Culinary Journey: Reflecting on My Cooking Experience

'Home-based education is not an experiment. Its how people learned to function in the world for centuries. And there is no reason to think that people today can't do the same thing. School is the experiment, not the lack of it. And I think that experiment is in trouble'- Wendy Priesnitz I certainly agree with the quote of Wendy above. I love cooking and decorating my living space when I do not have to learn. In essay about cooking experience I want to show my own one. 

My learning began at home, the motivation for me is the creativity involved in both activities. Cooking is one of the most enjoyable and exciting activities I love doing in my free time. It's so much fun that I look forward to getting home and going into the kitchen to try out recipes I have been planning in my head. It is exciting combining different ingredients to make my special recipe. I learn to cook with little or no conscious effort on my part as I enjoy cooking.

Just like cooking, decorating my living space requires some level of creativity. I enjoy trying out delicacies from different cultures and comparing them to the dishes I am familiar with. Thus, making me think out of the box. I also love blending enriching colors and aligning them with the furniture, floor, and walls. I like being unique exploratory and doing something different from the usual. I dare say that I am an adventurous person and love the feeling of discovery and the satisfaction that I did something different from the norms.

Personal Perspective of Learning and the Curriculum

As an educator, I believe informal learning is taking place when I engage in the process of cooking or decorating my living space. I don't even pause to think about the amount of effort I put into it because the activities I engage in are what I love to do. This form of learning resonates with the ideology of Noel, that out-of-school learning provides a more natural, flexible and entertaining environment when compared to the education provided in schools as it enables students to gain different experiences with different activities, rather than making learning dependent on books and a classroom atmosphere. Furthermore, Personal learning allows the flexibility of individuals to organize their learning in different settings. Yurtkul, Sare Akkus and Lacin Simsek also stated that out-of-school learning environments allow an individual to have both physical and mental experiences associated with the learning outcomes that would provide an opportunity to make learning more productive.

As an African woman, I had the unique privilege to be mentored by my grandmother who had a lot of cooking experience in our cultural cuisine. She had her concept of cooking, despite a lack of clear cut-out rules and regulations to be followed, she always knew the right amount of each ingredient she needed based on her long-term experience in cooking. Little did I know that there was a hidden curriculum involved in this informal learning experience. This hidden curriculum involved various interests, cultural forms, struggles, agreements, compromise, and informality, as was evident in my grandmother's backyard kitchen where I gradually started developing a desire to learn how to cook and understand the concepts behind cooking delicious meals. From the work of various researchers, the hidden curriculum is acknowledged as the socialization process of schooling that prepares students to be involved in social relationships and effectively collaborate with modern industrial society. Through this curriculum, students can take part in creating personal and customized learning experiences that are both informal and integrative. It is my opinion that the purpose of learning should be to help students to critically reflect on what they are passionate about, and negotiate how to acquire the skills to do it; as I found mine in cooking. Reforming education will take creativity, and leaders in education will have to model a new way of teaching and learning.

Criticism For and Against Informal Learning

Informal learning is often underrated, overlooked and not considered as valid learning; while formal learning is highly structured and requires step by step instructions and specific measurements of learning outcome, thus another reason for the criticism against informal learning. Informal learning is not cumbersome, it is flexible and does not require specific rules and regulations to operate. The popular saying that 'education begins at home,' proved to be true, as every child learns to speak, brush their teeth and show good manners starts from home. Learning at home is an informal education that stands as a scaffold on which formal education is built. Furthermore, I am of the view that without informal learning, we would never be able to cope in a formal learning environment. This is a fact that cannot be ignored.

Research has further shown that organizations that take advantage of informal learning among its employees stand a better competitive position than those who do not. I am convinced that a new level of flexibility in learning and teaching should be examined as is seen in culturally responsive teaching where the academic needs of students are tailored to fit their cultural background and level of understanding. I took on membership with associations with similar interests. Through this informal method of learning, I started exploring how to cook different cuisines. This naturally piqued my curiosity as a young person and sparked my interest in cooking. I dived into it with so much passion that I cannot explain simply in words. It all started with being involved and learning a simple recipe of interest in a practical way. Such as finding the types of cooking methods used, comparing how they differ from an individual's preference and cultural background. In my view, learning becomes more meaningful as the learner's needs, interests, and participation are put into consideration in the process of curriculum development and planning.

Cooking new recipes or decorating a living space sometimes can be overwhelming; as all the pieces must be put together to make a pleasant and harmonious whole. In this method of learning, there is a basic knowledge acquisition that has to be personalized to bring out the uniqueness of the individual experience. To decorate my home, I have to consider the paint colors for the walls, what kind of furniture I already have and what I need, and how to arrange and complement each item in the house. However, the first thing I do is to figure out the decorating style given space and size I have. I also seek advice from friends, look up other people's collections, and magazines.

Learning Process

The learning process in cooking and home decoration starts with my interest in the subject and consolidating experiences and observations with what I am learning. I reflect on what I have observed and connect this to my previous experiences, then I carry out the activities myself intending to improve or replicate it with a different touch or taste to it. Kolb proposed that knowledge is continuously derived from and tested out in the experiences of the learner. He inferred that learning occurs as we navigate the uncertainties of the world around us, through expectation and experience. Thus, concluding that learning is a continuous process, where we do not only learn new ideas but dispose of or modify old ones.

According to Sager, education is an evocative word that elicits different emotional reactions from people. Education is not just a formal system of learning with standardization and structures. It is also made up of what some studies refer to as informal education, an educational system that has no formal structure of learning. As I continued to grow in my learning, my cooking experience and home decoration skills also expanded based on the fact that I related with other people from different cultures and countries. I took on membership with associations whose members shared the same interest as mine such as 'Egunje Cooking Club' (E.C.C) and watching programs such as Chef Master and Property Brothers; served as a platform where I drew knowledge and ideas to broaden and upgrade my cooking and decorating skills. Cooking and decorating is not just fun, but helps me to meet new friends, share experience, memories and learn new things. It is not just cheaper for me to cook for my family and friends but allows me to cook for my taste and that of others.

However, there are lots of challenges involved; such as making a huge mess and the new recipe not tasting as expected. Also, the inability to find the needed materials and cooking equipment can be frustrating. Knowing this makes me plan, and prepare a list of 'what to do'. I tried reading helpful tips from books, magazines, and watching cooking shows on how to get started in making a particular dish. The cost of ingredients, quantity needed, and method of preparation are important tips to bear in mind. This method of learning is self-directed, thus involving cooking from experience.

Critical Reflection-Connecting With Real World

To conclude cooking experience essay, in as much as I advocate for structured learning, I shared the argument proposed by Ableman that informal learning takes education outside, and away from the classroom and connects us with the real world or natural environment. Louv further stated that much of human learning comes from doing, making, and feeling with their hands. Thus the term 'Kinesthetic learning'. I strongly believe that more of my learning to cook and decorate my home comes from experiential and kinesthetic learning, which involves active participation and experience; or even more from other methods such as personal relevance learning, which build on students interest. I am positive that students learn better when they are involved in the process of seeking answers to their questions and curiosity. This has shaped the way I teach my students and my outlook on the process of education. It has to be fun and discovery, even within the boundaries of a curriculum

It is crystal clear that informal learning is what keeps us vibrant, mentally motivated and interested in learning as we interact with the world around us. I disagree with the notion that because it cannot be quantified easily, it is not essential. Studies have shown the opposite.

References

• Fulya. D., K. (2009) Comparison of Hidden Curriculum Theories. European Journal of Educational Studies 1(2)
• Kolb. D. (1983). Experiential Learning: Experience As The Source of Learning and Development.Prentice-Hall, New Jersey.
• Laura. L. (n.d). Advantages of Informal Learning for Organisations. [Blog] 
• Noel, A. M. (2007). Elements of a winning field trip. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 44(1), 42-44. 
• Sager. M. (2013). Understanding the Hidden Curriculum Connecting Teachers to Themselves, Their Students, and the Earth. Leadership for Sustainability Education Papers. p7
• Yavuz, T. M., & Balkan, K. F. (2017). The effect of hydroelectric power plants trip on students' conceptual understandings. Mersin University Journal of the Faculty of Education, 13(3), 1151-1172.