THRIVE ISSUE 5 DECEMBER 2024 18 By Theo Mangwanatala, Dr Tracy Daniels & Mxolisi Masina Research shows that this ‘learning by doing’ approach encourages active engagement and promotes the employability of graduates, while at the same time creating opportunities for lecturers to address issues of decolonizing the curriculum by teaching students to understand indigenous cooking methods and develop their individual kitchen vocabulary. Decolonising the curriculum in the South African context is important, as it allows for the experiences and knowledge of those who were formerly colonized to be at the forefront, with their traditions shaping and informing practice in education. This challenges issues of social injustice and creates space for previously silenced voices to be heard. In the kitchen environment, lecturers implement culturally responsive teaching (CRT), identifying students’ cultural needs, familiarizing themselves with the sociocultural contexts of their students and integrating student cultural values and beliefs into the curriculum. CRT also allows for the inclusion of different perspectives, cultural validation, and the challenging of dominant western narratives, all of which are crucial in decolonizing the curriculum and the classroom. From the first year of study, the scaffolding approach is implemented by lecturers in the kitchens by firstly determining what students already know. This is then aligned to the module learning outcomes, so that appropriate teaching and learning strategies can be applied, lessons implemented, student progress monitored, and relevant feedback provided. Using the scaffolding approach, first year students are introduced to basic culinary skills and techniques within the context of indigenous cooking. Learners are guided to build on their own skills and knowledge of the kitchen environment as well as their understanding of kitchen processes. For success in the food and beverage industry, both in South Africa and abroad, it is essential for students to understand French and other European culinary skills. As such, students are taught French knife skills as applied to various cuts of meat and dimensions of cuts, comparing these with South African examples so that they can find commonalities and links to indigenous practices. A further example of this fusion between global culinary practices and African influence is the preparation of traditional desserts such as panna cotta but infusing this with rooibos. Food and beverage operations is a field that is easily taken for granted. Yet, whether it is light eats or a banquet, food and drinks are at the heart every memorable experience in tourism and hospitality. At the School of Tourism and Hospitality, students studying towards a Diploma qualification in this field are required to complete practical lessons in the teaching kitchens. It is in these practical lessons that students work with lecturers trained as chefs, applying their theoretical knowledge and gaining first-hand kitchen experience. These practical lessons are informed by Kolb’s model of experiential learning, based on processes of concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation. The main purpose is for students to gain authentic experiences in an environment simulating the real world so that they may internalize their learned experiences through reflection, develop a deeper understanding and use this to inform their actions. Decolonising Teaching in The Skills Kitchens Article adapted from a paper published in the book titled: Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century; showcasing UJ teaching innovation projects 2024
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