I will start my introduction by first describing the characteristics of the learners I may be teaching, (based on my previous experience teaching a culinary program at a high school level).  There will be considerable diversity of ethnicity, education level and social economic background.  There will be both young men and women in the program ranging in age from fourteen to nineteen; most of them have had little or no culinary training.

The objective of the course is threefold:

1. First provide an opportunity for students to gain a general knowledge of how professionally run kitchen operates.
2. Second teach students skills that will enable them to successfully work in a kitchen environment at an entry level position; job transferable skills.
3. Third teach a variety of cookery technics that students will be able to use at home and where ever life takes them: life skills.

The culinary program will be designed to provide approximately 60% practical hands on food preparation experience, coupled with 30% theoretical knowledge, and 10% allotted for participation which includes: attendance, attitude, and effort.  The length is one semester long however there are four continuing courses that run simultaneously: grades (11A, 11B, 12A, 12B) Students may take one of the courses or all of the courses.  The more culinary courses they take the more experience they gain and greater responsibility is placed upon them for the running of the kitchen.  The areas the students will study are:

• Safety, sanitation, and equipment
• Basic food service skills
• Cold kitchen (salads, sandwiches, dressings and dips, cold platters)
• Egg and breakfast cookery
• Vegetable and starch preparation
• Stocks, soups, and sauces
• Hot entrees
• Desserts and bakery items

The title of my course is Basic Introduction to the Culinary Arts and the reason I have selected these areas of study is due to the fact that they are the first areas in the kitchen where an entry level person would start.  For example they might start by helping to prepare salads or fruit trays, cutting vegetables and preparing starches (potatoes, rice, and pasta).  Next, they might move to breakfast, preparing eggs of all description and later the student could be preparing the daily soup or making desserts in the bake station.  The purpose of this course is not to make students master in these areas, but to provide an introduction and give students a base to work from in an experiential way.

The Prerequisites for this course are:

1. Students must be in grade ten or above.
2. Must have a basic level of English comprehension, students whose first language is not English may be required to show the results of an English language assessment.

 

Preamble

 

Creating a Harmonious Environment:

Students and teachers need to feel safe, both physically and emotionally, in the school setting.  In a learning environment where cooperative, active, and collaborative teaching strategies are utilized, students must become knowledgeable of their role in enabling a safe environment to exist.  Being empowered to take ownership for their own safety and that of their peers is essential for the development of young adults.  As a teacher / chef it is top priority to create an environment in which student endeavour to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times, free of harassment and discrimination.  Character education is the key the wellbeing of students; students and teachers spent a lot of time together in a classroom, therefore both parties are stakeholders in establishing a harmonious environment.   I feel it is imperative to establish behaviour expectation together with each class so the students have a sense of control and ownership about their learning environment; the beginning of a new class is the ideal time to create this document and it sets the tone of the rest the semester.  As a teacher I also had a list of five behaviours that would get a student permanently removed from the culinary program:

1. Theft from the teaching kitchen.
2. Coming to class under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
3. Contaminating food.
4. Violence or physical abuse.
5. Harassment or verbal abuse.

I would explain to my students that it is the norm in most jobs to have an employee handbook that explains the terms that will terminate employment (get them fired), and this list of five is usually at the top of an employer’s list.

Valuing Social and Cultural Diversity:

In order to engage in and maximize learning, all students need to see their social and cultural identities reflected and affirmed in curriculum and classroom practices.  It is important to recognize that students in the lower mainland region of British Columbia come from increasingly diverse ethnic, racial, cultural, and social backgrounds.  Students communicate with the wider cultural world through technology and media in order to understand their own and other’s ways of seeing and making sense of the world.  Curriculum, classroom practices, co-op placements, and learning resources should reflect the diverse and multicultural nature of our society; examine issues of power and privilege, and challenge stereotypes and discrimination.

As a teacher / chef I am committed to the principle that English language learners (ELL) should be full participants in all aspects of classroom / kitchen.  English deficiencies and cultural differences must not be barriers to full participation.  All students, and ELL’s in particular, need to have opportunities and be given encouragement and support for speaking, writing, reading, and listening classes.  Schools should provide:

• ELL students with support in their dominant language and English language within the classroom / kitchen.
• Teachers, counsellors, and other professionals should consider the English language proficiency level of ELL learners as well as their prior course work.
• The proficiency level of ELL learners should be solely based on their prior academic record, and not on other factors.
• To verify that barriers have been removed, educators should monitor enrolment and achievement data to determine whether ELL students have gained access to, and are succeeding in their programs.

 

Gender-Inclusive Curriculum:

In a supportive learning environment: male, female, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students receive equitable access: teacher assistance, resources, technology, and a range of roles in group activities.  It is important that the curriculum reflect the experiences and values of male, female, and LGBT students, and those texts and other learning resources include and reflect the interests, achievements, and perspectives of all students.

Engaging the Students:

One of the greatest challenges to teachers is engaging students who feel alienated from learning / students and who lack confidence in themselves.   As learners some students have potential but have not yet been realized.  Among them are students who seem unable to concentrate, who lack everyday motivation for academic tasks, who rarely do homework, who fail to pass in assignments, who choose to remain on the periphery of small-group work, who cover up their writing attempts fearing the judgment of peers, who are mortified if asked to read aloud, and who keep their opinions to themselves.  These students are significantly delayed when it comes to learning.  Some, though not all, exhibit behaviors in classrooms that further distance them from learning.  Others are frequently absent from classes.  These are characteristics of disengaged students.  These students need essentially the same opportunities as their peers:

• Engagement in authentic and worthwhile communication situations.
• Time to construct meaning, connect, collaborate, and communicate with each other.
• Opportunity to form essential links between the world of text and their own world.
• A sense of ownership of learning and assessment tasks. They need experiences designed to engage them personally.