Tis' the Season -- To Be Cheating

In my intro class I have a module on ethics.  Part of that module has to do with cheating customers and why that is bad for business and society.  I then share national statistics on student cheating.  The high percentage of students, including those who are honors students, that cheat on exams and projects is alarming.  My point is simple -- students cheat if give the chance for many reasons: hard to catch, no big deal if caught, no code of conduct, norm is to cheat, etc. 
So it is test time for most of us.  Here are a few videos on what students do to cheat in the hopes you might be the wiser and able to deter the cheaters.  The craziest part of some of these videos on cheating have a commercial for bona fide companies advertising their products.  Say, what?!

Reconfiguring a soft drink bottle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91lQK5SCzlQ&ob=av3e

Using a bandaid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2DNACy4_5I&feature=relmfu

Using a pencil eraser:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyY-EqYW6Fs&feature=related

How to reconfigure a store bought pen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W9NA876fu8&feature=related

Teacher shares what he has learned from student cheating:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2DNACy4_5I&feature=relmfu

Using a rubber band:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGhOYbPgETQ

Low tech popular ways:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EExPFAFeTX4&feature=related

Using calculator:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KodpkQWHTyY&feature=related

How Not to Handle Student Cell Phone Use in Class

Cell phone use by students is a problem.  I know there are those who have no policy on it or do not care about students using during class.  I am not one of them. 

So for today here is a video clip of how not to handle student cell phone laugh as well as provide a little chuckle for you as the semester/term winds down at the peek of teacher stress.  Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLjgDYyR0m4&feature=related

Shoulder to Shoulder, Eye to Eye

I am now wrapping up my first full semester teaching the restaurant management lab that runs from 8:30 to 2:20, five days a week.  I am blessed with a chef instructor and TA's to get the fine dining restaurant and Cafe up and running each day.  I have mainly been expediter at lunch in our fine dining restaurant as well as check in now and then during the morning to see that we are getting ready to open the doors to the public. 

I got off to a shaky start since it has been 20 years since I worked full time in the back-of-the house but once I got my legs under me I was able to run the position and teach at the same time.  I LOVE teaching the lab everyday because the application of what the student knows and has learned happens in real time.  I am in there shoulder to shoulder, eye to eye, with the kids as we call in the orders and sell them each day from 11:30 to 1:00 PM.  I really think they love working alongside the teacher, too.  It is beholden to me to keep  my cool no matter how crazy it gets with kids who have never cooked or served a day in their life as the customers come in the door expecting quality food and service.  It is the ultimate teaching challenge.

I will make a confession to you.  I was bored out of my mind with lecture classes so glad I took on the ultimate teaching challenge of running the restaurant lab with novice students.  I have done all the teaching and learning techniques out there in my lecture classes and they were awesome at the time but soon -- based on the kind of person I am -- became old.  But when it comes to the restaurant lab, EVERY DAY IS DIFFERENT AND SOME DAYS ARE HORRIBLE!  But so much learning is taking place on good days and bad to discuss as a teachable moment(s) while the lab is in full swing or at the end of the day when we do our debrief.  I look forward to implementing our revised teaching techniques and sharing them in the spring semester.

So those of you who are out there teaching similar classes you are so LUCKY!  I wish I had realized it sooner and taken on the ultimate challenge of teaching the restaurant labs.  Cannot wait so see what we continue to do make improvements and share with you in the future.  Oh and thanks to Colin Roche I will be using some of his ideas to use my newly acquired Flip digital recorder to film demonstrations students will need to watch before coming to lab so they have a clue about what we are talking about when giving instruction.