading your post. The part about watching diners for visual cues was very interesting. You covered many sensory learning techniques applicable to your profession. Very enlightening - thanks!
Regards, Barry
I am a hospitality instructor at a culinary school and during the dining room class, we use most senses to learn about how restaurants operate on a number of levels. Students learn by watching me demonstrate a number of tasks but also by learning to watch diners for visual cues and body language. We listen to the communication in the kitchen for clues about what will occur next in service and listen for information about the guests experience in addition to just listening to lectures in class. The students learn to touch, taste and smell products in the restaurant to assess their readiness or fitness for serving. More than anything else, these experiences create sensory memories that the students will carry with them and use out into the work environment.
Hi Gerald:
Being snensitive as an instructor to the dynamics of a class really requires us to use all of our senses. To be able to tune in to the class or individuals can be an essential tactic to successful classes.
Regards, Barry
Hi Patti:
I think having students share with one another helps them learn too, sort of like unofficial teaching aids. You can always correct any area that is off base.
Regards, Barry
Hi Connal:
Interesting....listening in a cooking class. As you say, the finesse and subtlties of many dishes are had in the memory (stored in all of the senses).
Regards, Barry
I have taught both Interpersonal Communications and Public Speaking with each subject, I have spent a bit of time encouraging my students to recognize specifically how their senses effect their individual learning. My students generally find it fun and interesting to stop for a moment and take note of all the different stimuli that their bodies are receiving at a given time.
I like to use hands on strategies, preferably one that they can at least touch and see. I teach computers, and I know I can lecture and show how to do applications all day on the projector screen; however, I know that students will just forget what I have shown them unless if they do the applications themselves. They get to see what they are doing, use their own mouse and keyboard to create something on the computer.
I teach at a cooking school. I constantly encourage students to touch, taste and smell, as well as to listen. Good cooking requires the use of all your senses. Cooks much touch and taste raw product as a means of becoming acquainted with it and then thinking about how to cook it, how much to cook it, and what to serve it with. Students are frequently nervous and uncertain and they need to be comfortable with ingredients in order to develop their repertoires. Also, a good cook has must have a solid sense memory for decisive and efficient cooking.
