1. Food Teacher Professional Portfolio
Top tips for managing practical lessons
9 February 2016
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2. Hello House keeping Lesson planning Before the lesson
During the lesson
Further support and resources
Certificate and online evaluation

3. House keeping Close down other programmes
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4. Planning at the start of the year or rotation:
Know your students – what food experience, skills and knowledge do they have?
Perhaps complete an audit or use the Food Passport as a baseline but ask additional questions about physical activity
This is now even more important with the KS1 and 2 Cooking and Nutrition curriculum.

5. Lesson planning How do you decide on what your students will make?
Skills?
Knowledge?
Progression?
Because you or they like the recipe?
Learning objectives should be linked practical outcomes.

6. Lesson planning
Make sure your recipes support knowledge, skill development and progression AND reflect the key nutrition messages:
Base your meals on starchy foods
Eat lots of fruit and vegetables
Eat more fish
Cut down on saturated fats and sugar

7. Lesson planning Try to eat less salt
Get active and try to be a healthy weight
Don’t get thirsty
Don’t skip breakfast

8. Lesson planning
There are a number of resources on the Food - a fact of life website that will help you plan effective KS3 and KS4 lessons, including:
KS3 Cooking and nutrition planning chart
KS3 Skills, recipes and nutrition planning chart
KS4 Food preparation and nutrition GCSE planning chart.

9. Lesson planning Once you have decided the recipes you will teach:
Review recipes in detail – anticipate what the students might do incorrectly
Trial all recipes to be used as a class – don’t take for granted that they will work!
Check preparation and cooking times for recipes – be realistic
Choose dishes that can be cooked at home.

10. Lesson planning
Try paired practicals – two or three students share tasks. This may not always be appropriate but can work well when tasks can be shared.
Consider group work – the students work in groups to make a dish which is then tasted and evaluated by the rest of the class at the end of the lesson.

11. ‘Food Inspector’ lessons
It might sometimes be appropriate for one student to cook and the other to observe and mark/grade.
The Licence to Cook practical observation sheet can easily be adapted as a checklist.

12. Flipped classroom
Students part prepare for a lesson following a demonstration in a previous lesson
Students watch a recording of the recipe being made or a particular skill before the lesson
A student demonstrates the recipe to their peers

13. Lesson planning
Establish a routine for getting ready at the start of Year 7 that students are taught and know well. Ensure that this is enforced with every class and year group.
Think about the tasks – don’t create bottlenecks. Divide the class so they are not all trying to do the same task together.

14. Lesson planning
Make it easy, avoid queues for aprons or tin foil dishes.
Make sure that the students know where the equipment is stored.
Count in/out sharp equipment.
Make everything routine!

15. What works well for you?
Please type in the chat box any other successful strategies that you may have for planning practical lessons.

16. Before the lesson
Pre-cut greaseproof paper to line baking trays – this reduces the amount of washing up considerably!
Pre-print name labels for products – this helps manage the food stored in your fridges but also gives students and parents important storage and cooking information.

17. The information on the label could include:
Name, date and form
Cooking and storage instructions
Allergens.

18. Before the lesson
Buy tin foil dishes for cooking. Saves time on washing up and are easy to transport food home.
Buy brown paper bags for baked goods – easy to write on and store when full.
Get any specific equipment out ready for the lesson, e.g. lined baking trays, flour dredgers (full) and cooling racks.

19. Before the lesson
Ensure that you have a system in place for when students don’t bring ingredients:
Active learning – involve the students in the practical lesson, e.g. have a ‘question pot’ available for the student to test their peers
Have basic spare ingredients that the students can use.

20. Before the lesson
Have extension tasks/activities linked to the practical ready – perhaps in their printed booklets or school website.

21. Before the lesson Ingredients:
Pre-weigh appropriate ingredients but only if this skill has been taught thoroughly previously
Pre-prepare suitable ingredients, e.g. grate carrots using a food processor
Part prepare a component or components the previous lesson and freeze, e.g. peel, slice and cook apples for a crumble or make pastry and freeze or refrigerate.

22. Before the lesson Ingredients:
Ask students to bring ingredients part prepared, weighed or measured, e.g. grated cheese providing they have been taught and have done the skill previously.
Reduce the number of fruit or vegetables in a recipe, or change them for those which are easier to prepare
Use canned fruit or frozen vegetables, to reduce preparation time.

23. During the lesson
Keep everything pacey – review what they have to do but efficiently
Use a PPT, video or quick demo
Keep explanations brief and focused
Give clear time limits for each part of the practical – keep reminding them!
Use a ‘countdown’ clock projected onto a whiteboard to give pupils a time reference.

24. During the lesson
Developing student independence in turn leads to a faster lesson and better teamwork.
Introduce C3B4UCME – ask three others before asking the teacher.
Give each student three question cards – they can ask up to three questions only. This focuses the mind!

25. Developing independence
Record recipe or skill demonstrations and post these on Youtube or your school network. Ask students to watch these for homework and produce a time plan for the lesson.
A variety of skills videos can be found on the Food - a fact of life website and new GCSE red meat skills videos will be uploaded to shortly.

26. Developing independence
Silent demos!
Students are required to concentrate and make notes during the demonstration leading to further independence.

27. Developing independence
Assessing students during practical lessons keeps them on their toes!
As you walk round the room assess (0 poor to 3 very good) them for :
Preparation – ingredients pre-prepared and ready, working efficiently and being organised
Practical – skills relevant to particular lesson
Professionalism – the quality of the appearance and finish of the dish.

28. Developing independence
Other tools for practical assessment could be:
Licence to Cook observation sheet
Food - a fact of life Learning Journey booklets, Cooking and Nutrition years 7, 8 and 9.

29. Developing independence
Other tools for practical assessment could be:
Self or peer assessment – based on L2C observation sheet
Use of ‘team leader’ or ‘food inspector’ roles during paired or group work.

30. Classroom management
Find an effective technique for getting the class quiet when you need to – as quickly as possible.
Don’t shout or speak over students, in the end it wastes time.
Some teachers use a whistle or a bell, clap their hands loudly or put a hand in their air. What do you do?

31. Classroom support If you have technician support, utilise them to:
Purchase, weigh and prepare ingredients
Get the food room ready – greaseproof paper cut, food labels printed, specialist equipment out
Prepare and set out ingredients for demonstrations
Support students with particular tasks
Demonstrate skills where appropriate.

32. Support for shorter lessons:
Meat and Education 50 Minute lesson packs
The Food Teacher Centre recipe bank (coming soon)
A wide variety of recipes on Food - a fact of life and Meat and Education websites.

33. Making an effective case to SLT
Still need more time?
Making an effective case to SLT
Gather evidence about the impact of shorter lessons and lack of technician support:
Investigate if other subjects are finding the same issues
Use evidence – what do other schools do? Ofsted Food Technology report, pupil voice
Explain the need for longer lessons to prepare for the new GCSE requirements
Try to present this in a positive light – explain how much more could be achieved and how a technician could be used to support.

34. Making an effective case to SLT
Show how you are already trying to make this work:
Paired working
Split classes
Flipped learning.
Link your request to the School Food Plan, new Ofsted framework
Provide one or two solutions that are workable for SLT
Invite SLT to observe a practical lesson or provide a video ‘diary’.

35. The most important points for managing practical lessons are:
Be organised and plan well ahead
Make it as easy on your self as possible – make them do the work!
Ensure you and the students have a good routine and that everyone follows it
Make sure that everyone knows the ‘rules’ and that they are followed
Have fun …..

36. For further information and support, go to:
Licence to Cook lesson guides (with tips for shorter lessons), recipes, skills videos and observation sheets:
Cooking and Nutrition schemes of work for year 7-9 with detailed lesson plans and learning journey booklets for each year group:
National curriculum support, help with KS3 & KS4 planning and resources linked to active learning in nutrition:

37. For support, the recipe bank, online surgeries and guidance from the highly experienced Food Teacher Centre Associates, join the closed Facebook group. Seek advice from over 7,000 other food teachers too!

38. Thank you!
Keep in touch!
Recording link – online/ ed
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Diary date – next webinar 22/03 at 4pm