Meeting students where they are is the goal in John Tamez’s Culinary Arts at MacArthur High School.
“It’s just like cooking channel or PBS,” explained Tamez. “This gives the students a break from the book work they are doing online.”
Over the past few weeks, Tamez has worked with North East ISD’s Media department to turn his kitchen classroom into a full-blown production kitchen. Among the pots and pans and stoves and food warmers, he has a few new tools. He’s added lights, cameras and a switcher letting him control the action.
“This set up is really cool. I try to utilize as much camera work as possible,” said Tamez. “I think it shows the students that I do care.”
Students are used to watching videos online, so Tamez is doing what he can to recreate that look in the classroom. He’s got one camera facing him head-on, another looking down at the workstation and a third camera he can move around to show students what’s fully going on. But it’s not all flash.
“When I do my cooking demos, they get all into it,” said Tamez. “While they are watching me cook, I am teaching them the science of why the recipe works and driving home those lessons. I could tell them how to do it but showing them how to do, they get that.”
Tamez knows the additional effort is worth it and helping his students better understand the material he’s teaching them.
“My advanced class likes it a lot, a lot of them have been cooking the food I do in the demos and then sending me pictures of them doing it themselves,” said Tamez. “It’s cool.”
Today, the students were learning two different ways to make macaroni and cheese. Tamez showed the students the traditional method or making a roux and bechamel sauce. Then, he showed them the new “modern” way to make it using sodium citrate. He explained the difference in the methods and why some kitchens are changing strategies. He was funny, creative and honestly entertaining.
“It’s got to be fun,” said Tamez. “I don’t want them just logging in and zoning out while I cook.”
Like everyone, Tamez is looking forward to having students back in the classroom, and when they are, he will just double-down on the lessons he’s always taught his students.
“Out of all the classes here at Mac, this is the safest class you can be in,” said Tamez. “We are teaching sanitization. We put on gloves. We have three sinks in here! We are constantly washing our hands.”
Until then, teachers like Tamez are rethinking the way they teach to make virtual learning more engaging and exciting for students because #NEISDcares.
