Class composition
Having ELL learners in my classes provided me with the opportunity to find strategies to support their learning. One particular example involved 3 ELL students who had difficulty making pasta noodles. As their reading comprehension was not at an adequate level for them to read the recipe, they struggled to keep up with the recipe methods. To support them, I simplified and modeled the instructions for them. I noticed that when I provided them with guidance, they felt encouraged and surprisingly completed the lab! After that lab, they were more open to asking me for help, rather than sitting waiting for help.
All my classes are comprised of students from many different cultural backgrounds. Since Vancouver is a city with diverse culture, I try to bring in examples of foods from all cultures into my foods classes. For example, when I taught a lesson on breakfast sandwiches, a supplement I added to that lesson was a powerpoint of breakfasts eaten around the world. My students really enjoyed it because they could identify with some of the countries mentioned.