In putting culinary students through service class, the best way to make the learning relevant for them is to use real-life examples as to when the information could be useful in their careers as chefs. When something happens in our restaurant, I ask them how it would affect their role as a chef if it had happened in their restaurant.
Hi Robert,
Connections and application. Two critical words in the learning process and you are doing a great job of helping students to see both. The knowledge they get from your courses is both career and personal in use. Great job.
Gary
Hi Nolan,
You have an unique perspective on helping students. You get to bridge the gap between needed information and the source of the information. You can make your resources come to life in the lives of the students so they will see the value of what you are talking to them about.
Gary
Hi James,
The PAC input really helps to make it "real" for students. These are folks in the field that tell it like it is. Their input helps to make the curriculum relevant and the students know if they acquire the knowledge and skills that come out of the PAC's input their will be trained to business and industry standards.
Gary
We don't have much say in the course content, so I try to make the level of difficulty appropriate for the students in the programs that take my course. I also frequently show them how the material that we are studying is not only important for them in their course of study, but also in their daily lives. Since I teach Anatomy and Physiology, this is not hard to do. I think it helps the students want to learn, since it may, in fact, save their lives some day.
Again, speaking as a librarian, this is a little bit different than an instructor teaching a class for an entire term. My main objective is to teach students the research skills they will need to complete a particular assignment for that class. I make the content relevant by focusing primarily on the information needs the students have for the particular class.
We continually update our curriculum according to the employers expectations of entry level tech.s. One of our main tools for this would be PAC meetings held evey three months at our as well as other campuses. PAC meetings are dealer groups relaying their expectations,talking to students,facilty and management.
Hi Mary Ann,
Great job with your course content. I like to teach this way as well. Students need to be able to problem solve and seek solutions that is what education is all about. By using metaphors and analogies you are showing them the way. Good job.
Gary
I usually employ the andogogic appoach to teaching. I steer away from memorization and having the students regurgitate information. I encourage critical thinking and applying the material to one's personal and professional life (since I teach Psychology courses). My personal mission as an instructor is to deliver material that is meaningful and applicable. I refrain from having my students spit out information without understanding the material thoroughly. I use a lot of metaphors and analogies to bring it to the experiential level.
What strategies have you implemented for making a course's content relevant and applicable to the learning needs of students?
I try to differentiate my instructional strategies to keep the students on their toes. In addition, I try to relate what we're covering in class to the skills they'll need when they're in the industry. I tell them about the current trends and how what we're covering in class will help them when they graduate.
I believe that "buy in" to the course helps with the overall attitude about the class as well as their grades.
Hi Sharlen,
This method of asking questions of those already in the field helps to reinforce what you are trying to teach them but they may not have heard it clearly. The communication skills area is one that a majority of our students really need help in. Anything we can do to facilitate their growth in this area will help to make them more successful.
Gary
Hello Gary,
One of our activities is for the students to interview someone who is in the profession that they are going into. We divide into small groups by major and then they come up with questions that they want to ask. I was in a workshop where one of the sessions was with personnel from industry. They said one of the skills they were looking for was good communication skills. So, we focus many of our questions around communication skills.
Hi Amy,
Great way to help make it "real" for your students by bringing in the latest information. This way your students can see how their newly acquired knowledge can be used.
Gary
Hi Patricia,
What are the biggest challenges your students are facing as the prepare to enter the food service industry based upon the current economic situation?
Gary
I've added cutting-edge content from industry experts so students are learning from leaders in the field. It additionally exposes them to current trends, new technology, and the industry direction.
As an avid reader, I also share information from pertinent books as well as articles and interviews from magazines. (Magazines like The Sun, Outside, The Utne Reader, and Ode to name a few.) These sources may provide unique viewpoints or show relationships to the material that we may not cover in class. For example, in a Child Fitness class, we may not cover the environmental impact of sedentary kids. This gets students to think broadly about the material and look for other important connections.
I created an in-class game called “math war”. Students test each other on lessons they have learned. This teaches the student how to use their critical thinking skills under pressure. This makes the learning experience fun and allows the class to bond as a group.
I teach at a culinary school so I keep up on the food trends through reserching the internet and reading Restaurnat News Magazine. The classes that I teach are about Profesionalism, Networking, Job Searching and Life Skills. students are given differnt web sites, that they can use to find interships, how to prepare for interviews networking and join organizations in their industry.
This depends on the class that I am teaching. Many of the classes I have guest speakers or field trips to enhance lecture. I also get a wide range of students with different levels of experience. Some have already been working in the field, while others are seeing these things for their first time. I have to tailor my styles to fit the students individually. My outline and objectives remain the same, but my delivery methods vary. I prefer to do a lot of demonstrations and hands on experience. My lectures/reading assignments are always accompanied by stories of my experiences, students experiences, and discussions in general. Depending on the experience of the students, I do tend to add in case study and problem-based learning in my advanced classes that I teach.
Demonstration is my main strategy in the hospital clinical situation. I pass out the facilities' "Policy and Procedure" manual info sheet on the procedure we are currently studying. We spend several minutes going over the worksheet, discussing the materials inv., and their location.
I answer any questions and often demonstrate the actual procedure myself until the students feel comfortable to do it, and I then advise and observe as needed.
I also have an illustrated Nursing Procedures book that is always available and encourage the students who have done the procedure to show another student the procedure with appropriate supervision.
I try to include as many different senses as possible. For example, I may talk about something, have them write it down, and I show the information on a powerpoint. I also try to include some hands-on activities for the kinesthetic learners in the bunch. This is hard to do with teaching literature, but I can usually come up with at least a couple of good, tactile centered activities. I know there are probably days when all the visual oriented students are bored; I certainly can't include every learning style everyday, but I just try to mix it up as much as possible.
