Blog Post on Chapter Six – Experience and Learning
Chapter Six from our textbook deals with experiential learning theory and is something that I relate to from a training point of view as learning through practice and experience is how the culinary arts is traditionally taught. If we look through the lens of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle, he states that,
“Learning…is the process of whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience [1984. p.38]” (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p. 108).
And according to Kolb, to engage in meaningful learning, learners must engage in the four stages of his cycle: Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualization, and Active Experimentation.
(Photo courtesy of https://www.torontomu.ca/experiential-learning/faculty-staff/kolbs-el-cycle/)
Using a culinary example, if I demonstrate a recipe to my class and then they replicate the recipe in the kitchen lab, they are engaged in a Concrete Experience. The next day, we think about how successful they were in reproducing the recipe and think about what they can do to improve their performances. This is the Reflective Observation stage. Through our class discussions, we decide that the students need to adjust their oven temperatures and baking times and this is Abstract Conceptualization or what they have learned. The following week, when we revisit this recipe in the kitchen lab, the students make the required adjustments and see better looking products, which is Active Experimentation or learning from their experiences.
And in my opinion, the notion of reflective practice is the most important part of the experiential learning theory; when we critically reflect on our experiences, that is when learning with deep meaning occurs.
(Photo courtesy of https://www.bakersjournal.com/a-bakers-path-4739/)
Later in Chapter Six, another section that really resonates with me is the discussion about cognitive apprenticeship. From our textbook,
“Like traditional apprenticeships in which the apprentice learns a trade such as…culinary arts by working under a master teacher, cognitive apprenticeships allow the master to model behaviors and the thinking that accompanies the task” (p. 119).
In support of this theory, I found an interesting article by Tsui, P.L. & Chen, Y.C. (2020) where they study the satisfaction of hotel workers in their F&B service training under a situated cognition apprenticeship model versus a traditional lecture-only model. They conclude that,
“The current study has experimented with cognitive apprenticeship teaching and has determined that learning satisfaction is enhanced when the master assists during the learning process. Furthermore, the study has also found that cognitive apprenticeship teaching is superior to conventional teaching, which may be because F&B service demands the acquisition of more knowledge and skills in a situated learning environment, wherein the master and apprentice interact and solve problems together. Meanwhile, the learner also acquires F&B skills by following the master’s lead. These factors work together to achieve a higher level of learning satisfaction.” (p.13)
PDF | The main purpose of this study is to explore the impact of the cognitive apprenticeship teaching approach in food and beverage (F&B) s
Therefore, this study supports the validity of teaching the culinary arts within a situated cognition apprenticeship model as it creates a more positive learning environment for the students where student and teacher work together to learn from their experiences in a meaningful way. In my evolution as a pastry instructor, I hope that I can utilize this model in my future classrooms and teach my students to become reflective and self-directed, lifelong learners.
(Photo courtesy of https://www.vcc.ca/programscourses/baking-and-culinary/)
