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Christine Wintle 1 Beyond the thinking used in MasterChef Australia: How can I promote creative solutions in response to design problems? Christine Wintle Introduction Like my students in Home Economics, I was captivated by the television phenomenon that is MasterChef Australia. Millions of viewers watched amateur cooks demonstrate their culinary skills when competing for the title of Australia’s first MasterChef. This pervaded the classroom and provided a platform for discussion with students about how to create the perfect macaroon biscuit, how to identify the ingredients in an unfamiliar pasta sauce, and where to find equipment to create your own croquembouche. In the staff room over coffee, last night’s episode of MasterChef would dominate the conversation. The television series has been instrumental in getting more people interested in cooking, evidenced by increased enrolments in cooking classes both within my school and society, and the frequent use of ingredients and equipment by home cooks that were used by the chefs and contestants on the show. My colleagues and I used the concept of MasterChef to design a new subject for our Year 9 curriculum called [Insert Figure 1: Masterchef title with Learner plate exactly here], for those young cooking enthusiasts wanting to learn how to be a MasterChef. The draft proposal outlined a curriculum that transferred the structure from the series to a secondary school setting. Key concepts include sensory assessment, master classes, guest chefs to demonstrate specialised skills, mystery boxes and invention tests. The proposal was endorsed by the Director of Curriculum and the Head of Middle School and now affords us twelve months to write the course material. I feel fortunate to be given the opportunity to participate in the Stories of Learning Project because it will allow me to trial strategies and reflect on my practice when transforming the ideas used in MasterChef to an educational setting in preparation for the implementation of our new program in 2012. The area that I am most interested in exploring is

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ChristineWintle 1

BeyondthethinkingusedinMasterChefAustralia:HowcanIpromotecreativesolutionsinresponsetodesignproblems?

ChristineWintle

Introduction

LikemystudentsinHomeEconomics,Iwascaptivatedbythetelevisionphenomenonthatis

MasterChefAustralia.Millionsofviewerswatchedamateurcooksdemonstratetheirculinary

skillswhencompetingforthetitleofAustralia’sfirstMasterChef.Thispervadedtheclassroom

andprovidedaplatformfordiscussionwithstudentsabouthowtocreatetheperfect

macaroonbiscuit,howtoidentifytheingredientsinanunfamiliarpastasauce,andwhereto

findequipmenttocreateyourowncroquembouche.Inthestaffroomovercoffee,lastnight’s

episodeofMasterChefwoulddominatetheconversation.Thetelevisionserieshasbeen

instrumentalingettingmorepeopleinterestedincooking,evidencedbyincreasedenrolments

incookingclassesbothwithinmyschoolandsociety,andthefrequentuseofingredientsand

equipmentbyhomecooksthatwereusedbythechefsandcontestantsontheshow.

MycolleaguesandIusedtheconceptofMasterCheftodesignanewsubjectforourYear9

curriculumcalled[InsertFigure1:MastercheftitlewithLearnerplateexactlyhere],forthose

youngcookingenthusiastswantingtolearnhowtobeaMasterChef.Thedraftproposal

outlinedacurriculumthattransferredthestructurefromtheseriestoasecondaryschool

setting.Keyconceptsincludesensoryassessment,masterclasses,guestchefstodemonstrate

specialisedskills,mysteryboxesandinventiontests.TheproposalwasendorsedbytheDirector

ofCurriculumandtheHeadofMiddleSchoolandnowaffordsustwelvemonthstowritethe

coursematerial.IfeelfortunatetobegiventheopportunitytoparticipateintheStoriesof

LearningProjectbecauseitwillallowmetotrialstrategiesandreflectonmypracticewhen

transformingtheideasusedinMasterCheftoaneducationalsettinginpreparationforthe

implementationofournewprogramin2012.TheareathatIammostinterestedinexploringis

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theuseofmysteryboxesandinventionteststodevelopthecreativesolutionsofstudents

duringfoodproduction.Throughthisresearch,Ihopetounravelthequestion‐“HowcanIuse

athinkingroutinetoencouragecreativesolutionstoadesignproblem?”

Theintegrateduseoftechnologyisinthetoolkitofmanyteacherswhoteachpractical

subjects:photography,textiles,art,ceramics,metalwork,woodworktonameafew.Forme,

thetechnologyprocessisusedextensivelyinmyteachingtoseniorstudentsinVCEFoodand

Technology(VCAA,2010)andwillusethedesignstageoftheprocesstofocusmywritingfor

thisarticle.ThetechnologyprocessisalsoembeddedintheVictorianEssentialLearning

Standards(VCAA,2009)andIuseitaspartofteachingofHomeEconomicsinYears8‐10.I

believeinallmystudentsandwhattheycanachieve.Throughmypassionforfood,Ihopeto

engagetheminlearningsothattheygainnewexperiencesandappreciatefoodasbothaform

ofartisticexpressionandascience.Theshiftinmyvalueshasresultedinteachingfor

understandinganddevelopinglifelonglearnerswhoarethe‘masters’oftheirownlearning‐

notjustmastersinmyclassroom.

Ifeelprivilegedtohavebeenemployedintwoschoolsthatpromotethinkingandlearning.

TinternSchoolsgavemetheopportunitytoworkwithaneducationalconsultant,Colleen

Abbott,tohelpredesignourcurriculumandmakethinkingskillsmoreexplicit.Thelearning

cultureatMethodistLadies’Collegefurtherenrichesmyjourneyasateacherandlearner

throughexposuretoITHAKAconferences,theCollegeprojectofSharingClassrooms,biannual

meetingswithindividualteachingstafftosettheirownprofessionallearningplansandthe

UnderstandingbyDesignframeworktodevelopcoursesandwritemeaningfulcurriculum.

Inteachingforthepresentandthefuture,Iammindfulofthechallenges.Studentsseek

immediategratificationfromtheirlearning,andittakesconsiderablethoughtandexpertiseto

hookandengagethemwhenbeginningaunitofwork.Higherorderthinkingskillsare

becominglessdeveloped,particularlyincriticalanalysisthatisneededwhenreflectingonthe

technologyprocess.Iseeitasmyroletodemonstratehowtoanalyseinformationthroughthe

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explorationofideasandthestructureofwriting.Anecdotally,itseemsthatstudentsareless

preparedtoexplorecreativeideasbecauseoftheimmediategratificationthattheyseekand

theirfearoffailureinexploringtheunknown.Therefore,IneedtoconsiderhowIcandevelop

theircreativityskills.HowcanIencouragestudentstotakecalculatedrisks?

HowissuccessmeasuredonMasterChefAustralia?

BeforeIbegintofurtherexplorethenotionofcreativity,Ithoughtitmightbeworthwhileto

lookattheattributesofthefirsttwowinnersofMasterChefAustraliathatcontributedtotheir

success.Ithoughtitmightbepossibletofostersomeofthesequalitiesinmystudentssothat

theoutcomesfromtheshowarereplicatedintheclassroom.

JulieGoodwinwasAustralia’sfirstMasterChefandherbook,OurFamilyTable,hasbecomeone

ofthebiggestsellersinAustralia.AsnotedbyMargaretFultonintheForeword‘Juliewas

happiestwhencookingforfamilyandfriendsbutwaskeentotrynewskills’(Goodwin,J.,2010,

Foreword).IvividlyrecallhavingaconversationwithoneofmystudentsaboutJulieGoodwin

havingallthequalitiesofagoodlearner–sheisenthusiastic,workshardatmakingherdishes

tastegood,hasaflairforplatingandpresentingfoodinaprofessionalway‐butmostofallshe

learnsfromhersuccessesandfailures.Juliewastaughtthebasicsofcookingasachildbyher

motherandafterleavingthefamilyhome,experimentedwithfoodbytryingtorecreatewhat

shehadtastedandenjoyedelsewhere.Sheobservedthekinshipthatoccurrednaturallyovera

sharedmeal,stating‘thatifyoumakenicefoodforpeople,theyloveyou’.(Goodwin,J.,2010,

Introduction)Juliewascertainlypreparedtotakerisksasalearnerandusedherexperiencesto

producefoodofincreasingquality.Towardstheendoftheprogram,shetookpleasurein

preparingfoodforthejudges.

AdamLiawleftthelegalprofessiontoparticipateinSeries2,wherehebecameAustralia’s

secondMasterChef.HeisnowworkingonopeninghisownrestaurantinSurreyHillsbetween

televisionappearances,andhasjustreleasedanewbookentitledTwoAsianKitchens.The

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purposeofhisbookistounderstandoldandnewwaysofAsiancooking,toexplorehowculture

andidentitymeetonaplate.HerecitesaConfucianproverbthattranslatesto“considerold

thingstounderstandnewthings.It’sthetensionbetweenunderstandingtraditionandwhy

thingscometobeandmakingthatyourown.”Headvisesthat“youshouldn’ttrytomakefood

youdon’thaveaconnectionwith”andindeedthiscouldbeinterestingadvicetopassontomy

students.Thecompetitiongavehimtheopportunitytolearnwhatfoodhedidwellandwhyhe

diditwellthroughconstantlyhavinghisfoodcritiquedonanobjectivebasis(Liaw,A.,2011).

Masterchefclarifiedhisthinkingabouthowheapproachesfood,andIhopetodothiswithmy

students.

Howiscreativityembeddedinthinking?

HughMackayisasocialresearcherandethicist,andinhisbook“WhatMakesUsTick?TheTen

DesiresThatDriveUs”hewritesabouthowbeingcreativemakesforabetterlife.Accordingto

Mackay(Mackay,H.,2010,p11),whenwe’recreative:

• Wenarrowourfocusanddistractionsareshutout.• Weareabletorepresentourthoughts(innerself)• Sometimeswedon’tknowwheretheideacomesfrom,itjustemerges• Ritualandsettingupstructuresthatgetyoutocommitareimportant.

If,accordingtoMackay,beingcreativeisoneofthedesiresthatdriveusthenhowdowedefine

itandwhatarethefactorsthatpromoteitsdevelopment?Initssimplestform,beingcreativeis

theapplicationofwhatstudentsknowtoanunfamiliarsituation.Soavegemitepizzamightbe

consideredcreativeforoneofmyinternationalstudents,whowouldhavelittleknowledge

aboutAustraliancuisine.RonRitchhartcitesmanyinstancesofstudentswhoarecreativein

theireverydaylives:‘whereveritisimportanttothinkofnewwaysofdoingthings,tolookat

thingsthroughneweyes,togobeyondconventionalwaysofthinking,tostretchbeyondthe

obvious’.(www.pz.harvard.edu,accessed14.5.2011)Forme,itisthestudentwhoisabletogo

beyondconventionalwaysofthinkingthatstandsherapartfromtherestoftheclass.To

paraphraseRitchhart,youcanviewcreativityasthebigCandthelittlec.Fortheinternational

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studentwhoisimpressedbyherefforttocreateavegemitepizza,thecreativityisrelativeto

herexperiences(littlec).Ifweshiftthecreationofthevegemitepizzatothelargercommunity

(thebigC),thenitmaynotbeviewedascreative.

Everyonehastheirownfoodexperiencesandhasanopinionaboutthewayfoodtastesand

howitispresented.Itthereforebecomesachallengeforstudentstoworkwithaningredient

theymaynotbefamiliarwith,totryanunusualpreparationorcookingtechniqueorchange

theforminwhichfoodistraditionallypresented.Creativityisembeddedinthinkinganditis

impossibleforthelearnerto‘knoweverything.’Thedevelopmentofinspirationalideasrequires

timetoresearchandexperimentwithnewthoughtstobringthemtofruition.Furthermore,itis

theapplicationofcreativesolutionsinrecipesthatisrecognisedinthewidercommunityto

judgetheworld’sgreatestchefs.

FerranAdriaisarguablytheworld’sgreatestchefandhascombinedcreativityandfoodin

relationtohisnew‘restaurant’venture.Havingreachedthetopandstayedthereforsolong,

AdriaisclosinghisrenownedelBullirestaurantandisturningitintoaresearchfoundationthat

willreachouttothemassesbypublishingmenusdailyontheinternet.Heisplanningon

spendinghoursinhisworkshop,developingideasforthemenuandoneofthemembersofhis

newteam,ajournalist,willservedailyrevelationsfromhisexperimentalkitchen.Althoughhe

hasrepresentedSpainatartshows,Adriarejectstheideaofcuisineasart“Theumbrellaisnot

artbutcreativity”hesays(Tremlett,G.,2011,p15).Hewillbringothercreatorsintothe

foundation’skitchen.“Theywillbeabletoseehowwecreateandwecanstudyhowtheydo

it.”AdriawillteachcreativityatHarvardUniversityfortwoweeksayear.Hissystematic

approachtoinventionwillinclude“teachinghowtobecomeanefficientcreator”.Iadmirethe

factthatAdriaisconsistentinhisapproachtocreativityandthatitisthenotionofbeing

creativewithfoodthathasledtomuchofhissuccess.

WithoutenrollingtheminAdria’scourse,howcanIencouragemystudentstobeself‐aware

andtomakemoreconsciouscreativechoices?Ibelievethatpartoftheanswerliesinstudents

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havingastateof‘mindfulness’.Ibecamemoreawareaboutthenotionofmindfulnessafter

readingLesleyRyder’spaperfortheStoriesofLearningProjecton‘WonderingaboutThinking

andSeeing:MovingBeyondMeta‐Cognition’

(http://storiesoflearning.com/Secondary_Stories/Entries/2010/10/10_Wondering_about_Think

ing_%26_Seeing__Moving_Beyond_Metacognition.html).RyderexploredthequestionWhatis

Mindfulness?andsuggeststhatmindfulnessisafacilitativestatethatpromotescreativityand

theuseofinformation,aswellasmemoryandretention.Stressedandanxiousstudentscannot

makeuseoftheirabilities,cannotthinkclearlyandeffectively.(Ryder,L.,2011,p33).Amindful

meditationteacher,JanetEthy‐Leal,spokeaboutmindfulnessrecently.Shestatedthat

“mindfulnessisnotjusttheactivityofthebrain;youdon’tjustfindthemindinthe

brain.Thebrainisanactivityofthenervoussystem.Astudent’sattentioncanfocuson

thepast(memory),thepresentorfuture.Thekeyistogetstudentstomanagetheir

attentiontofocusonthepresent.Ifthinkingisdistortedbymemoryorstudentshave

fearsaboutthefuture,thenthiscanhindertheircreativity.Studentscancreatetheir

ownminds,momentbymomentiftheyremaincalmandhaveclearthoughtpatterns.”

(Ethy‐Leal,J.,2011)

Thetimingofamysteryboxtofostercreativity

Inachievingastateofmindfulnessinordertocreateoptimalconditionsforcreativityto

flourish,thetimingofamysteryboxwillbecrucialtoexperiencingsuccesswhenderiving

creativesolutions.HowwillstudentsfeelifIsurprisethemwithamysteryboxtaskwherethey

needtodeveloptheirowndishusingalimitednumberofingredientsthatarepresentedto

them?Inamixedabilityclassroom,willallstudentsfeelcomfortableiftheyareputonthespot

andhavetoinstantlygeneratetheirideas?ResearchfromRydersuggeststhatsomestudents

willbecomeanxiousandwillnotbeabletodeveloptheirthinking.OntheMasterchefprogram,

wedidnotseeuncomfortablepauseswherecontestantswerestumblingforideasbecauseit

wouldnotmakeforlightentertainment,andonehastowonderhowmuchtimetheywere

giventoplantheirrecipesinadvance.

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IdecidedtotestthisideawithmyYear9HomeEconomicsstudentsinpreparationfortheir

livingawayfromhomeexperienceatourremotesite,Marshmead.Itoldthestudentsthatthey

wouldhaveamysteryboxofingredientsforoneoftheirpracticalclasses,butthatifthey

wantedtoknowtheingredientsthentheycouldemailmeinadvancesothattheycouldplan

theirdish.Approximatelyonethirdoftheclasssoughtouttheingredients,whilsttheothers

werehappytotakerisksanddesigntheirproductwithoutverymuchplanning.Itisnoteworthy

thattheoutcomewasnotassessed,andthistookawaythepressureofhavingworkgraded.

Theexperience,however,willassisttheminhelpingtouseup‘leftover’ingredientsintheir

fridgeandpantrywhilstatMarshmeadanditallowedmetocollectvaluableevidenceabout

theproportionoftheclasswhoneededtimetothinkaboutthetask.

Ihaveoneotherreservationabouttheconceptofamysteryboxtask.Creativityisrelativeto

theexperiencesofthestudent.Dostudentshavethefoodknowledgeandtheskillstocarryout

ideasthattheymighthaveorthatIamexpecting?Whathappenswhenthisismismatched?

Partofmyroleistominimisefailureandtoguidestudentsintheirthinking,buthowmuch

directiondoIgivesothattheydonotloseownershipoftheirideas?Ultimately,Iwantmy

studentstoexperiencesuccess,developconfidenceintheirabilities,commandthecontentand

applyskillstounfamiliarsituationswhilstenjoyingwhattheyaredoingandimprovingtheirself‐

esteem.Theroleofafacilitatorhasneverbeenmoreimportantthanintheimplementationof

adesignexercisethatpromotescreativity.

Taskone–todesignabreakfastfoodforthefrontcoverofDonnaHaymagazine

IdecidedtoworkwithmyYear11VCEFoodandTechnologystudentstopromotecreative

solutionsasthefocusofmyreflectivepractice.In2011,thereisanewstudydesigninVictoria

whichinvolvesusingthedesignprocessinpracticaloutcomes.Icompiledtwodesigntasksin

Term1.Thefirstdidnothaveathinkingroutineembeddedinitbutinsteadwouldallowmeto

ascertainhowstudentsgoaboutsolvingdesignbriefsandwhattheyarethinkingwhentrying

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toderivesuitablecreative,options.Inthesecondtask,Iwillspendsometimeona‘thinking

routine’aftertherequirementsofthetaskaredisseminatedtodeveloptheirthinkinginan

attempttofostercreativesolutions.Bothtasksinvolvetheconceptofamysteryboxin

alignmentwithwhatIamtryingtoachieveindevelopinganewcurriculum.

Thedesignbrieffortaskonewasgiventothestudentsinthefollowingformat:

Figure2:designbriefonbreakfastfoodforthefrontcoverofafoodmagazine

Inadditiontothebrief,theyweregivenamysteryboxandalargerangeofpantryandfridge

ingredients.

MysteryBox–eggs,Romatomatoes,creamcheese,shortcrustpastry,oranges,chocolate(eggs

mustbeincluded,alongwithtwootheringredients)

Pantryitems‐packetofplainflour,packetofSRflour,packetofA1whitesugar,packetof

castersugar,oats,salt,pepper,bakingpowderbicarbonateofsoda,vegetableoil,oliveoil,

slicedwhitebread,shelledalmonds,boxofdriedyeast,boxofcornflour,containerof

arrowroot,bottleofbalsamicvinegar,squeezebottleofhoney,squeezebottleofgoldensyrup,

jarofcoffeegranules,

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Fridge‐blockofbutter,blockofunsaltedbutter,eggs,cream,milk,blocktastycheese,bacon,

colibanpotatoes,brownonions,lemons,freshparsley,freshchives,bottleoflimejuice,bottle

oflemonjuice,jarofchillipaste(sambaloelek),tubofnaturalyoghurt

Theclasswasgiventhetaskatthebeginningoftheweek,andthepracticallessonwasatthe

endoftheweek.Thisallowedstudentstimetothink,constructafoodordertohavethecorrect

resourcesandtotrialthedishathomeiftheywanted.Idirectedstudentstowheretheymight

lookforideastofindoutaboutthefunctionalpropertiesofeggsandthecookingtechniques

thatcanbeused.TheemphasiswasonpresentationandthestudentsknewIwasgoingto

photographthedishandcommentonthedifferentelements.Aselectionofstudentworkcan

beseenbelow:

InsertFigures3–7:foodimagesonbreakfast

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Overall,studentshadgiventhoughttohowtomaketheirbreakfastfoodlookattractiveand

suitableforDonnaHaymagazinewithsimpleandcleanpresentationtechniques.However,the

mostvaluablepartoftheprocesstranspiredinthefollowinglessonwheretheseimageswere

putonadataprojectorandIhighlightedthestrengthsofeachdishandsuggestedpossible

recommendationsforimprovement.Eachstudentprovidedinsightaboutwheretheygottheir

ideasfromfortheirdish.Overwhelmingly,studentsproducedwhattheyknewandhad

experiencedbefore.Havingstudentsdesignabreakfastfoodwasasafeoptionbecausetheyall

haveexperiencesabouteatingbreakfast.However,Iwassurprisedthatevenwiththediversity

ofdifferentcultureswithintheclassroomthedisheswerealltraditionallyEnglishinoriginand

werelackingininnovation.Thiswasavaluablelearningexperiencetofocusonpresentation

andnotover‐plate,butimportantlyitgavemetheknowledgethattheyweren’tthinkingvery

deeplyaboutwhattoproduce.Thestudentshadalotoffunwiththedesigntaskbutfeltquite

restrictedbytheingredientsinthebrief.Eachstudentwroteareflectivepieceonhowtheir

dishsatisfiedtherequirementsofthetasksothattheywereabletointernalisethethinking

thathadtakenplace,orlackofit.

Tasktwo–todesignalunchitemforaresortinKohSamui(Thailand)

Withrepeatedexposuretoamysteryboxandfamiliaritywiththestructureofthetask,I

expectedthatmyYear11studentswouldperformatahigherlevelthesecondtime.I

attemptedtoreplicatethetiminginwhichthedesignbriefwasgivenandthelapsebetween

thisandtheproductionlesson.However,therewasdeliberateinterventioninordertoapplya

thinkingroutineatthedesignstage.Theemphasisoftheproblemwasontheflavourofthe

dish,ratherthantheappearance.

Thefollowingdesignbriefwasgiventothestudents:

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Figure8:designbriefonlunchinaresortinThailand

Themysteryboxingredientswerealsospecified,butIdecidedtoeliminatepantryandfridge

fooditemstoselectfromwiththeintentionofgivingthemmorescope.

MysteryBox–prawns,whitefishfillets,chickenthighfillets,duckbreasts,whitelonggrainrice,

soysauce,carrots,lemongrass,bokchoy(fourofthemysteryboxingredientsshouldbeused)

Theevaluationcriteriaweregivenattheoutset.Thepurposeofthecriteriawasforstudentsto

designtheiroptionwiththespecificationsinmind,knowingthattheyarerequiredtowrite

responsestoeachquestionattheconclusionofthetaskintheformofreflectivewriting.The

criteriaarelistedhere:

1. Whatarethecharacteristicsofthedishthatmakeitsuitabletoserveasalight,healthy

lunchitemataresortinThailand?

2. Whichaspectsofthedishmakeitappealing(flavour,texture,aroma,appearance)?

3. HowdidImakeuseofthefish/seafood,poultryandfreshvegetablesatmydisposal?

4. Wasthetimeallocationof40minutesusedefficiently?

5. HowweretheThaiflavoursofsweet,sour,spicyandsaltyachievedinthedish?

6. Howwerefourofthemysteryboxingredientspreparedsothattheywerekey

components?

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Athinkingroutinewasthenintroducedandwasthekeydifferencebetweenthetwotasks.

Connect‐Extend‐Challengeisaroutineforconnectingnewideastopriorknowledge.Italso

encouragesstudentstotakestockofongoingquestions,puzzlesanddifficultiesastheyreflect

onwhattheyarelearning.

(http://pzweb.harvard.edu/vt/VisibleThinking_html_files/03_ThinkingRoutines/03b_Introduction.html,

accessed14.5.2011)The‘priorknowledge’thatIwasaimingtotapintowasthenotionthatThai

dishestypicallyhavethefourflavoursofsalty,sweet,spicyandsour.Ifstudentsunderstand

thisconceptandhowThairecipesareconstructed,thentheoreticallytheyshouldbeableto

modifyexistingrecipesordesignarecipeoftheirown.Tokeepstudents’thinkingvisible,the

routinewascompletedwiththeentireclassandtheirthoughtswererecorded.Atranscriptcan

befoundbelow:

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Figure9:connect‐extend‐challenge

Attheconclusionofthislesson,Italkedtoeachstudentaboutwhattheywerethinkingin

relationtotheirdesign.Themajorityhadapreferenceforagenericdish.Itwaspleasingtonote

thattheydidnothavedefiniteideasforasolutionbecausetheywantedtoexperimentwith

differentdesignsorattheveryleast,analyseexistingrecipestoseeiftheycontainedabalance

ofthefourflavourelements.IntheprevioussectionHowisCreativityEmbeddedinThinking?,I

arguedthatitisthestudentwhogoesbeyondconventionalwaysofthinkingthatsetsherapart

fromtherest.IhaveonesuchstudentandwhenIquestionedher,shewouldnotcommittoa

definiteideabecauseshefeltthatsheneededtofurtherinvestigateheroptionsbecause‘she

wantedtodosomethingthatwasdifferenttotheothers’.Afterhavingtimetocompletetheir

research,Iwantedstudentstoconsolidatetheirunderstanding,andtheywerethenrequiredto

provideavisualimageoftheirdishwithbriefannotationstoreflectthespecificationsthatwere

giventothematthebeginning.Theworkbelowisanexampleofastudent’sthinkingabouther

dish,rememberingthattheemphasisisonflavour,andnotpresentation.

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Figure10:annotateddesignoption

Werestudentsabletotransfertheirknowledgetothisunfamiliarsituationinaproduction

lesson?Thethinkingroutineallowedthemtoseehowtothinkcreativelyabouthowingredients

canbeputtogetherdifferentlybyfocussingonthekeyconceptofflavour.Iobservedsome

studentsascreativeagents,attemptingtothinkoutsidethebox,stretchingbeyondtheobvious

tolookatsituationsinnewways.(www.pz.harvard.edu,accessed14.5.2011)Aselectionof

studentworkcanbeseenbelow,alongwithareflectionontheprocess.

Figure11:writtenresponsestocriteria5

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Images12‐16:foodimages

Ascanbeseenabove,arangeofrecipeswasdesigned:soups,curries,saladsandnoodles

dishes.Everystudenthadherdishphotographedandtastedduringtheproductionlesson.

Whendiscussingtheflavouroftheproductaspartoftheirassessment,eachstudentexplained

howthatflavourwasachievedthroughtheuseofthekeyingredients.Allstudentshad

consideredthefourtastecomponents,althoughitwassurprisingthatsomeofthemdidnot

tasteasampleoftheirproductbeforecomingoutthefronttobeassessed.Thisisanareafor

futureimprovementbecausetheflavourcouldhavebeenmodifiedandimproved;somedishes

weretoospicy(althoughsubjective),toosourorlackingsaltandintensityofflavour.

Thestudentwhomadethegreatestimprovementstruggledtounderstandtheconsiderations

andstructureofthefirsttask.CompoundingthesituationwasthefactthatshehasAsperger’s

Syndromeanditbecamedifficulttoshiftherthinkingoncetheproblemhadbeengiven;she

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madeabreakfastmuffinthatdidnotutiliseallofthemysteryboxingredientsoruseeggsinan

integralway.Inthesecondtask,however,shewasabletomakeabeautifullytastingprawn

currythathadalloftherequiredflavourelements.Itwasclearthatshewasabletotransferher

ideastowhatsheknewaboutThaifoodaftercompletingthethinkingroutinewiththerestof

theclass.Thehighestachievingstudent(whowasreferredtoearlierinthissectionaswanting

moretimeforherplanning)wasabletoputtogetherherownrecipeforaSweetandSoursoup

thatreflectedthefourflavourcomponents.Itwascreativebecauseitwentbeyondthe

obvious,connectedtopastexperienceandextendedherthinkingtoanunfamiliarsituation.

Recommendationsfornewcurriculumdesignandimplementation

Inlightoftheresults,conclusionscanbedrawnaboutcreativityanditsusefulnessinhelping

studentsderivesolutionstomysteryboxesandinventiontests.

Aboutcreativity

• Experimentingwithfoodinanattempttorecreateindividualexperiencesiskeytobeingabletotransferknowledgeandkeyskills.Themoreopportunitiesthatwegivetostudentsto‘experimentwithfood’tocreatetheirownproducts,themorefamiliartheybecomewiththispatternofthinking.

• Tolearnnewthings,weneedtobeabletounderstandoldthings.Itisdifficulttodesignnewfoodideasifthepreparerdoesnothaveaconnectionwiththefood.Ibelievethatitistheroleoftheteachertohelpstudentstoseethatconnection.

• Creativityisembeddedinthinkingandcanbeviewedastheapplicationofknowledgeandskillstoanewsituation,butitistheabilitytogobeyondconventionalwaysofthinkingthatproduceshighqualityoutcomes.

• Mindfulnessisafacilitativestatethatpromotescreativethoughtandtheuseofinformation,aswellasmemoryandretention.Stressedandanxiousstudentscannotmakeuseoftheirabilities,cannotthinkclearlyandeffectively.Itisimportanttofocusastudent’sattentiononthepresent,withoutbeingtoodistractedbypastmemoriesinrelationtothetaskorfearsaboutthefuture.

Thedesignofthetask

• Thetimingofamysteryboxtaskiscrucialinallowingstudentstoachieveastateofmindfulness.Oneweekappearedtobesufficienttimeforstudentstogenerateideas,planhowtheymightachievetheoutcome,preparethefoodandevaluatetheprocess.

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• Creativityoutputisrelativetoastudent’sownpersonalexperiences,buttheteachercanwidentheexperiencebyintroducinghim/hertodifferentingredients,techniques,equipmentortypesofcuisine.Thereisanopportunitytomodelcreativeideasandexploreoptionsthatareviewedbythemajorityasinnovative.

• Thedesignbriefshouldhaveadegreeoffamiliarityforall.Fourmysteryboxingredientsforinclusioninthedishappearedtobeachievableformost,buttoomanypantry/fridgeingredientsovercomplicatesthedesignandplacestoomanyrestrictions.

• Arecommendationforconsiderationistonotassessthefinaloutcomeforsomemysteryboxtasks,buttoassessthethinkingbehindthedesignoptionsintheformofstudentreflection.Thismightallowstudentstotakegreaterrisksintheirdesigning.However,onecouldequallyarguethatdesignideasneedtoberealisticandhaveappealingsensoryproperties.

• Assessmentrubricscouldbedevelopedtoassessthecreativityelement.• Thereisvalueinpeerassessmentatthecompletionofmakingtheproduct.This

feedbackcouldthenbeusedinthestudent’sreflectivewritingabouttheirproductandtheprocessesorthinkingemployedtomakeit.

Practicalsuggestionsduringimplementation

• Theteachermightconsiderthestudentsgivingtheinstructoramysteryboxtoobservetheteacherdemonstratingthequalitiesthatsheisexpectingfromherstudents.Iftimewasrestrictingtheimplementationofthisactivity,theteachermightworkparalleltothestudentsintheclassroomduringthecompletionofapracticaltasktoreflectonanotheroutcomeorsolution.

• Theuseofdigitalphotographyprovidesevidenceforstudentsabouttheirachievementsandprovidesanopportunitytodiscusstheirthinking.

• Repeatedexposuretomysteryboxtasksandthinkingroutinesallowsstudentstohaveafamiliarstructurewithinwhichtodeveloptheircreativeideas.

Opportunitiesfordeeperthinking

• Connect‐Extend‐Challengeisaroutinethatallowsstudentstoconnectnewideaswithpriorknowledge.Thiscanbedonecollectivelyasaclasstodevelopstudents’thinking,insmallgroupsorindividually.Inthisinstance,theroutineprovidedconnectionandtransferenceofstudentknowledgeaboutflavourstypicallyusedinThaifood.

• Studentsshouldbeencouragedtocriticallyanalysetheirworkatallstagesofthedesignprocess.Thisallowsforrepeatedlearningopportunitiesandencouragesstudentstojustifyandmodifytheirideasinalignmentwiththeevaluationcriteria.Inpracticalclasseswithafoodfocus,thisincludesadjustingtheirplateddishpriortoassessment.

• Studentself‐evaluationsabouttheirlearningallowthemtocommentontheirsuccessandreflectonareasforimprovement.Thisisanopportunitytodocumenttheirthinkingandprovidesaninsighttotheteacherabouttheclassandhowtomoveforwardwithfutureideasforteachingandlearning.

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Conclusion

IcanclearlystatethatthethinkingroutineConnect‐Extend‐Challengedidencouragecreativity

whendevelopingasolutiontoadesignproblemthatrevolvedaroundtaste.Studentswereable

totransferknowledgetoanunfamiliarsituationaboutThaicuisineafterwehaddiscussedwhat

theyknewaboutflavourcomponentsandhowrecipescouldbedevelopedand/ormodified.A

keyfactorinfacilitatingcreativesolutionsisthetimingofthedesigntasksothatastateof

mindfulnessisachieved.Thisnarrowsthefocusofstudentsandreduceslevelsofanxietyso

thattheycanachievetotheirpotential.Designbasedtasksareopenendedandthereforecater

foramixedabilityclassroom,achievingtheoptimumoutcome–deeperthinking,varying

degreesofsuccessandincreasedself‐esteemformystudents.Theteacherhasakeyrolein

facilitatingcreativeideasthroughthedesignofthetask,modellingcreativesolutionsand

providingstudentswiththeopportunitiestoverbaliseandextendtheirthinking.

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