Is there ever enough time in class to do everything you wish? You’re already employing one out-of-classroom model to extend instruction, but, says Dr. Mayo, three that you might not have considered can help you become even more effective at teaching. Though not necessarily easy at first, these models’ merits make them worth a try.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

This past fall, we reviewed a number of issues and strategies for assessment. This spring, we will focus on learning activities for students, starting with a discussion of the value of developing and using out-of-class activities. My next “Mayo’s Clinic” will focus on using interviews as a learning activity. This month the column will explore several models of out-of-class activities.

Reasons for Out-of-Classroom Activities
There are many reasons to use out-of-class activities. Because there is never enough classroom time to do all that we want to do, out-of-class activities keep the learning going during the days between class meetings, offer an opportunity to maximize the benefits of in-class time, and provide a chance for students to become independent learners doing their own thing, within certain boundaries.

For years, we have been assigning out-of-class activities—the primary one being reading material in the textbook and coming to class prepared to discuss or use the information—but we don’t often think of them as such. In our experience, that was homework! We also assign the task of researching recipes or developing a mise en place list for the laboratory session, among many other assignments.

Having culinary students keep professional journals is beneficial to their learning—and eventual employment. But if that task is too daunting to your younger students, Chef Weiner proposes a simple, less-intimidating way for them to track their progress in class.

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

For years I got feedback from chefs, kitchen managers and human-resources people that my students often stumbled in interviews when asked the obvious (and apparently simple) question: “So, what have you made in class?” I was told that the student being interviewed magically morphed into a deer in the headlights. For years I struggled with how to prevent this from happening.

In June 2014 my friend and colleague, Dr. Fred Mayo, wrote in his column in CAFÉ’s “Gold Medal Classroom” about the importance of students maintaining professional journals during and after their culinary educations. I concur. Unfortunately, for many vocational-level students, and for high-school students, the idea of doing this is intimidating. They need a bit more structure and guidance in order to accomplish this task.

I came up with a simple chart. (See a sample chart that follows and the downloadable MS Word attachment below.) Every day the student has to spend her or his last minute in class filling in the form. Of course, you can have your students do it less frequently if that works better for them and you. I tell the students to bring these forms to interviews. They can, if necessary, show them to the interviewer.

What can we learn from Detroit automakers, BlackBerry and Blockbuster? Technology and other factors are gradually changing how we cook, what we cook, how it is served and to which audience it appeals. Culinary programs need to begin planning today to meet the future needs and demands of an evolving marketplace.

By Paul Sorgule, MS, AAC

It might seem odd to be thinking about an educational model 10 years from now, yet most successful businesses build strategies based on what they know and what they don’t know about the future. As deans and directors, are you asking the right questions? Are you spending enough time thinking about tomorrow while still dealing with the challenges of today?

Who should be involved in these discussions? Thoughts about tomorrow should (must) include all stakeholders in the educational process, and even those businesses and individuals who may offer insight through totally different disciplines. The stakeholders would certainly include faculty, employers, students and leaders from other institutions of higher learning, but should not be limited to this cadre of people who are directly impacted by your planning.

A primer on baking with apples, from someone who should know (or at least knows whom to ask).

By Wendy Brannen

I know that Bed, Bath & Beyond is a great resource for purchasing household goods—and for 20% off, at that, with those ubiquitous coupons—but until recently I didn’t realize the big-box retailer has an excellent blog.

“Above & Beyond” blipped on my radar when a fun and friendly freelancer called to ask me about baking with apples for a consumer blog story. That’s also when I realized, “You know, I work for the U.S. Apple Association. I really should know more about baking with apples!” Thus, I tried to go “above and beyond” to find out a little more from a handful of subject-matter experts.

Jane Bonacci is a dear friend and food blogger from San Francisco who has a tsunami-sized love of food—and creating good food recipes. I love her advice for a simple-but-saucy baked apple. (No crisps or crumbles needed here, folks!) Says Jane, “If you want to make baked apples, leave them whole, peel them about halfway down from the top, leaving the bottom half with peel on for structure. Remove the core and fill the hole with hard sauce—Oh, my!”

For a seventh year, Kendall College will sponsor the CAFÉ/Kendall College Green Award, the industry’s premiere program lauding successes of culinary-arts and hospitality-management programs that practice and train students in ecological responsibility.

Kendall College proudly announces it has renewed its partnership with CAFÉ for 2015 and a seventh consecutive year.

Through its partnership, Kendall College will continue to sponsor the annual CAFÉ/Kendall College Green Awards—the first national awards to recognize secondary and postsecondary culinary-arts, baking/pastry and hospitality-management programs for their commitment to sustainability and teaching its tenets. The objective of the awards is to build the body of sustainability resources in foodservice and hospitality education. Selection criteria are based on the integration of sustainability into educational programs and/or operations.