Using ICT in teaching -Devi

The potential impact of computers on education is gaining worldwide recognition. The use of ICT acts as stimuli for students be engaged in lessons. In context of Home Economics there are many web resources that we as teachers could use in our teachings. Here are two examples of web resources that could be used to enhance the teaching of Food Consumer Education and Food and Nutrition.

Food Consumer Education

Topic: Balanced Diet, Nutrients in Food and Food Choices

Resource: http://focos.hpb.gov.sg/eservices/RecipeAnalysis/RecipeAnalysis.aspx

In the topic Food Choices, students are taught on how they should modify meals, based on their assumptions of the ingredients in the dish. As this topic comes after nutrients in food, students are well aware of the different types of nutrients. Thus with this pre-requisite knowledge, we can carry out an activity called Recipe Analysis. In this activity, students can make use of the Recipe Analysis software to make nutritionally evaluate and modify a dish. This lesson has to be conducted in a computer laboratory as students will have to make use of a the ‘Recipe Analysis’ software (www.hpb.gov.sg > ‘Health tools’ > Recipe Analysis’)

It is recommended that the teacher picks a few recipes from the text book students use for recipe analysis and let them choose between among the selected recipes. The purpose of this is so that when marking the Recipe Analysis, it would be easier for to check answers as opposed to a recipe that is unfamiliar with the teacher. The rationale of picking a few recipes is to provide students with the autonomy to choose from the selected recipes so that they do not feel restricted.

Students will be provided with a soft copy of the Recipe Analysis table as follows and they will be guided on how to fill it:

Ingredient	Energy (kcal)	Protein (g)	Total Fat (g)	Carbohydrate (g)	Dietary Fibre (g)
Total (per serving)

Table 1: Food Composition Records (www.hpb.gov.sg)

Students can be instructed to go to the health promotion board (hpb.gov.sg) website and be guided on a step by step process as follows on how to perform the Recipe Analysis: 

Before students perform their own recipes the following tips could be given to them:

• Simplify the recipe name if it is too long (you can edit it later, after the copy & paste step)
• Enter the MAIN keyword of the ingredient and click “Matches ANY Words or Close Matches”   **Note: There may be multiple names for an ingredient**
• Go to google/yahoo to search for ingredients that are not familiar to you and compare between what is in your recipe and what is available in the database
• Find a similar substitute if the ingredient that you are looking for is not available
• For the quantity, please provide whole numbers (with decimals if needed). If a certain unit of measurement is not available, you will need to convert / estimate accordingly
• Choose the cooking method according to what is stated in the recipe. If it is not possible, choose the best fit / only option given.

After  students have completed their Recipe Analysis, they could answer a few questions at the end of the worksheet to test their understanding and application of previously taught topics (Balanced Diet, Nutrients in Food and Food Choices)

1. Based on the values recorded in the table of Recipe Analysis, which nutrient needs to be reduced? Why? 
2. Based on the values recorded in ‘Table 1’ and with reference to the cooking method stated in the Textbook, suggest THREE modifications that will help make the burger healthier. Explain why you made the suggestion.    
3. If your RDA for energy is 2200 kcal, how many burgers can you eat, without exceeding the RDA? Show your workings.           
4. What can you serve the recipe you analysed (i.e. burger) with to make it a balanced meal suitable for lunch?

This exercise is flexible as it could be done via e learning where students perform self-directed learning with access to a step by step guide of how to perform the Recipe Analysis. Or, as stated earlier, they could do this in the computer laboratory with the facilitation of the teacher. While students perform this exercise, the teacher could also inform students that familiarising themselves with the Recipe Analysis tool will be highly beneficial should they move on to take Food and Nutrition in upper secondary as they will be required to analyse the recipes that they select for their coursework. Otherwise, the teacher can inform students that the use of the recipe analysis can be beneficial for personal use if we wanted to know the exact break down of the food that we were consuming. This could be informed to students either at the start of the lesson or at the end. As illustrated above, this activity is recommended for lower secondary students, nevertheless it could be tweaked to be made more challenging and be given to Secondary three students who have just begun the course of Food and Nutrition. It could serve as a form of revision for the lower secondary syllabus and at the same time familiarize them to the Recipe Analysis software.

Food and Nutrition

Topic: Digestion

Web Resource: http://kitses.com/animation/swfs/digestion.swf

In the teaching of Food and Nutrition, digestion is a common topic of which students face difficulty in as they find it hard to remember the process flow that occurs during digestion. Many teachers, show videos to students to improve their understanding, however, it is still highly likely that what has been taught is not registered in long-term-memory thus students are still bound to forget the theory behind digestion. The following web source: http://kitses.com/animation/swfs/digestion.swf shows how digestion of different types of food rich in different nutrients are digested in a step by step process. The purpose of recommending this website to students is so that so that students can familiarize themselves with the different organs involved in the process of the digestion by just hovering the mouse over the human body. Moreover, with reference to image below, students get to pick the food they wish to be digested and the differences in digestion based on the nutritional composition of the food. 

                                 

 As soon as a food product is clicked, the basic nutrients in the food is illustrated in a pop-up as shown in the example below.

                                 

Digestion of the food selected is illustrated in an animated version with pauses where students can take their time to zoom in the process and visualize what is occurring at their own pace.

                                                     

The explanations provided at each stage of digestion in this web source is not sufficient as for example, the students are required to know the different digestive enzymes in action which is not stated in the source. Nevertheless the use of this web source is still recommended as this is only meant for use after a formal lesson of teaching digestion and it could be used as revision tool where an activity could be carried out with students where they can list the missing information at each stage. Alternatively, before lesson delivery of digestion, the teacher could allow students to engage themselves in this web source and continue her lesson by filling them in with the details. This web source could be used for illustration purpose and/or for students to make use of in a computer laboratory as well. I hope you find these resources useful for yourselves. Feel free to drop a comment on what you think and share if you have even better suggestions.

Till then its, 

Devi signing off ✿✿

My micro teaching experience- Trifle making

So I am back with a post after my micro-teaching. It really was a huge sense of relief and accomplishment when it was over as I was under so much pressure if everything will fall in place.  I am really glad that the trifles turned out fine and the students made trifles that were prettier than mine as you can see from the image below:

Trifles made by students of the day :)

It was only after this session where I realised how much effort is required to prepare for a practical session. I was very thankful that my group and I made a wise decision by performing a dry run the day before the practical session as it really tested how effective the time plan we created was. As there were three teachers teaching concurrently in the session, it was important that we helped each other as we were performing our demonstration and illustrating our teaching points.  Also, this was a good opportunity to provide good feedback to another to improve ourselves for the big day.

On the actual day, as usual, all of us were terrified and our fear of how we were going to perform was really eating our confidence. I’d really like to thank all my friends, who encouraged me at that period. Also the pre-group members helped us very willingly. I don’t know what I’d do without them.

As soon as my turn began to take over the lesson, I felt energized as I had a very responsive and engaged group of students. I believe that I delivered the best I could at that point, but of course if I had to critque myself there are a lot of pointers for improvement. For example, because I was under a limit for each demonstration, as soon as I was nearing my time limit, I gave instructions in a haste before student dismissal. This could have been avoided if I had a standard pace from start to end. I should have also accounted for questions and answers during the session.

Speaking of questions, I had received a couple of interesting questions during my session and I thought I’d share them with you today! As I was teaching the class on how fruits should be chosen, I was giving them the general pointers like, it should be firm, free from wrinkles etc.. At this point, a student questioned me: “How do you choose durians?”. I really thought that was a very valid question and as the points that I was covering were completely invalid for the durians. As I am not a fan of durians, I really couldn’t answer this one, but I vaguely remember that durians are usually selected based on visual appearance. It was then shared that, durians can actually be chosen by shaking it. If the seed is rattling around with no resistance, chances are the durian is overripe. If you cant hear or feel anything at all, the durian flesh is hard and is at its best state for consumption. Did you know that? There are of course many other ways to choose durians, but I will leave that for you to find out at your own leisure with reference to this website: http://www.yearofthedurian.com/2012/11/how-to-choose-ripe-durian.html#.VEYPIfmUeSo

Another question that I think is worth sharing was received as I was whipping cream. The question goes like this: “How do I whip cream if I don’t have a whisk, hand held mixer or a fork?” I really stumbled upon this one because I had no clue of what the answer was but I was interested to know the answer. So I posted the question back to the floor.

Apparently, you can get whipped cream without having a a whisk, hand held mixer or a fork. All you need is mason jar with a lid or a air tight container and whipping cream. No tired arms from whisking, no lugging the stand mixer out just make a few dollops of cream, no beaters to wash, or immersion blender to clean. Instead, there is a method as imple as pouring whipping cream in a jar, sealing the lid nice and tight and giving it a good shake. This sounds too good to be true right? But believe it or not, I am the guarrantee here, we tried it and yes! It really works! All you need to do is to recruit a vigourous shaker, and it takes no longer than 3 minutes (depending on how much cream your working on) to go from liquidy cream to perfect dessert topping. I was surprised on how come this works at first, but looking at it in the point of view of science. The mechanism really is the same, agitation.

Okay so I guess I better end my post here, as I go any longer, I may just bore everyone and I can just keep going on because so much happened during my micro teaching. I hope I covered, whatever that is beneficial to everyone here! Oh! And I just remembered… Remember I was going to share with everyone what’s the trick to achieving perfect layering? 

Here it is as promised:

•        Pour agar over the fruits and allow it to set before the next layer so that every thing is evened out. The issue here is the waiting time, because you will need the agar to set before adding the next layer!
•          You could find the diameter of your trifle glass/bowl and cut thin transparent agar slices according to the diameter and layer your trifle with this before adding anything of a liquidy consistensy to prevent seeping. The issue here is that, it isn’t very easy to cut the agar slices thin as if you have them too thick it becomes obvious and unappealing to the eye, also you must be sure that the diameter right or you will end up having to place a few layers of the agar slice.

I really hope this helps when you make your own trifles J! Stay tuned for my next blog post on my teaching philosophy and resourceful websites. Till then, it’s me, Devi signing off!

Trifle making :)

So my practical micro teaching is in less than two weeks! To prepare myself, I marched into the food lab with all my ingredients to try and have a hands-on session of trifle making:)) It was a really fun process, I must say! Also, upon watching the many 'how to make a trifle' tutorials, it really seemed like a very simple process of just stacking ingredients up to the brim of glass, but as they say 'you will never know until you try it', I realized today that layering is not something anyone can do! It really is considered as a skill, because not everybody can do it in a snap. As you can see from the photos, my layering is not uniformed:( But thanks to Mrs. Stevenson, I now know what you need to do to get uniformed layering (Shh..! stay tuned for the next blog post if you want to know how!)

Trifle with fruit cocktail, fresh dragon fruit and strawberry topping 

Trifles as most of us know, is an English dessert, and they are authentically made with berries. However, as suggestions were given to me, to make this dish economical and Singaporean, I altered the fruits used in the dish. I brainstormed on the fruits that would be great for presentation and economical for the class at the same time and ta dahh..! red dragon fruit topped the list! the other layer of fruits I picked was fruit cocktail that was a mixture of pears, grapes peaches and maraschino cherries. This I have to admit, may not have been the best choice in terms of colour combination as the cake was yellow, the custard was yellow and the this fruit cocktail mostly ended up to be yellow as well :(. So, I guess I still have to do some tweaking. 

All three attempts smiling at you :)

Anyways, despite all the issues I had, I still think this was a fruitful session, because finding out what needs to be changed and what could remain was the main of objective of the session! I am going to go away now to further prepare myself for my micro teaching, so wish me luck:)  I will be back with a post of on how the session went so do stay tuned:)

Devi ✿✿✿

Food Photography

Food photography plays an important role in the Food and Nutrition coursework as students are expected to photograph their final execution and include it in their coursework. With good photography skills, they will be able to enhance the appeal of their dishes.

We were tasked to photograph food items from 10 different angles - Head-on zen, from above, lost in space, tilt towards, tilt away, close up and personal, above with perspective, diagonal, with respect to the line and gentle tilt. My group members and I brought chocolates for the food photography session. Below are the photographs that we have shot:

Angle 1: Head-on zen
The camera is completely centered to the subject.

Angle 2: From above

The camera is positioned directly above the subject.

Angle 3: Lost in space

Subject is placed in a white Plexiglas surface, creating a seamless and shadow-less environment.

Angle 4: Tilt towards

Camera is tilted to the right so the subject is tilted counterclockwise - it appears that the dish is "welcoming you".

Angle 5: Tilt away

Camera is tilted to the left, so the subject tilts clockwise - pulling away from viewer, engaging the desire to follow

Angle 6: Close up and personal

Up close with subject

                    

Angle 7: Above with perspective

The camera is positioned above the front of the subject, then, camera is tilted up until subject fills the frame.

Angle 8: Diagonal

Position camera so that subject starts from one corner and ends in the opposite corner, breaking the space diagonally.

Angle 9: With respect to the line

Position subject so that the edges of the subject are parallel to the edges of the frame.

Angle 10: Gentle tilt

Camera is slightly tilted to the left

Essay questions

In our opinion, in the subject Food and Nutrition, the purpose of essay questions are to test both the comprehension and ability to apply what has been comprehended in the subject. However, we have observed that there are still many essay questions set that only require to recall the content of  the subject. In this post, we are sharing with you two essay questions that we have structured. We hope we achieve our aim to allow the student to recall what has been learnt and move on the next level of thinking where comprehension and application is demonstrated as well.

Food needs to be cooked for several reasons. Explain how the choice of cooking method can affect the nutritional value of food.                                                                             [15m]

Mark band	Descriptors Candidates are expected to:
High 11-15	Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of a wide range of cooking methods. ·        Clearly classify the various methods of cooking. ·        Explain clearly the advantages and disadvantages of each cooking method. ·        Explain clearly how the nutrients with be affected chemically and physically with the application of heat. ·        Identify with clear examples how nutrients can be retained in the food. ·        Explain with clear examples how the loss of nutrients can be prevented. ·        The answer is supported with relevant and clear examples.
	The answer may include the following knowledge and understanding, elaboration is required: ·        Explain the reasons why foods are cooked. o   Cooking food makes food safe for consumption by killing any bacteria present in the food. o   It makes food easier to chew, swallow and digest by softening the tissues/ fibres of the food. o   Improve the flavour and taste of the food as some uncooked food can be unpleasant.  o   It makes food attractive and appetising as it looks more appealing. o   It adds variety to food presentation as the same food can be cooked in many different methods. o   It improves the keeping quality of food as the bacteria are killed during the cooking process, thus delaying spoilage. ·        Explain that different cooking methods give different variety to food presentation.  ·        List the various methods of cooking and classify them:  o   Moist heat: Steaming, boiling and simmering o   Dry heat: Grilling, baking, roasting and microwave cooking. o   Hot fat: Dry frying, stir frying, sautéing, shallow frying and deep frying. ·        Describe the scientific principles of the effect of heat on the various nutrients.  ·        Discuss the reactions that improve the food when they are cooked. These include caramelisation, dextrinisation, maillard browning, etc. o   Heat on carbohydrates: Caramelisation, Dextrinisation and Gelatinisation. o   Heat on Protein: Coagulation and Maillard browning. o   Heat on fats: Smoking point. ·        Explain how cooking can affect the nutritional value of food by including the following points: o   How cooking can change the energy value of food. o   Food which are cooked with ingredients that included the addition of calorie will increase the calorie value of food. E.g. frying. o   Explain how cooking can affect carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals.  o   Suggest ways to minimize the loss of water soluble vitamins B  group and C, and fat soluble vitamins A and D.

Discuss the functions of food preservation and describe the various food preservation techniques and explain the points you would consider storing the following food.            [15]

a)     Perishables.      

OR 

b) Non-Perishables.

Mark band	Descriptors The candidates are expected to:
High 11-15	·        Demonstrate comprehensive understanding and detailed knowledge of the functions of food preservation. ·        Describe clearly the various food preservation techniques used. ·        Comprehensive explanation on the types of food preservation techniques that are used to minimise the growth of micro- organisms.  ·        Present information accurately and logically and demonstrate the use of appropriate subject specific terminology. ·        The answer is supported by the use of relevant examples or supported by good reasons
	The answer may include the following knowledge and understanding, elaboration is required: ·        Functions of food preservation  o   Reduce wastage of excess produce o   Facilitates transportation and storage o   Reduce cost of transportation o   Adds variety to meals  Food preservation techniques to inhibit the reactions of enzymes and the growth of micro-organisms by amending the availability of food and water and adjusting the conditions of the environment around them, such as temperature and pH. o Drying and dehydrating o Freezing o Heat sterilization o The use of preservatives ·        Define perishable and non-perishable foods respectively and provide examples o   Perishables: Food with high moisture content and tends to spoil or go bad easily at room temperature. E.g. Meat, poultry, seafood, etc. o   Non-perishables: Food with low moisture content and will not go bad easily at room temperature. Cereals, pulses, etc. ·        Explain how the food should be prepared for storing and to ensure its freshness. a)  Guidelines for perishable food and to provide reasons: o   Ensure food is kept outside the “Danger zone” of 5 - 63°C, especially for prolonged storage. o   Store food in servings sizes in polythene bags or in air- tight containers. o   Store perishable food properly as soon as possible. o   Trim away the visible fat from meat before storage. o   Remove the offals of poultry and fish, wash thoroughly b)     Guidelines for non-perishable food and to provide reasons: o   Keep dry food in air-tight containers that are stored in cook and dry environment. o   Write the date when the food was purchase on the container where it is stored. o   Storage cabinets should be kept clean and dry, with doors to keep out dust and light. Food storage environment such as light, oxygen, temperature and humidity should be discussed.