Cross functional teamwork in the classroom

Journal 1 3240 Paul Crawford

Focused conversation regarding cross-functional teams is the choice I’ve made for my 1st journal entry.


Objective

      As I was reading the chapters of Teaching Naked by Antonio Bowen, 2007 and anticipating what was going to grab my attention, I was finding myself able to relate to a lot of the content, I could relate to the majority of high tech communications, the usefulness of Facebook as well as the spooky factor with Facebook. Interesting fact is the culinary department does not currently advocate the use of Facebook. Twitter is the mode of choice .I have personally used texting and emailing as tools of communication with some students and faculty members. The choice became easier when I came upon the Cross Functional Teams piece in chapter 3 pg 61. The fact is much like a multiplayer video game, teaching culinary at VCC is designed around the students being placed into groups in order to accomplish the daily lesson plan and culinary tasks whether it be for servicing the guests at the schools food outlets, or if the class is an instructional type where there is no guest services required.

     Similar to multiplayer video games, our classes are diverse. The students can experience a variety of scenarios such as a shortage of products or absenteeism . The curriculum may change on any given day for reasons that can be out of our control. Skill levels, aptitude, culture and attitude all play an important role. Although I have not participated in many on line video game scenarios, our classes are definitely tailored in the mode of a multiplayer game.


Reflective

      As I came across the Cross Functional Team piece I thought to myself, yes... this is exactly what I will write about because it’s my everyday challenge. I enter my week with the students and assign the groups based on skill level and competencies. We want the groups to be somewhat balanced so that the learning experience is evenly distributed. That being said competition is always in the air.


Interpretative 

    My gut reaction to the Cross Functional Teams was interesting because I really enjoy group settings. I can identify with group settings because that is how I was trained and have worked in the field for many years. Within each group, as in a hotel or restaurant setting when there is quite a few employees or in my case now with students. The Brigade will work in different sections either baking, in the preparation area, on the hot line or in the garde manger section.

     A group setting is good for many reasons. Each student within a group is required to pull their own weight. Communication, being accountable for their actions as well as their attitude, grooming, timing and of course quality and consistency. These factors are some of the elements that will contribute to either their success or failure. Without this learned structure it would be mayhem. In a real kitchen setting it would lead to less customers and eventually no employment.


Decisional

      While the mandate at VCC is to put the students into groups based on the enrolment level, the groups can range from 2 to 4 at the most with a total of 20 students per class. An interesting idea could be “best group of the day” based on quality of cognitive skills. The group that performs their learned skills the best such as the best timing, working clean and the quality of food. As the Instructor I perform a plethora of demonstrations on how to make a variety of dishes. The students must pay attention, take notes, ask questions, taste the food and critique it. We give the students a chance to give us some feed back. This creates an atmosphere of trust and respect in an instant. I have tried this a few times and now that I am reliving it, I think it is an idea worth trying more often. The young Chefs take great pride when they are graded on the spot as a group. When the assessment of the groups goes well it really can create a fabulous feeling of accomplishment, reassurance and some satisfaction that perhaps one day they could become Chef themselves. Ultimately as educators we would love for each and every student that enrols in the culinary arts to become a world renown Chef but we know that is a big ask.