Can writing assignments in a Career and Tech class effectively reflect & challenge the multiple intelligences of students?

[Lucy Elise Peters]

This year I have completed my second formal year of teaching.  I am a Foods and Culinary teacher at Spanish Springs HS.  I have worked in the Retail Industry as a Manager, and as a Teaching Assistant prior to this job.  While in these other areas of life, I have observed some varied approaches to writing, and now want to integrate a deeper writing exercise in my higher level Culinary Class. 

Why? you might ask.  In my opinion, writing is essential to all career paths and students, ( and society,) are not often aware how important it can be for them to comprehend the material covered.  Career and Tech classes regularly employ various methods of teaching, or activities to help the student to understand the material presented.  Writing is typically not one integrated with much success for the students.  Naturally, various issues revolve around CTE teachers abilities in teaching writing.  Also, because many students are visual and hands on learners, the writing type of learning is often ignored and not integrated in Culinary classrooms.  I want to distinguish my program to attract the higher level students at our school as well as addressing the needs of some of the students who may have some challenges in their own english or writing core classes. 

I want to explore the Gardner texts on multiple intelligences, articles on how other CTE teachers integrate this type of learning in their labs, and challenge my students to leave my class with not only the skills to make killer food, but also the skills to write a cookbook or other type of food related writing if they so choose in the future. 

I get those kids with the various intelligences anyway, so why not equip them with some skills they didn't expect to take with them. 

[Courtney Hurlbert]

Hi Lucy,

 

After chatting with you I have had a minute to think about your question. I think it would be excellent inquiry and so helpful to your future teaching to figure out strategies that work to reach kids of various learning styles. How can you incorporate writing in your culinary curriculum to address the needs of your students' various learning styles? Usin your provided text,maybe your students are writing expository pieces about how a certain food became popular in modern culture- the history of bananas- naturalistic intelligence :) The logical/mathematical kids explore how measurements affect the outcome of a recipe... I think the participants in our summer institute would love ideas about how to reach all learners and it would certainly help your own students realize the importance of writing for a purpose. Hope these funny ideas might help you in some way? Let me know if you need some more assistance in finding an article that could pertain to your subject. Talk with you soon!

Courtney