Daily line up...
Every day we line up to do "Brigade". As a classical French Culinary school,we get the opportunity to greet and acknowledge our students daily as class gets started.
Hi Victoria,
I like this a well. It does help the day to get off to a uniform start since everyone will be evaluated through the line up procedure.
Gary
Line up before class is a great way to feel out the students for the day. It is also a great way to set the tone for the day, one that is upbeat and ready for learning.
An alternative to email would be an in-class discussion board so that your comments can be shared with everyone in the class. Of course, comments need to be a bit less personal in nature, but they still can be encouraging and motivational. Also, I find a question from one student is often something on the mind of other students who are not eager to ask. By using a public forum appropriately, a response to one question can help many students versus an email which helps just one student.
Hi Lori,
Great way to start and end for both the students and faculty. It helps keep the students focused on the important aspects of why their are there.
Gary
I also teach at the same school as Marcus, Steve, Harry & Patrick –(William) and I feel the line up at the beginning and the end is very effective. You get a snap shot of the day in the beginning and a wrap up at the end. They really feed off the synopsis of the day. They know when they have been successful and when they have struggled. They are the first ones to tell you (most of the time)!
I tend to focus on where I see improvements and hold them to achieve higher levels of expectation
R
Hi William,
Good idea. How do the students react to the line at the end of the class? Are they still as focused on being professionals as they are at the beginning of the course and the first line up? I am curious about how fatigue and effort factors into their feelings at the end of the course.
Gary
Hi Denise,
I am sure you will great results from doing this. An early email helps get the students in the mind frame of being students and gets them ready to engage in the upcoming course.
Gary
I also teach at the same institution. I hold line twice a day. Once at the begining and also at the end of class. I use it as an introduction
and a a way to end class.
Dr. Gary,
I like the idea of sending out an e-mail before class starts. I will give this a try at the beginning of our next session.
Hi Harry,
Good comments about how you read your students. Also with the daily line up you are showing that each day you are going to have the same high standards as you did yesterday. This sends a real clear message to your students of consistency which is a key requirement of the field.
Gary
Marcus and I teach at the same school. Daily line up helps getting to know students and also reinforces professional standards for the food service industry. I always ask a question like: What's new in your world? What's better today than yesterday? What's new and exciting? Responses give a quick mental picture of students attitudes for the day and also allow a chance for interaction with more withdrawn students.
Hi Lucille,
I like it as well. Career colleges are preparing people for careers and the students need to realize that all aspects of their lives including dress are critical to their success. Uniform inspection helps them to make progress toward their goal.
Gary
We also do a daily line-up to greet the student and inspect the student uniforms before class. We have found that this does make the students feel more comfortable when entering the class. Also it gives us a chance to “square away” any uniform issues before entering the kitchen.
Hi George,
Good way to start the class. You are "reading" the pulse of the class by talking with and checking each student for compliance. This also sets a standard that they know is going to be enforced each day.
Gary
Every day i meet all of the students at the door when the bell rings to make sure their dress in in compliance and they have the proper footwear (for the shop) as well as identification on their person. It also allows me to pick up on any person who appears to be in a bad mood and see if there is anything i can do.
Hi Steven,
Good point. We all need to remember that no matter our age we like to have the "warm fuzzies" sent our way. When we do that it really makes the student perk up and want to try harder.
Gary
Hi Maria,
You might want to send them an email before the class starts introducing yourself and welcoming them to the class. Ask them if they have any questions and list some of the highlights of the class. Once the class starts you may want to send an email again with the same offer just worded slightly different because by now they will have received the syllabus and the course requirements. After that monitor the postings and look for trends and discussion from each student. I have done referrals between students asking them to share some information just to get more interaction going.
Gary
As part of the same school, I do find that lineup is a very good way to have daily contact with students. One thing that I am trying to do a better job at is complimenting the student whenever possible. I need to be reminded of the value of the "warm fuzzy."
