Teaching Tips

Nov 21, 2024, 9:48

Houston, Texas (Part 2):

Wednesday, 02 September 2009 13:31
  • My students, traditionally, have had little exposure to the wide variety of foods and cooking ingredients available. Many eat “fast food” on a daily basis and few have experienced fine dining. I like to introduce fresh produce groups (fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices and salad greens) by presenting a wide variety of items and having a tasting party. Students are given a tasting chart to complete as I introduce each new produce item. They then write comments under columns for description (can illustrate and color), aroma, taste, how used. I try to select the more common herbs and spices—sage, oregano, basil, chives, bay leaves, cilantro, ginger, cloves, cinnamon sticks, etc. As students examine these and complete tasting chart, they make a herb collection to take home for their family to used in cooking. (KB)

West Palm Beach (Part 3): 

Wednesday, 02 September 2009 11:30
  • Regarding lab evaluations: I use a form which lists the points available for labwork, attendance/prep, clean-up, proper uniforms/tools, and being on time (total 10 points for the day). The competencies I use are also listed on this form under skills tests which occur every 4 weeks in each section (for example, section 1 is sweetdough and muffins, section 2 is quickbreads, section 3 is yeast bread and section 4 is cookies for a total of 16 weeks or one semester). The competencies are graded using a scall of 1=no clear indication, 2=inconsistent evidence, 3=emerging competence, 4=clear competence. (KN)