I think I'm Finished

I turned my capstone project in on Friday, but forgot the most important part.  The Summary.  I thought that it was odd that the project had 19 tabs.  It should have given me a red flag.  I had a wonderful meeting with Dean McVety to hand in the project and discuss the process.  I really enjoyed the project and my time spent at Johnson & Wales University.  I took a couple of days to reflect on my journey through the MAT program and how it related to my capstone project.  I posted the summary for you all to read.  Hot off the press. 

One of the most valuable lessons learned throughout the past five years at Johnson & Wales has been the opportunities available in the foodservice industry.  I entered the Continuing Education program in Culinary Arts with the idea of opening a restaurant and graduated with many opportunities other than just that one track.  I then entered the Teaching program with the idea of teaching at the college level and realized the wonderful opportunities at the high school level.

The doors are wide open. 

Thank you, Johnson & Wales University

MAT Capstone Relection

MAT Capstone Reflection

                The Culinary capstone project for the Master of Arts in Teaching program (MAT) at Johnson & Wales University is a culmination of all we have learned throughout our time in and out of the classroom over the past eighteen months.  This program has given me valuable insight into the world of teaching and has helped me develop my own teaching style through a rigorous hands-on approach. 

                My culinary capstone project, the WEST Café project, is a perfect example of my eighteen month education at Johnson & Wales University.  The idea began while I was completing my culinary observation hours at Cranston Area Career and Tech.  I was observing Chef Martha Sylvestre and noticed her greenhouse located off the back of the kitchen.  The greenhouse and the area around it were over grown with weeds and the blacktop area was in disarray.  She mentioned that at one time they had thought of building an outdoor café with a small garden in that location.  I explained to her that I may have a way of raising the funds needed to make this project a reality.

                At first I was thinking of the physical project.  My focus was on how great the end product would look and what a wonderful addition this would be to the Cranston Area Career and Tech program.  What I realized in delving into this project was the wonderful educational opportunity for deeper student understanding for current and future students.  It allowed me the opportunity to use the valuable tools gained in the MAT program to create a real world project.  This project would help students relate to their future careers in Culinary Arts, Entrepreneurship, Construction, and Computer Aided Drafting.

                I was able to use the trimester project from EDUC 5004 as an introduction to demographics and provide the NECAP and SAT research information to make this a viable capstone project.  With the advice of my advisor Karen Swoboda, I resurrected my blog from the Digital Collaborative Tools class to document my progress developing the capstone project.  You can follow the project at http://morgangrillseverything.blogspot. 

                Two of the most valuable classes in creating this capstone project were Curriculum Development for Culinary Programs and Strategies for Teaching Foodservice Mathematics.  The Curriculum Development for Culinary Programs course taught me how to analyze and create viable learning experiences for students.  This went beyond Culinary Arts.  This project was a multi-curriculum project where I had to look at the curriculums of the various programs affected by this project.  I learned about the curriculums of the Construction Course, Entrepreneurship Course, and Computer Aided Drafting Course.

                In developing the curriculum for this outdoor café, math became the major focus of the project.  Strategies for Teaching Foodservice Mathematics played a vital role in the development of what I wanted students to understand about Culinary Mathematics.  I felt the real world math modules created in this project would help students increase test scores and gain a deeper understanding of math knowledge required for their future careers.

                My introduction to Understanding by Design (UBD) was a positive experience.  I have spent most of my life in the classroom following the same cultural script of listening to lectures and comprehending the material presented.  The idea of students teaching students to uncover their own understanding for deeper more meaningful learning was an eye opening experience.  It’s a role that fits my teaching style perfectly.  I have been involved in sports my whole life so the role of coach comes naturally to me.  This course gave me the tools to create a more meaningful unit for the community garden.

                The Teaching Literacy in the Content Area course focused on critical literacy as it pertains to topics in culinary arts.  One of the topics that I came up with for this project was the community garden.  This is a UBD unit designed to teach students about the benefits of having their own community garden.  This included the importance of locally grown fruits and vegetables in their own diet.  This was also a cultural learning opportunity in that the students had to discuss meals that are made in their own home.  The students also shared how foods from other cultures could be grown right in their own backyard.

                I did not mention my Special Education Courses by name because the idea of this project, like much of the focus in schools today, is to seamlessly add inclusion in the design of lessons and units.  As Culinary Educators, we are to create a positive environment where all students feel welcome and are included in the learning process.  We may add additional resources for these students but if we design lessons that focus on the five senses all students will have the opportunity to learn. 

In the Educational Psychology class, I had to present the chapter on motivation in the classroom.  I came in the class wearing my USA hockey jersey that my wife bought for me several years ago because I remembered a quote from Herb Brooks regarding the 1980 Men’s Olympic hockey team.  He said, “I’m not looking for the best players Craig, I’m looking for the right players.”  Our classrooms are not all-star teams; they are filled with students who have different learning abilities all with something to add to the learning experience. 

                This capstone project has given me the opportunity to use all that I have learned throughout the MAT program.  It has been a valuable learning experience for my future career as a Culinary Educator.  I feel confident entering this field with the current tools necessary to engage students while utilizing the best practices in Culinary Arts. 

My Capstone Cover Page

I chose this picture to represent my capstone project cover because it most resembled the outdoor structure that I have proposed for Cranston High School West.  The outdoor cafe nicknamed the WEST Cafe project is a multi-curriculum career and tech real world project aimed at building Math and English skills.  My original idea was for the students to build a beautiful outdoor cafe and learning garden adjacent to the Culinary Arts kitchen.  This project has morphed into a wonderful common core curriculum building tool for the Cranston High School West Career and Techinical Center.

It's getting down to crunch time

Yesterday I sent Dean McVety an email regarding turning in my capstone project.  I have to admit my procrastination got to me on this project.  In my email, I mentioned that the project would be completed by the due date of Friday the 15th.  I had every intention of turning in the project on that day.  Dean McVety emailed back asking for Wednesday the 13th.  Lets just say that I was able to buy one more day.

The completion of my Culinary Capstone project is now 9:30 a.m. on Thursday the 14th. 

I have spent all night polishing up the math modules, printing pictures of the capstone site, and tweaking past papers that I felt relevent to express my passion for teaching.  

Capstone Update

Tonight I continue the pursuit of finishing my Culinary Capstone Project.  I am confronted with finishing the math modules needed to implement the WEST cafe project.  I have attened meetings, researched curriculums, wrote several pages of proposal and introduction pages. 

It is now time to add the meat of my project.

I just need to put these together within the next week to meet the deadline.  I should be able to accomplish this task.  I want to finish some of these math modules before tomorrow so that I can send my rough draft to Dean McVety.

More updates to come.......

My first meat cutting demo

I had the wonderful opportunity to visit with my friend and peer Chef Jess Tate of the Providence Career and Technical Academy.  She asked me to come in on Monday morning to participate in a joint lecture with her junior class.  The class would consist of a short lecture period with the students going to first lunch and a meat cutting demo in the afternoon. 

She asked if I would be interested in doing a meat demo for her class.  I jumped at the chance to get in the classroom for some experience with real students.  These students were very recepitive to my presence and were very repectful.  I titled my meat demo the 411 on the 114.  I chose that title because the NAMP #114 refers to the cut of meat called the shoulder clod of the Chuck primal. Chef Jess left the meat selection up to me.  I chose this selection based on information found in my research for the capstone project.  One of the hot new marketing strategies for the shoulder clod is the cut know as the Teras major which is one of the five muscles from the shoulder clod. 

I also chose this this cut because it includes the flat iron steaks which are considered second in tenderness to the tenderloin.  I felt it was important for these future chefs to understand value added meat cuts.

I enjoyed my time with these students.  After the demo, the students seasoned and prepared the meats in a variety of ways. Well mostly kabobs.  But the students did do a good job cooking the meat.  Jess finished the day with a worksheet designed as a review.  It was a great time spent at the Providence Career and Technical Academy with Chef Jess Tate and her Junior Class.