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.

ChristineWintle 20

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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