Assessment Of Learning
As I talked about in my previous post, our assessments of learning are often dictated to us by a higher governing body. In my case, assessments are created by SkilledTradesBC. The rubrics, assessments, and study guides are provided by them. There is not much that we can change within this framework, except help our students to prepare as well as possible.
Assessment As Learning
At the college where I work we have a unique opportunity for students to prepare and serve food for the public at our bistro. The bistro is open daily for lunch, and is mostly used by students and staff. We doing have a growing crowd of locals who come for lunch.
When I have students preparing food in the bistro I have them actively seek feedback from their customers. I direct them to ask open ended questions and not just something like “Did you enjoy your meal?”
I have them ask questions like “What could improve on this meal?” That gives immediate feedback that students can implement right away. At the end of a service shift we go over this feedback and incorporate it into the next meal.
This works on several levels. First, students are receiving feedback from someone other than me. Learning to cook is a lifelong journey, and I don’t always have the right answer. Second, students take feedback from their peers very seriously. It is great to students from different disciplines give feedback to students in the cooking program. Food unites them.
Finally, seeking feedback from the public build customer service and communication skills that are so vital in the service industry.
Volunteering
I am involved with several volunteer groups in Nelson. So is my wife. Every year we have about 5 volunteer events where we serve food. For all of these events I recruit students to help. It’s an amazing way for students, many of whom are international, to connect and be a part of a community event. Similarly to the lunch service in the bistro, students get feedback from the public and from me. This has been a great success.
Assessment For Learning
Finally, I use what I think of as a feedforward strategy by checking in on students after they graduate.
Fortunately in Nelson many of our current and graduate students work in food service establishments around the city. I get the chance to visit them in these places, and talk about their experiences. I like to talk to them about how their learning at school relates to their skills at work, and where their work experiences will take them.
All of this information can be folded back into our curriculum to make our program better and more responsive to the needs of the community.