Cooking & Learning: Similar? 

Bobby Flay to Keynote & Cook!

Cooking and Learning have a lot in common.

Think about how we design, mix, evolve, personalize and improve both cooking and learning.

I am pleased to announce that Bobby Flay, the Master Chef, will be featured at Learning 2007.  He will cook while I  interview him about the design, innovation and evolution of cooking (and how it relates to our world of learning.

Then, we will all get to sample the dish that he has just prepared! 

We recently asked our Learning TRENDS readers to write us about the link between Cooking and Learning and we were SWAMPED with hundreds of replies.  Here is a small and wonderful sample of their comments:

“I think that learning and cooking are very similar.  Cooking is a process that usually begins with a recipe, many ingredients, time and finally enjoying the benefit of the process (eating!).  Learning is also a process that should begin with a plan (recipe for learning), can consist of many ingredients (classroom, online, blended, etc.), requires time (both on the trainer's part and the learner's part) and also ends with a reward (increased knowledge).”
Karen E. Frederick, Utica National Insurance Group

“Cooking, food, learning and training - some of my greatest passions in life! I see lots of similarities in the worlds of food and learning. From fast food and tapas to a five-course Prix Fixe gourmet creation, we have a similar menu of choices in learning and training. It's the role of the chef and the learning professional to offer a variety of choices to fit the needs of the customer. And just as people have tastes as varied as sushi to soul food, learners have their own preferences from mobile and self-directed learning to traditional instructor-led training.”
Carole J. Adams, Bank of America

 “If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen!  Even a master chef fails to please everyone all the time.  Tastes for food and learning styles are as individual as they come, but both a good chef and a good trainer understands that and can adjust accordingly.”
Ken Blanchard, MassMutual Financial Group
 
“Chef's = trainers.
Recipe = ISD.
Ingredients = Learning objects.
Prepared dish = e-learning course.
Restaurant = LCMS.
Menu = Course list.
Sous chefs = technical developers.
Fast Food = Rapid design.

Like ingredients, learning objects can stand alone but mixed with the right instructional design can produce a 5 star meal. Fast food can fill your immediate need but does not have the lasting impression of a fine dining experience.”
Devin Kane, All Children's Hospital
 
“Some things in each have to be done step by step.  Improvisation in the moment can make or break the results.  They're both art forms.”
Tammy Payne, Wachovia
 
“Cooking and learning are almost exactly alike in that you can do everything correctly from the technical perspective and still come up with something mediocre.  As long as you follow all the steps and don't tinker with the ingredients the output won't kill anybody but it might not make them want to come back for seconds.  On the other hand each--if structured properly--leaves the opportunity for surprise and delight: you connect the new learning with old knowledge in an unexpected way, or you decide to throw a handful of lavender into the pan with the beef even though the recipe didn't tell you to.  You may never be able to duplicate that dish but your dinner guests will want to come back for whatever you make next time.”
Ron Dickinson, Intel Communications
 
“You can never tell if you like something new until you try it at least once. Training is a lot like baking – you can mix all the ingredients together in the right quantities, but you don’t know how it’ll come out until it comes out of the oven (learner).  Quality ingredients (learning vehicles) yield better end products. Corollary: the professional chef and talented amateur can often be separated by the quality of ingredients they use and their mastery of technique. Sometimes it only takes a minor change in flavoring to yield a much better product.”
Ali Graham, Orlando Regional Healthcare
 
“They are both an art and a science. That’s what makes both delicious!”
Mike Giordano, Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
 

“Cooking & Learning -- both are best as hands-on experiences!!  Experiential learning at it's best!”
Gale Ulrich, TWC Sales Training Development

“Just because you know what goes in it, doesn't mean it'll come out the same way every time.”
Caroline Jayne, St. Vincent Health

“I may try a recipe for the first time and it may not come out just right.  The same is true for any new learning I may undertake.  The second time round is better; and the third, better still.  The first time I try a new recipe, I may follow the directions precisely.  As I make the recipe again and again, I feel emboldened to add my own revisions and flair.  The same with learning – as I take new content and make it my own – I get to a point where I can abandon the step by step directions and make my own adjustments (and applications)…In learning, we must be bold enough to enter the unknown as well.
 
Learning is a messy business – whether we risk a fallen soufflé or a failed attempt at skiing down the mountain for the first time – we must be willing to take risks in order to attain our desired result.

Cooking – a creative process.  So is learning…We cook because we love; we teach because we care; we learn for the sheer love and pleasure of it…Cooking is something some of us – most of us? – do every day.  Learning is also a daily occurrence…From the time we are born... we must do both – we must eat, we must learn..”
Alice L. Clive, Office of Policy and Management

“When the menu calls for a cuisine that is new to the chef, some considerations have to be made on his part.  He is the expert, with potentially years of experience, and probably has a general idea of what to expect.  Without effort or even awareness, he makes certain assumptions about the ingredients, the process, and most importantly, the result: Does it taste good?  If it is a dish that isn’t pleasing to his pallet, he could decide to make changes that are more to his liking or even never to cook it again.  Perhaps others would have greatly enjoyed his efforts, but if the chef does not feel that it works well with the menu he prepares regularly, then the dish could serve to reinforce the chef’s satisfaction before the new dish was requested.  This is not unlike our learning world, where we are faced with requests for new training for employees who don’t feel there is a need.  Without creating a dish that makes the audience feel a craving for its content, we will likely be faced with participants that are like chefs…content to remain as they were before being served.  We are challenged to continue finding new ways to serve similar menus that are yet more pleasing to the pallet of the learner.”
Jennifer Taylor, RCI Indianapolis


“Regardless of all of the formalized learning I've been fed over the years, when I am directing my own learning I often make educated guesses, experiment, use trial and error and, finally, hone a recipe.  For instance, ten years ago I wanted to learn how to make real barbecue (in this case, pulled pork).  First I read all the barbecue recipes I could. I combined that with the knowledge I had already acquired about taste, food chemistry, dry heat methods, etc.  Then, I took a stab at it, fed it to friends, and asked for feedback…I continued to experiment until I developed a method that is my own, yet produces a product everyone would recognize called Barbecue.  To develop my management skills, I've done the same things…I guess I focus on learning through experience because of all of my years of simulation design. I build cases where learners are encouraged to go in, make decisions and learn from both their successes and their mistakes…Much in the same way I've been writing interactive stories all these years, I'd feel just as comfortable throwing a group of people in my back yard with a pork shoulder, piles of herbs and spices and a backyard smoker, give them the basics of barbecue, then let them go to town...”
Phil Charron, Performance Development Group


“The best cooks are the ones that improvise and improve upon the written recipe. Instead of merely following the recipe word for word, they can adapt it to their needs. If they don't have an ingredient, they find a substitute. A pinch of this, a little of that. If someone doesn't like onions, they can omit them. They are unconsciously skilled. The final result is a delicious dish that is devoured by the intended audience! Likewise, the most successful workers are those who have gone beyond step-by-step work procedures. They can adapt a task to their unique environment. They can troubleshoot problems and find work-arounds, when necessary. They continuously improve the process. They, also, are unconsciously skilled. The final result is an excellent product or service.”
Lisa Stepanovic, St. Louis Community College


“Getting your message today made me chuckle. I have the pleasure of leading the Customer Care Team for our organization. Our duties include both Training and Support. One of the ladies on my team has a saying, “You have to cook before you can eat.” She uses this when the challenge to explain something to someone on a support call becomes challenging, especially when we have to gather a lot of information together to address an issue. I think of it as you have to pull the ingredients together, look at the recipe and prepare yourself to cook before you can begin to and before you can eat. In Learning, the same thing happens. When we create a learning opportunity, we have to get ready - assemble all the parts (the experts, the system, the curriculum designer, the end user’s readiness), then we create our recipe (how we will deliver the class, in what pieces and in what order), and then we cook it (advertise it, roll it out), and then everyone learns (eats). Of course, since we are Training and Support, we even provide the Antacids when the class doesn’t sit too well and the folks need follow-up.”
Valerie A. Hall, Orange County Public Schools


“To cook a dish I need to select a recipe for which I have the skills to complete or perhaps something a little bit challenging so I can learn a new skill. However, selecting a recipe that requires all unknown ingredients, cooking methods, equipment, and complicated processes does not portend well for success. Successful completion of the recipe will require that I have the time, resources, skills and knowledge to work through the process.  Further, I should be able to test for intermediary success and be able to make adjustments, ie. should they add more salt, etc. How do I know I am successful? ... there may be a number of factors... how close does it resembles the recipe photo, how does it taste, was it ready on schedule...When working with our learners we want to have an understanding of their current skills, knowledge and expertise before assigning tasks; we have to ensure that we have created an environment and provided the resources and support where they can learn the requisite skills. Learning opportunities may need to be scaffolded to build to required levels to complete the task. Students should know what they are trying to accomplish and understand when they have arrived; they should receive feedback throughout the process in order to improve and know how they will be evaluated...”
Karen Quinney, Loyalist College


“Both are easy to do, but take a lifetime to master. Both evoke passion for the giver (instructor/chef). Both evoke strong emotions from the person receiving - favorite memories of subject, meal, smells… Regional influences add to the richness of the experience”
Michael Starkey, Great American Insurance Group


“Cooking is self-paced learning through and through.  There is some background knowledge needed (i.e. how to operate a stove) but otherwise, most of what you need is there. You then begin to actively engage in the process of creating your dish, applying concepts that are described.  Once you make a dish a few times, you can do it without the recipe or even better, begin to alter it and experiment.  This enables you to apply knowledge and learning from a variety of experiences plus engage bit of creativity.   In addition, you learn from the failures.  Some are horrible and others yield surprises.  I once left the evaporated milk out of a pumpkin pie recipe (pretty spacey thing to do).   What I learned was that it took longer to cook, but still tasted fine, had less fat and calories!”
Aaron Rawlins, WaMu Learning - Washington Mutual


“I don't know if cooking and learning are similar, but cooking and learning design certainly are!  The act of cooking is an art, supported by science.  Learning design is the same way.  In really good cooking, a chef "feels" the dish - they make small adjustments, they blur the lines of the recipe, if there even was a recipe.  They taste test and adjust accordingly in creation of their masterpiece.  Good chefs can do this because they understand the underlying science or rules of food (e.g., that you need an oil and a vinegar and a binder to make really good dressing, that you need an acid of some sort to create a marinade).  They know the rules and then they improvise above that. Learning design is the same way.  Good learning designers need to understand the science and underlying principles of learning - how and why people learn, and how to do specific craft steps/point skills of the trade, such as writing learning objectives and writing faculty instructions.  Then they need to be creative - to take the learning goals and to create ways to facilitate people learning them.  To throw out the formality of the recipe and create the sublime magic that is a really great learning experience.  It is really hard to create a great learning experience by just following a design process (recipe/science).  You'd get something good, but for great, you need some art.”
Amanda M. Lutz, Accenture


“It is all in the presentation. Quality and portion size matter most - not quantity.”
Reggie Smith, Booz Allen Hamilton


“We cook food to survive in the world. We use learning and training to survive at work. In our life, we can either go out to eat and enjoy our meal or just get something to sustain our hunger. At work, we can take on a self-directed approach and really try to improve ourselves or just complete what is required to get the job done.”
Tom Clune, MetLife 

Subject:   Lessons for a Novice cook…

Eggs should be “weighed”
A real pastry chef will weigh the eggs before adding them.  This degree of precision makes your pie crust as close to perfection as possible.  While not always practical to “measure” at this level, we should aim for this level of precision.

Yogurt can be substituted for sour cream
Our group improvised with coffee yogurt when we realized that the sour cream container had apricot preserves in it.  It changed the flavor of our ricotta cheesecake but it was still delicious.  Follow the recipe/project plan when it makes sense.  Remember, however, that sometimes you need to improvise.  Don’t allow the process to create unnecessary barriers to getting the job done.

Free range chicken is the best
We used free range chicken for the main course but frozen peas in the pasta sauce… Remember, there are trade-offs when building programs and working projects.  The price you pay for quality may be worth it.  If you have to cut corners don’t do it on the “main course”.

You have to “boil” homemade pasta…
Yes Beth, homemade pasta has to be boiled before eaten.  I doubt I’ll go out and buy a pasta maker but I definitely appreciate the quality of homemade.  You know what else?  It’s not as hard as it looks… Don’t be intimidated by things you don’t know anything about—yet.  It’s probably a lot easier than you expect.

Black plates make for good presentation
Our group used a black plate, powdered sugar and grated orange zest to make dessert more visually appealing.  When you are getting ready to rollout changes or new processes, be aware of presentation and communication stakeholders.  You may wet their appetites.

Use powdered sugar, not granulated sugar, for whipped cream
Your cream will hold up better if you use powdered sugar.  I had never heard of doing this but I’m going to give it a shot from now on.  Be open to change.  You might find that it works better than the old way.

Rubbing the chicken under the skin adds a lot of flavor
Kellie gets points here for stepping up to the plate and taking a risk by “touching” the chicken.  She told me that she wouldn’t be able to deal with raw chicken and someone else would have to do it.  Points to Kellie for stepping outside her comfort zone.  I think we should all do this on occasion.

Refrigeration is critical for flaky dough
Nancy told me this morning that her head was spinning from all the work we had done this week.  As the pastry chef reminded me, it’s important that you refrigerate your pastry after kneading it.  It lets the glutens settle and makes for a better crust.  Thanks for “taking a pounding” this week and working your projects.  Now, let “your” glutens settle and have a great weekend.  Monday morning will be here before you know it.
Celeste Asmar, Progressive Insurance

“Eating involves almost all of the senses (taste, smell, visual, touch).  So does learning.  Some of the best learning experiences (at least for me when it comes to transfer of that learning) include more than one sense. The role of a chef is very similar to that of an instructional designer.  Whether he knows it or not, a chef follows the ADDIE model too! A learner can be "poisoned" by bad instruction in the same way that someone can get food poisoning when it is not prepared properly. A typical learning session is structured much like a meal (at least in the US):  introduction (appetizers), course content (main dish), conclusion (dessert), evaluation ("That was delicious!"). Utensils are much like good instructors/facilitators.  Most meals include at least a fork, knife, and spoon.  If that fork won't cut the steak, then try the knife.  If you want to have some broth with those green beans, you need to use a spoon instead of the fork.  Good instructors/facilitators come to a training session prepared to meet the needs of their learners.  If an activity is not working, they are prepared to switch to another one that meets the objective.  E-learning should also provide multiple options for the learner. A good meal should be nutritious as well as delicious.  Is the meal balanced with the food groups?  Does it have an appropriate amount of calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol?  When a person eats the right foods, his body performs better (more energy, better sleep, mental and physical stamina, etc.).  The same is true for a well-designed learning session.  The learner should have more knowledge and perform better on the job after the session.”
Kelley J. Miller, Raytheon Professional Services LLC


“Similarities: 1 - Learning and Cooking - both are art forms. 2 - Learning and Cooking - both should be conducted with the end-user in mind. 3 - Too many cooks spoil the broth (too many instructors can get confusing). 4 - Learning is more fun when food is involved (especially chocolate). 5 - There is an ideal temperature for cooking and for learning (don't let your room be too hot or too cold). 6 - Watching someone else cook is a good way to learn. 7 - Learning and Cooking - both should take place over time. 8 - Learning and Cooking - both take place at different speeds/rates, depending on what is being cooked/learned, and what tools you are using to cook/learn. 9 - Learning and Cooking - it is possible to be full of food, and it is possible for my brain to be too full to learn more in any given time period. 10 - There are master teachers and master chefs.

Dissimilarities: 1 - more vegetables in soup = good; more vegetables in class = bad. 2 - Learning does not always follow a recipe. 3 - Learning should be fun, but food shouldn't taste funny. 4 - There is no virtual or remote-based eating. 5 - Everyone knows right away if you what you cooked didn't turn out - no one knows (until it's too late) if you didn't learn.”
Mark R. Beckstrom, IBM Global Business Services

“1. People like information served up fast just as they enjoyed being served great food served fast.
2. Instructors often know whether their analogy will work or whether it won't--just as great cooks know that lemon can be switched with vinegar because they're both acids.
3. Cooks know when they're "kicking it up another notch" by adding extra ingredients or making it extra fancy.  Trainers can often add extra effort and add special aspects (as you do at your conferences) to their facilitation to make their training extra fancy.
4. Cooks make food extra fancy because they're giving back to their guest and how they give back can be done in a very personal way--by the types of food they use and the atmosphere that they are trying to create.  Developing employees can be very similar because it takes a special skill to create the appropriate content that gives the employee the correct information to be a more valuable employee.

Note:  Often this is done by the person who created the course (his or her idea for the course) rather than the person who facilitated it.
5. Can't cook, won't cook.  When providing training, you need to be sure you are targeting those that "can't cook" - don’t have the knowledge - rather than those that "wont cook" - have the knowledge but not the behavior to perform as expected.”
Daniel Cannon, Qualcomm

“Similarities are analysing very well the target audience, planning previously the final result, selecting good ingredients, then finding the best form to blend the ingredients, maturing all of them using sophisticated processes, making some tests, providing a good appearance, offering to public appreciation.”
Andrea


“Both provide immediate, tangible feedback.”
Laura Jackson, Allstate

“Great cooking starts with tried and true recipes.  But that new idea/ingredient and small "tweaks" can take that old standby up a notch into something totally new and exciting…”
Heidi McCarthy, Custom Training Institute

“For the customer, a meal may be the single time they expereince your cooking. But for the cook, this meal is one of humdreds upon hundreds of identical meals. How do you keep focus and quality control? How does an instructor keep the learning experience fresh and full of impact?”
Anonymous


“The more times you make a recipe, the less need to break out the cookbook - you just know how to do it. Same with learning - once you do something many times, you don't have to look up the instructions on how to do it. That's why practice and reinforcement after a learning event is critical...retention is based on repetition.”
Wanda Carricato, Nevada Learning Series

“Many varied ingredients need to be considered and ratios combined carefully. Tools afford economies of effort. Creativity used in innovation of new dishes (Fusion of cooking styles). Variety is a tasty spice that keeps engagement high. Recipes need to be adapted to diet of consumer. Many methods or ingredients can be employed to create the same dish. Love and affection used during cooking make tastier dishes. Mastercraft can be seen in the flourishes of even simple meals. The little things are important, delicate touches are required during some stages, or with some recipes like souffle. We eat with our eyes first - presentation makes dishes tastier. The cook engages us with their enthusiasm. The cook engenders confidence in trying new dishes. You need to know the foundations before experimentation results in expected outcomes. Balance allows sweet and sour to become palatable.”
Andrew Hill, UNSW Faculty of Business (incorporating the AGSM)
 

“1. Both areas (cooking and training) need to do an upfront analysis of the audience needs and wants in order to be successful and worthwhile.  Cooks and trainers hate being put into a position to say, “Do you know how much time and effort I put into this…?  And this is the thanks I get?”

2. Cooking and training initiatives need to use project management tools and concepts to provide the customer with what they need, when they need it and at a price they are willing and/or able to pay.
3. Customers can be duped into paying BIG $$$ for something that “Looks great” but is actually poor quality.

4. Food and learning are required to sustain a quality of living that is beyond a hand-to-mouth survival.

5. Cooking and training – both require sufficient time to be well prepared.

6. Experienced cooks and experienced trainers can work wonders with/from “nothing” in a pinch. (That’s how Ceasar Salad was invented).  Experience can more easily translate into increased creativity, effectiveness and efficiency.

7. Consuming quality food and learning are investments in our long-term health – physical, mental and work life.

8. Some recipes and some learning cannot be expected to be good if rushed.  It takes time to work, meld the flavors and influences, and let nature and the environment “work”.

9. Ingestion of bad food and/or bad training generally result in the same physiological and biological responses!!!

10. There are charlatans in both fields...

11. Good food can be ruined by poor cooking.  Good content material can be ruined by bad training presentations.”
Dale A. Currier, Ecology and Environment Corp

“For both, it's best to have a plan (recipe) but you also want to use your creativity to enhance the plan.  Different types are better for different needs - from simple to elaborate.  Many times, you can do a lot with a little.  Both benefit from care and attention. With both, the end results can and should be more spectacular that the individual ingredients.”
Roslyn Metchis, Obsidian


“Cooking is certainly a variation of learning, but it does not always have the same emphasis or goal in mind.  If you are speaking of digging deeper than following a recipe, like learning the interactions of foods and the terminology/meaning of all the aspects (kneading, searing, folding, etc.), then cooking is true learning.  It would be something we take away to remember and apply in other circumstances when creating other dishes or following other recipes.  But, when we simply follow a recipe, the goal is definitely different. It becomes a task and ends with the dish, and all we take away is a satisfied tummy.”
Sandy Adams, Landstar


“Yes, I think they are.  The first time I use a recipe or follow a chef, I follow exactly.  The next time I adapt it to suit my, and my family's, taste.  Over time the original can become unrecognisable as I use a little bit of this and a little bit of that from other recipes/chefs and my own experience to frame the culinary creation.  I see adult learners doing it the same way, following the expert precisely the first time and then using their other experiences and their own unique environment to shape and apply what they've learnt.”
Margaret Dix, TAFE NSW - Northern Sydney Institute


“You have to have a general notion of the concepts - a foundation. Then put your own spin on it. That's why people are still finding new ways of cooking - new ways of experimenting with food - and new methods of preparation. Just like people are still finding new ways of teaching people topics/info that has been taught for hundreds of years... we find new ways to teach it - and new ways to learn it.”
Tanarra Schneider


“Mel Silberman starts his Active Training Course by saying that we all have enrolled in a cooking course, not a training course. He says that all the techniques we learned should be viewed as recipes and we as training developers take a little of this, a little of that to make a learning activity the same way a chef develops a new twist on old recipes. A training developer should not see herself as a cook that follows the same old recipe but as a chef that takes old recipes and comes up with something new and more interesting.”
Erick Reinikka, Graco Inc.



“*Thought put in beforehand to what is going to be served and when to get the best impact and results.
*Sufficient prep work so that the end product can be delivered with ease.
*Moments of joy as you experience them.”
Kristi Willis, The Effective Edge, Inc


“I consider a chef the equivalent of an instructional designer and the people who make the raw ingredients as SMEs. Whenever we cook, we purchase produce, meats, grains...etc. (all of the ingredients) from people who are experts at producing them. I go to a specific butcher for my meats, a baker for breads...etc. As a cook, I pull these ingredients together to make something wonderful for my family and friends to consume. The better the ingredients are and the better the cook is...the better the finished product will be.  Training is no different. The instructional designer gets raw content from the SMEs. They then pull together the content in a format that makes it pleasing and easy to digest for the learner. The better the SME content is and the better the instructional designer is...the better the finished product will be. This also extends even further to what we expect from our SMEs. We want them to give us content...the raw materials. We do not ask them to be instructional designers. All too often we think that just because someone is an SME, that they can also design great training. This isn't the case. Conversely, a great instructional designer does not need to be an SME to create great learning.  We don't expect farmers to be chefs and we don't expect chefs to be able to farm. Just because things are related, they aren't interchangeable.”
Ron Sober, University of Michigan

“Learning as with cooking can be the recipe you create for your own enjoyment.  You can add the courses or seminars that interest you just like you would ingredients into a recipe.”
Carolyn Calderon, Snohomish County

“With the right instructions you can make anything.  Good learning hits all the senses - so does good food.  There are unlimited possibilities when you combine different ingredients - there are unlimited possibilities in learning. You can have all the right ingredients, but unless you blend them in the right quantity, at the right time, in the right environment, you could have one unpalatable mess.  You can have the right organisational factors but when one essential ingredient is missing, it affects the whole performance of a team.  Food is transformed with heat (Energy). Transformational learning experiences have an energy surrounding them. Transformation often occurs in the crucible fire - rarely when times are laid back and easy. Sometimes cooking is trial and error - always, learning is trial and error.  The best ingredients are fresh and natural - in both scenarios.” Monica Smith

"This question makes me think of the movie 'Like Water For Chocolate'
Cooking can be a metaphor for learning.
There is a recipe for success and then an art that comes with experimentation and experience.
So many factors matter and those are often hard to separate"
Amy Ryan, Clinical Guidance Organization, Humana, Inc.

“I use this analogy all the time....with respect to Blending and combinations of methods and media and respect to both the art (a sprinkle of this and that) and science (follow the recipe, especially when starting out).”
Steve Hicks, UNC


“They are best done in an environment that is supportive and gives you options to select: pardon the pun, but one item on the menu does not fit all. They both need to appeal the person's interest/taste. They can be entertaining and informative, but also arduous and disappointing. They can be elaborate or simple depending upon the need. They can involve others, but you can also do them alone. There is a neverending combination of recipes to try, just as there are neverending subjects to learn. Both nourish the body and soul!”
Pam Hebert, VA Government


“Interesting, we have often used recipes for training.  This is what many of my learners want: a simple recipe for how to complete a simple task.  Of course, there is more than one way to make any meal, and some people are gourmet chefs.  But in general, the computer is a tool that they want to use as easily as the old dial phones used to be.  That would then be the "dump" (generally several canned items) recipe.  But learning what spice provides what flavor, ah - there is where the hands-on and discovery experimentation and exercises occur.  After all, practice makes perfect.

Of course this advice is coming from someone that only has a kitchen because it came with the house!”
Cris Ballinger


“Cooking and learning are similar in the fact that each is made up of many ingredients; and while some foolish people would attempt to improve the success of the product by adding more ingredients, it is often most successful and savored the longest when the ingredients are kept simple.”
Randy Mason, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

 

“1. Cooking: the quality of the ingredients is very important. Training: the quality of the processes and resources is very important.

2. Cooking: the quality of the ingredients does not guarantee the result. Training: the quality of the processes and resources does not guarantee the result.

3. Cooking: is an art and a science. Training: is an art and a science.

4. Cooking: the cook does all the work, the others suffer or enjoy it. Training: Oops! It should be different!!”
Victoria Penacca, Telefonica

“I almost fell off my seat with laughter - then I was hit with grief and remorse. My wife is a professional chef so all of a sudden I was back in a conversation that we have had many times before. So often I find myself working within an 80 - 20 rule which is getting material 80% "there" so it is usable for training (online or otherwise). In cooking, 80% just won't work: you either use 100% of the ingredients needed or the dish just doesn't come out.  So, why is it that we will accept 80% in training when the cost can run into the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, yet we won't accept a meal that is 80% there? Are we fooling ourselves even if our assessments tell us that the training is "working" or is it that what we find is that the 80% is really the actuality and 100% could have been too much?”
Gary Gernstein, Schneider Electric/Square D Company

“1. Anchored Learning? Must know recipes as this equates to job-based performance aides.

2. Conceptual learning?  Must know ingredients. This way you can create multiple dishes by combining ingredients because you'll know what each does. Both are legitimate and both apply to unique situations.”
David Alper, Adobe Systems, Inc

  “Yes, Cooking and Learning are similar. I have used baking a cake as an illustration when teaching hospital environmental services staff (many of whom had English as a second language and/or had limited formal education) quality improvement and the importance of process as well as variables that can change or impact outcomes. Once the analogy was made and understood, quality and quality initiatives became a way of life with people looking for ways to make it better...just like improving a recipe. The classes were a huge success.”Marion Glass, Government Healthcare Solutions - Lockheed Martin


"Continuing this analysis of Don Morrison's definition of e-learning, the term Knowledge Management (KM) has been described as "the process of capturing, sharing, and leveraging a company's collective expertise" (Botkin, 1999, p.40). I would assert that there is an anthropological aspect to the process of managing knowledge in an organisation; as we have seen earlier in this chapter, it can be argued that there is a social-cultural element to how individuals work and learn together in an organisation's structure. Claude Levi-Strauss, eminent structuralist and ethnographer of the Trobriand Islanders, coined the phrase 'the raw and the cooked' in Mythologiques, Volume 1 to signify the dichotomy between elements falling along the 'raw' category as being of 'natural' origin, and those on the 'cooked' side being of 'cultural' origin - i.e. products of human creation (Lévi-Strauss, 1966). Morrison echoes this comparison when he describes e-learning as processed (i.e. cooked) knowledge - it "takes subject matter expertise, puts it through an instructional design process and presents the result in an obvious framework. KM delivers raw, or at the very least, less processed knowledge" (p.7)."
Michael Hanley, Curam Software 

"I see similarities between Cooking and Training and with Eating and Learning.

Cooking and Training:  Things we do for others - the output process.  We want to make the experience wonderful.  There are many ingredients that go into the creation process - but the guests/students only see the final product.  To be a top Chef/Trainer - it takes years of practice - but it mostly takes the right heart and passion.  Marie Barone ("Everybody Loves Raymond") says she "cooks with love" - so should we teach/train - with love.

Eating and Learning:  This is from the guest/student perspective - the intake process.  Health experts tell us that healthy eating includes a variety of "colors" of vegetables - reds, greens, etc. - and our learning should likewise include a variety of types of learning.  Eating needs to be in moderation - learning needs to be focused - we're lifetime students - people who will never apply our learning - but we are lifelong learners - we learn, apply, learn, apply.  We should not participate in "mindless eating" - a situation where we are not paying attention to what we're putting in our bodies.  Likewise, we should not engage in "mindless learning" - we should be aware of what we are putting into our minds - positive, constructive messages.  Finally, we do not just eat - we eat and exercise.  So we are not just learners - we learn and do."
Linda

“Ingredients determine the recipe, not the other way around.  Content determines the training format, not the other way around. The best cooks cook for their guests, not for themselves. The best trainers are learning facilitators, not performers. Variety is the spice of life in both cooking and learning: for best results, pair interesting foods in a meal -> use blended learning.”
Tuula Piispanen-Krabbe, New Mexico Department of HEALTH


“In order to achieve the best result, it is not enough to do an activity only once.  Repetition is key for maintaining the knowledge.  Feedback and guidance is important and often needed to improve performance.”
Ingemar Svensson, Ericsson Serviços de Telecomunicações Ltda.

 
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