I have been a culinary educator for the best part now of 24 years, 14 of which I have spent at NAIT. The previous 10 in various industry roles as cook, chef, executive chef and manager. I always have and in many ways continue to feel like a student of food and cooking, as opposed to instructor and educator. As each year passes, new faces appear in the kitchen. Each has a unique character, most often a storied background about what brought them to food and cooking. The enthusiasm, the passion and the stories of what has inspired them to this career path is always what inspires me. I work hard to bring knowledge, energy and excitement. I focus much of my instructional time on engaging the learner, keeping them inspired and motivated. I once had …show more content…
Some of the methods I use daily in my teaching are simple discussion of a topic that brings questions or queries, group brainstorming, team projects and activities. These three ideas are used on a daily basis in kitchens by professionals in our industry. Active learning and how I introduce it into my classroom, my ideas around this are many however the most often used in my environment is scenarios. It is one thing to make a bowl of soup that taste’s delicious. It is entirely a different thing to build a menu, based upon a demographic and restaurant type. Then source food products for a fair price, apply food costing principles, labor and overhead costs, prepare the same soup It is an amazing way to bring students into the real world of our industry as well we have the ability to give an amazing amount of feedback on the processes, methods, and techniques …show more content…
I plan my classes diligently and carefully. The syllabus tells me what material I will cover each day. The outline is my contract to the student, they always know what is coming and what is expected. I know when the assessment will be and so do the students. Each theory and practical session is organized and structured. I must be focused on the topic, I try and make eye contact. I smile a lot. I exude energy towards food, display passion about the topic of the day. I move around, use my hands and encourage participation. They smile, they snooze and most take copious notes. I have fun. I teach the students, not the