Part 1
Assign your students one researcher’s presentation each to analyse using the following questions:
- What was good about the presentation?
- Which aspects were not so good/could have been improved?
- How was the speaker’s body language? (eye contact, posture, voice, gestures, )
- What aids did the speaker use in their presentation (e.g., pointer, visual aids)? Did they use these in a way that improved the effectiveness of their teaching?
- How would you rate their PowerPoint presentation? Did the images used emphasise the point the speaker wished to make? Was the amount of text accompanying each image appropriate? Did the speaker use a consistent colour scheme? Animations? How did the speaker make use of their PowerPoint presentation (gesticulations towards the images, )? Was there anything that could have been improved? Explain.
- How was the presentation’s content? Was there enough information to give listeners a good overview of the project? Was there anything in the presenta- tion that was difficult to understand?
- How much time was allocated to each section of the presentation? (introduction, main body of the presentation, conclusion)
The questions are also available in a format suitable for printing. Please note that this task can also be given as a homework assignment.
Part 2
Once the students have completed their analyses of the presentations, have them discuss their conclusions in groups. To begin with, those students who analysed the same presentation should sit together and compare their conclusions (approx. 20 min.). These groups can then present and discuss their conclusions together with the whole class and with you, the educator
(approx. 30 min.).
Part 3
The students should begin by choosing/being assigned a topic for their presentation and then gathering information about it. The topic can either be taken from the ordinary curriculum and be assigned by you, or be something that the students choose for themselves within a particular subject area. Another alternative might be to have the students study a certain scientific subject in-depth, drawing inspiration from the SIYSS researchers’ projects.
Approximately 10 minutes is a good amount of time to allow for each presentation. Give your students the opportunity to practise tailoring content to fit a specific time frame by setting a time limit for their presentations in advance.
Following each student’s talk, allow the other students to comment on what the speaker did well during their presentation, with a focus on presentation techniques. This will both help boost the speaker’s self-confidence and create a positive atmosphere in the classroom.