Kathleen Vossenberg

Discussion Comment

We've made a considerable effort at our school to change the focus of retention efforts from reactive to proactive. If a student drops out in the 3rd class, it's likely not due to the 3rd class, but to what happened long before. We seek to have our students so incredibly engaged in their program that they can't possibly imagine not persisting to the next class. Our faculty play a huge part in that effort. By positioning our best, most engaging faculty in the early classes, we create a culture of excitement and belonging that assists with retention efforts. I view… >>>

Kathleen Vossenberg CHEP

Discussion Comment

Mnemonics

I'm so glad to see a discussion of mnemonics. I teach the dining room service course in a culinary arts college and use mnemonics every time I lecture/demo on how to set a table for formal dining service. It really helps students remember more easily what they need to do. Our mnemomic is "4's on left, 5's on the right" meaning that a fork (f-o-r-k has 4 letters) goes on the left (l-e-f-t has 4 letters). Knife and spoon have 5 letters and they go on the right (5 letters). Works everytime !!!

Kathleen Vossenberg CHEP

Discussion Comment

Drawing on material from pre-requisite courses

I like to incorporate material from previous courses in the curriculum whereever possible. By asking questions that relate to both current and previous coursework, it reinforces with the students that one course builds upon another and also is a great motivator to show them how much they've learned already.