Have you all gotten to know our amazing new French faculty member, Dr. Jocelyn Van Tuyl?
She’s not only brilliant, experienced, and down-to-earth . . . she’s also a pretty darn good at improv. I had the good luck of being in an improvisation PLC that David Kelly led this past school year with Jessica Parker-Farris, Matt Hosler, Jim Foley, and Jocelyn so, yeah, pretty much the dream team. This lady is quick-witted and doesn’t take herself too seriously. My favorite.
But I digress. This blog is (sometimes mostly) about teaching/learning. Luckily, Jocelyn can also teach. She’s had a lot on her plate (ha- cooking metaphors!) this past year as the solo French teacher across a million grade levels, and she still managed to establish some very high standards with her students and also make room to incorporate a very cool cooking show project.
Here’s what she said about it:
Each student chose a French recipe and demonstrated how to prepare it in a cooking show format. This gave students an opportunity to showcase their spoken French and public speaking skills. Presenters demonstrated their understanding of the steps in the recipe by acting out chopping, whisking, etc. After all, you really need to understand something in order to be able to teach it or demonstrate it to others.
Students went above and beyond with dramatic presentations, handmade props (including an origami butter cube and confetti “salt and pepper”). In some cases, they cooked the actual dishes. The attached photo shows (clockwise from top): Tarte Tatin (caramelized apple upside-down tart); crème caramel (hmm, recurring theme: caramelized upside-down custard); préfou (French garlic bread). Everything was délicieux!
Here’s a sample of a few of our engaged and enthusiastic student “chefs.” You’ll also note an impressive level of audience participation!
Clearly many of our students love to perform. And who doesn’t love good food? Why not combine the things they love to get to the learning objectives we plan for? Jocelyn, we are so glad you have joined the SA community! Bon appétit, everyone!