Its been a busy week. My school is test piloting the smart balance test this week for 8th grades and it more or less sprang up at out nowhere, at least it feels like that. I’m not directly involved with the testing process. I helped install the software and did a practice test but other then that I've been mostly on the sidelines watching and reading material on the test.
Why do I bring up the test? My mentor teacher is directly involved with the test, thus I was thrown to the wolves as the teacher in charge for some of the classes. I didn't like it would be that bad coming into the week because most of the classes were doing presentations of student created info-graphics. Little did I know there is so much more to presentation then I thought there would be. The first class of the round of presentation was the largest of the classes.
I didn't give myself enough time to set up for the presentations, so as students made their way into the class, I was still looking for and opening up presentations. I didn't plan sample questions to ask students about their presentation. I noticed real quickly how students wouldn't ask questions unless someone else was thus the choir of crickets started. I was saved by other teachers in the room who started to ask questions. If students managed to squeak out a question it was more about the content of the presentation and not the data representation of the info-graphics. Lastly some student had just not finished the project and didn't have much to present. I had nothing in my empty arsenal of questions to help keep things in focus.
The second presentation period was a lot better. I managed to create enough time to open up any files and put things in order. I prepared sample questions that directed students attention to what the project was about, creating an info-graphic. The students interacted more by asking a good number of questions and since I directed the questions a certain way eventually the students caught on and started asking similar questions to my own. There was a little off topic comments and questions but they did a good job keeping focus and participating. During this event my mentor teacher snuck in and recorded data based on my actions. She recorded the number of times I asked a questions, students asked a question and what comments I made during each presentation. It made a good visual and helped me understand where I was asking too many or not enough. I also learned a detailed compliment is better than a generic one.
The last group to present, was again different. I prepared the order ahead of time, had my questions ready to go, and everyone know they were presenting. I gave clear instructions on how things were going to proceed. The problem with this group was that only the adults and maybe one or two students were asking questions. I asked more questions today then a did the other day, the students barely asked any. It was a different atmosphere without the participation of more students.
Three different experience with the same general focus. This experience helped me to better understand the nature of presentation from my teacher point of view. I learned what kind of directed questions help students think. What an involved audience can do to make a presentation better and how preparation is key to running a smooth class of presentations. A day or two of constant presentation is difficult on both fronts and maybe there is a way to maximize or stagger presentation for projects so all aren't on the same day. These are things to think about in the future.
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