For most inspiring project-based learning, include a public audience. Presenting beyond the class brings extra excitement, motivation, strengthened agency and confidence. Students share findings, conclusions, and recommendations. In project-based learning, and other frameworks such as service learning, students also share their process.
Often the presentation is a collaborative verbal presentation that includes a slide show, poster, or other art form. Sometimes the public presentation is not public speaking but instead publicly sharing about the project in other ways, for example: through the Internet, a display in a public place, brochures or printed sheet, or letters published in a newspaper. The public presentation also could be a combination of a verbal presentation and other formats.
Public Speaking Presentations
For public speaking presentations, it is best not to throw students into the water. Fortunately, beginning in early grades, some students gain experience in a variety of verbal presentations. When students are young they usually are fine in presenting to an audience. But for older students who are not used to presenting in front of a public audience or students who are withdrawn or shy, begin gradually – no matter how advanced the grade level.
Preparing Students
Students can first present to one classmate.You could provide ice breakers where students present to a small group. They then can do informal presenting using a checklist of effective presentation qualities, with which they can self-assess and receive peer feedback. Checklist items might include items such as “Presentation content is clear.” “Content is well-organized.”
As a high school teacher, Rich Kent provided the following activities to prepare students for engaging with people with whom the students might feel shy:
. Introductions – Students pretend they are introducing themselves to a
group of students from different towns.
. Show ‘n Tell – Students give a one-two minute presentation that is well organized and that is delivered with effective public speaking qualities.
. Read or Recite a Poem
. Read from a novel, essay, or screenplay
. Improvisations
. Demonstrations – In a well organized format, students demonstrate a talent
or skill.
. Interviews – Students are interviewed by a peer in front of the class.
. Skit – Small groups of students present a scene from a play, movie, or television, or they present an original skit.
(For details about these activities see Beyond Room 109: Developing
Independent Study Projects, by Richard Kent, Publisher:Boynton/Cook-
Heinemann. pp.23-24)
Without Public Speaking
Though the more practice in public speaking through the years, the better – the project-based learning presentation doesn’t have to be public speaking. It could be, for example:
. A display – on a school wall, at the town’s public library, town hall, or other public place
. Printed materials distributed beyond the classroom
. Website
. Expressive arts – dance etc.
. Sculptures/murals in public places
. Video
. Podcast
. Letter(s) to the Editor of a newspaper
Audience
The public audience might be:
. Experts on the project’s topic who were a resource during the project whether the experts are part of an in-person audience or connect via the Internet.
. Mentors/other volunteers
. Parents.
. Principal/Assistant Principal or other well known administrator
. School faculty member(s)
. Another class or a few students from another class
. One or more school board members
. Town council member(s)
. Other government official(s)
. The general public via the Internet or a display in a public place
Feedback
Providing a checklist or rubric to students prior to their presentation lets students know criteria for assessment. Moreover, the checklist or rubric reminds students what is included in a quality presentation and how to present most effectively. The checklist should emphasize one or more of the project’s focus skills/attitudes and one or more of the project’s focus academic objectives. The checklist/rubric can be created jointly by students and teacher.
During rehearsal and following a presentation, the checklist can be used for students to self-assess and for their teacher to assess and provide feedback on the presentation. The checklist or rubric might also be used for peers and/or audience to provide feedback.
If the presentation is graded, a suggestion is to give individual grades, not one grade for the entire small group. (This suggestion is for any group product.)
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