While beginning a professional journal can be rewarding on several levels, maintaining a journal requires commitment. Here, Dr. Mayo offers tips and ideas for making the process of recording more valuable over time, as well as less taxing.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Last month, we reviewed some of the reasons for keeping a professional journal—for us as administrators or faculty members and for students who are learning to become professionals in our field. This month, we will discuss the challenges of maintaining the journal and making it alive and useful.

Starting a journal can be an exciting venture. Finding a new notebook or appropriate bound journal to record items in, delighting in the prospect of recording all kinds of good things, and imagining how much fun the activity will be all contribute to the prospect of an exciting adventure. However, remembering to keep adding items to the journal and sticking with that practice can be challenging. The following sections offer helpful ideas about maintaining a professional journal that is useful to you.

Whether you maintain one or 21, building the practice of keeping a journal and recording key ideas and activities can very useful for three important reasons.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Last month, we discussed strategies for retaining students in our courses and programs. This month and next month, we will talk about professional journals—not published in scholarly and trade journals, but notebooks or diaries in which one writes ideas, feelings and reflections so that they can be referenced in the future.

This month, we will discuss the power and value of a keeping a journal, whether you are a student, teacher or administrator.

Types of Journals
There are many types of notebook journals that journal individuals use. Kate Davis, on www.darktea.com, lists 15 (time-capsule journal, specific-topic journal, dream journal, travel journal, reading journal, specific-timeframe journal, group or family journal, gratitude journal, personal-development journal, project journal, gardening journal, meditation journal, planning journal, creativity journal and quick journal) and Shoshana Jackson on www.knoji.com lists 20 (family journal, couples journal, relationship journal, letter journal, birthday journal, memory journal, gratitude journal, prayer journal, good thoughts or affirmations journal, dream journal, focus journal, joke journal, book or movie journal, recipe journal, hobby journal, sports journal, travel journal, health journal, diet and exercise journal and finance journal.)

The challenge of college includes managing multiple demands and a complex schedule, often for the first time as an adult. Something as simple as taking attendance in class can motivate students to not only stay in the course and program, but thrive.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

For the last two months, we have discussed ways to encourage student curiosity. This month, we turn to the challenge of keeping students in our classes and in our programs. There are several ways—noticing them, giving them feedback, encouraging friendships and taking attendance—to keep students engaged. I hope one or more will be useful to you.

Being Noticed Counts
The primary way to keep students engaged is to provide them with comments on their participation, their work and their involvement. Showing them that you notice what they are doing and appreciate it—most especially the effort involved—makes a big difference in their attitude toward being in class, learning the material and incorporating culinary skills into their repertoire.

Following up on last month’s inspiration to teach curiosity by capitalizing on the five “W”s, this month Dr. Mayo reveals three additional strategies.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

This month is the second installment of suggestions for encouraging curiosity in students. Last month, we talked about inviting them to lead critiques of food, asking them to ask questions about what they are doing in class, and inviting them to consider what could be done differently each time they do something. These strategies keep their minds active and promote both curiosity and creativity along with critical thinking.

This month, we will discuss three other strategies that are part of good teaching, but can be particularly useful in promoting curiosity.

Controversy
One very effective way to encourage curiosity is to create some discrepancy about something that is being taught or discussed. Since you want different perspectives, give students various roles to play in the discussion of some concept. They will investigate it and think about it more profoundly since they know that there will be several points of view. The benefit is that they will consider more aspects of the topic knowing that they have to debate it.

In the culinary world, learning the “how” and its many variations is a critical part of students’ education. One way to teach curiosity is to capitalize on the five “W”s.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Last month, we discussed the habit of curiosity and ways that it can change how students pursue their education and develop as professionals. This month and next, we will review a range of strategies for encouraging curiosity with various teaching strategies and learning activities.

Basic Standards
One part of our challenge in educating and training students in culinary and hospitality programs comes from teaching them basic information while getting them to think about what they are learning and challenge it in a way that builds their long-term creativity. Our challenge as teachers involves helping them learn and practice being curious while accepting and learning from standard and useful ways of preparing and serving food.