Final Reflection - Signing Off - My Compliments to the Outdoor Chef
So, I learned a lot about Dutch oven cooking in the past 8 weeks. First of all, I had no idea about "preparing" (pre-seasoning) the Dutch oven in order to cook in it. Most cookware, you just throw the food in and you're good to go--there's no preparation of the cooking pot; at least not like there is with a Dutch oven. In addition to this, I have a newly found respect for people who are master outdoor cooks. There is a lot of skill that goes into knowing how to control a cooking temperature, predicting cooking time and evenly distributing the heat source to a food item when cooking outdoors. I'd dare say this is a more challenging skill than working in a kitchen full of conventional ovens--you typically don't have to "babysit" a conventional oven like you do a Dutch oven.
In addition to this, I actually learned some, shall we say, "survival" skills. I can safely hook up a propane tank of gas to a Camp Chef stove, light the burner and cook a food item. I can also light charcoal and use it as a heat source -- for more than just cooking, if necessary. So, if we ever have a major power outage that lasts for an extended period -- well, bring it on! I'm ready!
What did I learn about myself? Well, I believe that I support the social cognitive learning theory described by Wortham. I like to construct and build my knowledge both on my own and with others. In terms of cognitivism, I need a stable prior knowledge base in order to make deep learning connections. If my prior knowledge is skimpy and my schema weak; frustration sets in very quickly; and I go into "shut down" mode--much like I did with the pie incident. In terms of the "social" learning, I want interaction and I want help, but I am very picky in whom I want to be my mentors. My instructor was too much of an expert and I couldn't relate to his thinking--truthfully, I quit trying and often became irritated. But, Arlene and my husband could create that perfect personal Zone of Proximal Development--learning skills and development right where I needed it.
What do I understand better about learning theories? Socioculturalism--it's everywhere and I experienced it first hand! My whole learning experience revolved around it. We had everyone from the Dutch oven cooking novices (myself) to the slightly experienced (my husband) to the fairly experienced (Arlene and a few others in the group) to the expert (David, the instructor) involved in this community of learners. We all had a similar goal -- to learn or improve our Dutch oven cooking skills. We all hoped that by standing on the outskirts watching David, then moving more inward and practicing along with David, and then venturing out on our own; we would adopt the culture of and join the community of Dutch oven cookers. But, we did it together. Nobody isolated themselves during our cooking lessons. We all helped to scaffold and grow each others knowledge. We learned together and we worked together--we became a community together.