At he beginning of the course, I ask students about the trends they see in the industry and then I keep referring back to those as I go through the course. It gives the subject matter credence and relevance to their future careers.
Giving them concrete examples from my personal work experience how concepts taught in the course are applied in real life work environments.
In the culinary field it is always important to know the basics or the foundations of cooking, i always relate what we are learning to a real world experience that i have had myself in the past.
As a school that has a technique driven curriculum we emphasize the need for focused learning. What we are teaching and the material we are trying to teach the student can and will be utilized daily in their chosen field of study. We daily give examples of what can happen if their supervisors ask them to do something, and they fail to accomplish the task because they were not focused in their training. We also let them know that if in fact they do not pay attention they can effect their livelihood as well as other students now and in the future .
Relate the student's activity back to your own experience in the field performing that activity. Using a lab setting to show relevance of knowledge or skills learned can be useful as well.
Hi Marshall,
You do have the perfect course to show relevancy. We have to show students that they are really getting what they paid for.
Patricia
I have two main ways I make my courses relevant. One way is showing the connection in the larning environment and one is showing the relavancy in the industry.
For example let's talk about Pate a Choux - the basis for eclairs cream puffs and the like. I also will inject savory items to broaden their focus and understanding of the bigger picture.
as an instructor in the culinary filed, i find it very important to explain to our students how classical techniques are almost always bases for more contemporary usages. when possible i like to show both a classical way and a new twist on it.
Hi Sheila,
I like the idea! I am sure your students have been inspired by this.
Patricia
Hi Casey,
What a great way to teach students! Samples are always appreciated by students.
Patricia
Being a chef instructor it is easy to show relevance of the course content we teach. The students need to understand foundational skills to be able to prepare items that they are going to cook.
One of the demonstrations that I like to use is showing the students basic knife cuts and how the become a portion of a recipe of a compenent of dish. Students feel they are "getting more" out of the course when we give them these types of practical skills.
As a Librarian, when I teach information literacy in any course, I focus on the course research project. Thus, when I perform searches to find information, I demonstrate a sample search to aide students in finding research for their projects.
My usual strategy is to have at least one successful graduate (passed state certification exam and is employed) be a guest speaker in the final classroom module.
I always refer to real world applications in the restaurant industry in there techniques and how it has an effect be it good or bad in them being hired and then promoted. By making this comparison it motivates them and increases their desire to attain these skills in order to move up the ladder to become the chef. In a restaurant practicum class it is very important to stress the relevency otherwise students could easily see it as free labor.
Carlos
Hi Steven,
You have wonderful stories to get your students motivated and involved. Students appreciate real-world experience from instructors.
Patricia
I recently taught patient care and had the opportunity to show my students that many of the patients that they x-ray will be difficult. With 15 years of tech experience, I have learned to quickly assess my patient to determine the quickest and most effective way to obtain high quality films on a patient. I related to them many experiences where I had to quickly think on my feet to get the job done. I related to them that the more they understand human nature and some of the unique problems that patients face, the more effective tech that they will become.
Working in the radiology field for 15 years, I have quite a bit of experience in dealing with difficult patients. When I was recently teaching patient care, some of the students were wondering why they had to learn some of the course contents in relation to difficult patients. I was able to share with them many experiences when I had to think outside the box to obtain quality diagnostic x-rays. I told them that many patients are challenging. It takes quite a combination of skill and the ability to think on one's feet when caught up in a difficult exam.
I always bring in industry professionals. It is not enough for me to tell them of my experiences, they have to hear it from several professionals early on in the class.
I teach a certification review course at the end of the program to prepare them for a national certification test the students take after graduation. Sometimes it is challenging to make them feel this course is relevent since they are taking it at the same time as their internship. The students feel they get all of the knowledge they need during the internship and are not thrilled with the class. I started giving them a mock certification test on the first night of class. This shows them how much they do not actually remember from the program and all of a sudden it is very relevent.
Jackie White
Hi Michael,
Great idea! What type of anecdotal have you used in the past?
Patricia
