Backstory: First Assignment
Before I post her "letter" to her students, I must give you a small backstory to her new methodology. Instead of the tradition manner of teaching this course -- which is to teach the students "modules" which are composed of subjects with a wide range, such as "sustainability" to "are there aliens on other planets?". She decided to give a first assignment to her class: write down your favorite family recipe.
Whether that recipe was from a special meal or if the meal is your favorite meal made by a member of your family. The students were then tasked to go and retrieve the recipe and write down the correct description -- which included ingredients and procedure for making the meal. Each week, every Monday and Wednesday, Kayla will spend around 5 hours cooking one of the recipes for the class of 24 students the next day. Challenges include the interpretation of the recipe, transferring the food the next day to the class, and learning how to correct for potential mistakes in the interpretation process. The experience so far has been a great learning experience for Kayla. I can attest to this since I see her going through the process in our kitchen twice a week.
"Letter To My Students"
Without further ado, below is the "letter" from Dr. Kayla Kaiser to her students discussing her strategy for changing her methodology this semester as opposed to previous classes:
Before the semester started, I asked myself: What is the one thing I can do for my SCI 100 students to help them feel welcome at CSUN, learn more effectively, and connect with each other? My brain told me to feed you healthy, fresh meals.
I attended an eLearning Institute this summer to learn about all kinds of online tools and games to get students excited about learning. But I also thought about some of the studies my dad (who is a teacher) told me about that the two things that make the biggest difference in student success are:
- free breakfast and free lunch
- free clothing
By Philipp Guttmann - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
In order to achieve the "self-actualization" that is the goal of higher education, you must feel that your physiological needs (food, clothing, shelter) are met. Then you should feel that the university is a safe place and that you belong here. Next, you must be challenged and rise to the challenges to develop self-esteem.
I wrote in my application to the eLearning institute that I wanted to increase "social belonging" in my classroom and "cultural relevancy" in my lessons. The food project is meeting both of these goals. The food project has allowed me to practice "cultural humilty." Cooking cuisine outside the breadth of my experience has taken me back to being a student, to the feelings of uncertainty every student experiences when asked to carry out an unfamiliar task. Sometimes professors can forget what it feels like to learn new tasks.
Failing at pozole has allowed me to model resiliance. I had a feeling it wasn't right, but served it anyway, to criticism and rejection. Sometimes you have to turn in an assignment even if it isn't your best work, because the deadline has arrived. Also, after you get a low grade on an assignment, it means that you belong here. A failing grade is not a sign that you should give up. Even though you get knocked down, your education is worth getting back up and moving on to the next assignment. If you're not failing, you're not risking.
When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important. -- Ellen De Generes
I appreciate that you have all given me the opportunity for "co-learning," where we are constructing a collaborative cookbook. I hope you're all enjoying the opportunity to connect with each other and learn about each other's culture through food. Each time I cook one of your recipes, I imagine the generations who have survived on this Earth eating that particular dish and I am filled with gratitude for the abundance that you all have brought to our University.
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Stay tuned for more results of this teaching method to come!!
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