2010 FENI Poster Presentation

2010 Poster Presentations
At the 2010 Foodservice Educators Network International (FENI) Summit, chef-instructors were encouraged to share their innovative teaching methodologies through poster board presentations. Here chef-instructors Doris Schomberg and Sean Perrodin share their respective efforts to push the boundaries of the culinary classroom to improve learning and student involvement.

Teaching hospitality supervision as a hybrid class
by Doris Schomberg, CCE, MS, Alamance Community College, Graham, N.C.

Years of teaching a three-credit hospitality supervision course at the associate degree level has taught me that far too many students considered "supervision" concepts something to be learned in a seat-of-the-pants manner with little need to dig into the textbook. After 20 years of teaching the course in a classroom setting and two years of teaching online, I wondered if teaching the course as a "hybrid," combining online assignments with weekly classroom sessions would get students more engaged with the text. Would students be more motivated to use the textbook to learn course vocabulary and concepts/principles if online testing was assigned prior to classroom work? With exposure to and mastery of necessary background vocabulary (remembering and understanding), could classroom discussions be more focused on the higher levels of thinking, such as evaluating, analyzing and applying?

I hypothesized that learning would be at the critical thinking level in the end. Critical thinking would be the level of the midterm and final exams. My approach was to administer online testing first, classroom discussion second and critical thinking third with exams.

Online testing. The first two to three weeks of the semester, students found the weekly assignment sequence unusual. Imagine having to read the text and do an online test on vocabulary/basic concepts before attending class discussions.

Classroom teaching. Class discussions evolved to a higher level because of prior exposure to text material and shared background knowledge by all the students. Case studies could actually be analyzed in-depth, and workplace applications were more meaningful--all because chapter competencies were understood. Learning moved to a higher level; students were more engaged.

Student critical thinking. Midterm and final exams became a time for critical thinking and for students to prepare themselves for their own future hospitality supervision. The assignment was to focus on the seven chapters studied in that half of the semester and choose one supervision concept/principle to incorporate into their own supervision style in future careers. They were asked to describe that idea and explain why they selected it.

We found that student levels of thinking and learning were higher under the hybrid model than under the traditional teaching strategies. Student grades were higher. They retained more of the course material. And they were pleased with the outcomes of a hospitality supervision course taught "in reverse."

Who's the instructor?
by Sean Perrodin, AAS, culinary arts instructor, San Jacinto College, Houston

Teaching is a special profession that sows seeds of knowledge to students seeking a career and lifestyle worth living. Today, the instructor is challenged by which teaching style works best for traditional or nontraditional lectures and labs. Today’s educator must have a passion far beyond their degree, specialization or certification. We must find a way to look at lectures and labs from a student's prospective and engage them the moment they enter the classroom. I would like to share a few nontraditional exercises that have been effective for retention, accountability and productivity.

Scavenger hunt. This exercise teaches students supervision, management, leadership, communication and delegation in a timed environment. It involves two or more teams having a specific task assigned by a student supervisor/manager/chef in charge of the group. This is a 1 1/2-hour class exercise.

Culinary graffiti. This method was developed for those 7 a.m. lectures that students love to attend. As soon as the student enters the class, he/she must write on the board the pre-assigned task. It may consist of positive quotes, terms in a textbook chapter(s), and/or new culinary terms. This exercise encourages immediate conversation between professor and student and generates a positive learning environment. This is done the first five or 10 minutes before the lecture begins.

Student lottery. This teaches students to have accountability for the choices they make and that challenges are only motivators to be better. The student lottery can be a way to divide students into groups, organize lab assignments and select a leadership position. The random selection provides the student an opportunity to work with all learning and skill levels within the group--teaching them to accept challenge and adjust to diversity.

Student lesson plans. Small group engagements for understanding assigned areas in a chapter; highlighting the importance and presenting the end result to the other groups for class note-taking make up this exercise. Students practice public speaking, accountability of the information acquired and how to study within a group.

As a result of these exercises, learning has been fun through challenges and rewards. We must encourage every student to embrace the adversity and challenges. Lead by example, and emphasize the importance of diversity and student accountability. In the end, who is ultimately learning?