How to Prepare for a Presentation Like a PRO

How to Prepare for a Presentation like a PR0

Don’t. Panic.

 You have a whole month before your presentation. That is like…so much time. Presentation topic is open-ended, because your teacher rocks, so you can research practically anything in the world. You live in the world, so you can just talk about something you know. This should be a piece. Of. Cake. Promise yourself you will begin work on your presentation tonight. Wait, but you are going to the movies tonight. Maybe tomorrow, then…if there isn’t a Dr. Who marathon on. You will be prepared this time. This presentation will be your bitch, and you its master.

 Two weeks before your presentation. While doing the dishes, remember you haven’t started your research…not even a little bit. You haven’t even picked a topic. Begin brainstorming topics…use your environment as inspiration. Brillo pad…dish soap…paper towels…the history of paper towels…the history of sinks…the history of indoor plumbing…toilets…flushing…what happens when it makes that sound and you have to jiggle the thingy—crap. Did you remember to flush a few minutes ago? Flush…flusssshhhhhh…that’s a weird word…fa-lush…water, flushed cheeks, cold weather…maybe you could write about cold weather…snow…snow men…melting…water…sinks…dishes…brillo pads…UGH! WHY didn’t that DAMN TEACHER give you more specifics for picking your TOPIC?! Anything in the WORLD? The world is like…so HUGE…

 Give up for now. You are good under pressure…you’ll think of something.

 One week before presentation. Time to panic.  Pace around your house for 10 minutes. Oo! Hunger Games Catching Fire on Netflix! Grab the popcorn!

 Three days before your presentation. Choose a topic you really like. Something you are passionate about. Not enough information on the internet. Choose a different topic. The pagan origins of Christian holidays. Nice and controversial. Look at Wikipedia for 3 minutes. Phew…you should eat some ice cream and go to bed, searching the internet is hard work. Nice job you.

 ‘Twas the night before due date…and all through your mind...you’re getting an F…’cause your so behind…

Stay up until 4am preparing. Drink a pot of coffee. Make a PowerPoint with distracting animations. Maybe they won’t notice your research is sloppy. Rehearse everything you are going to say 20 times. Throw up twice. Drink more coffee and eat some Cheetos. Get 3 hours of sleep. Slink into class with your laptop in hand wearing a dirty pair of jeans with a Cheetos stain on the back pocket.

 Forget everything you planned to say. Excuse yourself to the bathroom and cry for 30 seconds. WHY ME?!!

 Walk to the front of the classroom. Set up your laptop. Look at the class—staring at you. They probably all have A’s in this class. They are probably really smart…and judgmental. They won’t get it. They think you are stupid. You ARE stupid. A big flushing idiot.

Begin your presentation. “Good morning fellow…uumm…” 

Forget how to speak. Forget how to th--  the thing with the head and the voices in the head—

 Ignore the bile rising up in your throat. Swallow. Press your hands onto the podium to keep them from shaking.

Accept that you will fail this presentation no matter what. You could just walk out of the classroom. Give up. Come back next semester. It will be different. You won’t procrastinate…you will start working a month ahead of time, get a good night sleep, be confident, prepared…

“Ms. Gale…are you ready to go?”

No. This is not happening.

One month before presentation. “Sorry sweetie…I can’t go to the movies tonight, I need to do my homework.”

Building Better Teachers to Build Better Students

During my pre-student teaching this semester, one thing has been on my mind fairly consistently: do these students actually WANT to learn?

 My students come to class on a regular basis. They do their work. They participate in activities. They behave appropriately (most of the time). When I pose a question to them, they usually come up with a satisfactory answer. However, when I ask them to ASK questions, to engage in discussion about things that THEY want to talk about, it seems they have no idea where to start. Is this because they actually don’t care about learning? Are they only here to earn a grade?

 I am sure you have heard that old saying “curiosity killed the cat.” How about, “children should be seen and not heard.” Follow directions. Complete the assignment so you can get a good grade and graduate. I suppose this attitude could work for high school if your only goal is to graduate, but what happens after? Like, in real life? Do you just stop learning? Do you just go to college doing the exact same thing—going through the motions to get the grade? Learning is about being curious, asking questions, getting rowdy, solving real problems, and taking a stand. Learning is exciting! What is more thrilling than the process of asking a question and finding the answer? Or even better than that, asking a question that has NO answer? Being left to speculate! To invent! To theorize! How can I show my students how amazing learning can be?

 Perhaps this “get the job done” attitude has been taught to students when they were in lower grades. Maybe it is caused by parents/guardians/teachers/mentors putting too much emphasis on grades, and not enough emphasis on learning. I can’t change what has already happened, but I can try to change how my students feel about education now.

 I heard an NPR special on All Things Considered called “Building a Better Teacher: Dissecting America’s Education Culture.” You can listen to the podcast at http://www.npr.org/2014/08/09/338831269/building-a-better-teacher-dissecting-americas-education-culture. In the podcast, they discuss the differences in Japan’s educational system and education in the United States. According to Elizabeth Green, the U.S. is great at coming up with new and improved teaching strategies, but not so great at implementing them. Green says that when she visited Japanese schools she was surprised at how noisy the classrooms were. She expected to find a quiet, traditional environment, but instead she found that the lessons were very interactive. Another difference is the amount of information students are asked to focus on in a single lesson. Green uses a math class as an example: in the US, a single math class may go through 15-30 problems, whereas in Japan, they do one problem a day.

 Green says that in Japan, teaching is considered a public science. Teachers, administrators, and social scientists attend real classrooms regularly to watch, dissect, and analyze lessons. They consistently use this data to improve education, and emphasize training teachers in new techniques. From what I can tell, education in Japan is all about collaboration, questioning, and building upon prior information to continually create a better system to educate our youth.

 You may be asking yourself what this “Building a Better Teacher” stuff has to do with my original question: how to get students to want to learn.

 This is the answer: improving students’ attitudes toward learning begins with building better teachers.

 The stuff that we want our students to do on a regular basis (questioning, collaboration, intentional and authentic learning) are the things that we, educators, should be doing all the time as well. We should always be learning; not just about how to be a better teacher, but about everything! We should be learning things at school and outside of business hours to bring back to the classroom-- learn from our students; learn from our colleagues; learn from watching movies; learn from listening to the radio; learn from reading books; learn from watching Netflix; learn from traveling; learn from random internet queries; learn from talking to people at a coffee shop.

 If we can show our students how thrilling it can be to acquire knowledge in real life, and inspire them to do the same…just imagine a classroom full of questioning, curious kids…aching, craving, begging for answers to their deepest, most desperate questions. Right now it seems like a fantasy, but I believe it is possible. We have to change the mindset of our students, and I believe this starts by changing the mindset of teachers.

My very first KATE conference!

On October 30^th and 31^st, I attended my first KATE conference (with the Kansas Association for Teachers of English). I had a wonderful time, not only attending the keynote and breakout presentations, but also socializing and networking with current English teachers (and my fantastic classmates). I am definitely feeling inspired; I hope I get a job in Kansas next year so I can become and KATE member and attend again!

 

The most inspiring keynote session was Friday afternoon—Taylor Mali. Oh. My. He inspires me to be a great teacher AND a great writer. He included poems both about teaching and his personal life, which was refreshing after talking only about teaching for two days. My favorite poem that he performed was about his ex-wife not trusting him with her PIN number—it was like the entire room stopped breathing at once. He turns seemingly every day, normal things into profound metaphors for life, love, and learning. I hope to be a tenth as inspirational for my students as he is for me.

 

There was one breakout session that stood out to me as being the most helpful and innovative. It was called “Icebreakers, Teambuilding, & Brainbreaks: Using Collaborative play to foster positive learning.” The presenter, Ms. Pameticky, took us through a series of game demonstrations that we could use with our middle and high school students. The games can be used for team-building and collaboration. My favorite gave was one that included throwing a ball back and forth in a circle, following a particular pattern. Mostly, it was just really fun, but I think there may also be a way to incorporate content. Perhaps students could answer quiz questions or practice vocab words as they are playing. I recently read an article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/10/24/teacher-spends-two-days-as-a-student-and-is-shocked-at-what-she-learned/) about a former teacher who shadowed a student for two days. She was amazed at how tired she felt after sitting and being quiet all day. These collaborative games would be a great way to give my students a break from sitting.

 

I really enjoyed the networking opportunities at the KATE conference. I met many teachers from all over Kansas! It was particularly nice to chat with WSU graduates who are now teaching—a little glimpse into my possible future! My cooperating teacher is very involved in the conference, and she introduced me to some KATE officers and board members that I probably wouldn’t have met on my own. Mostly, I just enjoyed hearing their stories about teaching, but I also hope that I left a good impression. Who knows! I may be working with some of them next year! (Crossing my fingers…)

 

I would have liked to see more interactive breakout sessions. Like the high school students in the article, sitting through hours of sessions per day was exhausting. I really appreciated the session about games, so I could move around. Perhaps more modeling during sessions would be helpful. I would have also loved to hear more about the texts being used in Kansas classrooms, particularly if anyone has been successful incorporating young adult literature into their curriculum.

 

Overall, I was extremely pleased with my experience at the KATE conference, and I look forward to (hopefully) attending again next year!  

Genre Reflection #1

You just don’t feel like it?

 

Let me tell you something.

This building with the gym and the lockers and the dim lighting in the hallways
And the fluorescent, blinding classroom bulbs
And the adult-sized humans with the child-like faces,
Squinting and yawning with their backpacks hanging low,
Tugging hunched shoulders into an embarrassing upright position
This place with the square rooms, decorated with calendars, and clichés,
And kitty cats who hang on, and never give up
This place is called school
And you’re here to learn, and work, and grow.
Pick up your pencil and write. Something. Anything.  
An opinion. A fact. A memory. A dream.
And when you do
School will be a different scene.
You will see doors open before your eyes
Action rising and racing and falling
Windows to peek through to other worlds
People to brace you during a brain storm
You’ll see the little girl before you
Not so little anymore
Who used to put her pencil away before a line was written
And stare at pages with words, unrecognizable and meaningless
Until a teacher taught her the secret
Of unwrapping a word like a gift
And lifting it off the page into her own curious, whirling brain

Now, I can teach you all about the secret world
Of knowledge and imagination
Of discovery and joy
Of open doors and limitless options

But first you have to pick up your pencil

And try.

In my imagination

I said all of those things
But I was a student teacher,
and it was my first day,
so I just said…
O.K. 

Blog Post #2- Flexibility

One of my teaching goals for this year was to become “eloquent under pressure.” I like to be well-prepared for my lessons, and when I do not have time to fully prepare, I experience anxiety which sometimes causes me to stumble and stutter in front of a class. To me, being “eloquent under pressure” means being confident enough in my skills, knowledge, and abilities to maintain poise and clarity while teaching, even when things are not going as planned.

 Last week, in my student teaching, I had several experiences which reinforced my need for improvement in this area. For example, I was asked to teach and reflect with students on an assignment I had recently graded; I was unprepared for this task, and had difficulties coming up with what to say.

I enjoy being prepared; I actually love the act of lesson planning, and I take pride in my ability to stay ahead of deadlines. But of course, when I am a teacher, in my own classroom, there will be times when my lesson does not go as planned—these are the times when flexibility will be key. There might be a fire drill that cuts my class period in half, or a class may be struggling and need extra instruction before moving on.

 So, what does it mean to be “flexible” as a teacher? What is the difference between flexibility and improvisation? And, how can I prepare for and practice being flexible?

 In 2009, a doctoral candidate at the University of Texas named Hyunjeong Yoo wrote her dissertation on just that: instructional flexibility. A link to Yoo’s dissertation can be found at http://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/18165.

 Although her writing focuses on instruction at the college level, I believe that Yoo’s findings are valid in for secondary teaching as well. Yoo states that it is important for teachers to be focused on what students need, and to be prepared to “use a variety of instructional material readily” to assist students based on their individual needs. A teacher’s ability to respond quickly with an appropriate instructional method is somewhat determined by his or her “pedagogical content knowledge” as well as “procedural knowledge,” i.e. how to plan and execute a lesson. Yoo points out that much of this knowledge is gained through years of teaching; expert teachers are better equipped to differentiate on the spot than novice teachers. Yoo also points out that expert teachers who have taught for many years are more likely to conduct “improvisational” lessons—these teachers have a wealth of knowledge and experience to tap into, so although they are improvising a lesson, they are not improvising content or teaching strategies. Yoo also mentions, however, that some experienced teachers become rigid in their instruction, habitually using the same instructional methods again and again.

That makes sense…experienced teachers are better able to be flexible in their teaching, but they should be careful not to get to set in their ways. But…I am a novice teacher, so how can I learn to be flexible NOW?

Yoo’s suggestion for both expert and novice teachers to become appropriately flexible in their instruction is “metacognitive teaching,” which many of my colleagues would know as “reflective teaching.” Consistently reflecting, revising, and adapting lessons based on student needs is the best way to achieve organized, yet flexible instruction, and meet the needs of every individual student.

 I have been working on metacognitive teaching this week. After each class, I reflect. After grading assignments, I reflect. After participating in class discussion, I reflect. I try to think “what would I tell this student if I had an individual conference with them? What do they need to work on? How could I help them?” I am trying to focus on students’ strengths, not only their weaknesses, and attempt to reinforce their positive behaviors and accomplishments during class (as much as I can from my limited position as a student teacher). I hope that this is benefitting the students in some way. I can say for certain that this week my confidence as a teacher and speaker has improved.

Blog Post #1- Establishing a Relationship with my Cooperating Teacher

Student teaching is a strange job. As I mentioned in my previous entry, this is the year I will (hopefully) begin to see myself as a teacher, instead of a student. During the first two weeks of pre-student teaching, I knew one of the most important things for me to focus on was establishing a relationship with my CT. My relationship with her can truly make or break my year of student teaching.

So…how can I form a professional, trusting relationship with my CT?

Although I am a student teacher, I want to function as a co-teacher, both for my own experience and for the function of the classroom. I am a “learn by doing” kind of person, and I need to jump in and start teaching! For this to work, my CT needs to trust and respect me, and I her.

I found some useful information regarding co-teaching on the National Education Association’s website (http://www.nea.org/tools/6-steps-to-successful-co-teaching.html).  This article suggests six steps to successful co-teaching. (I won’t go into all of the steps here, but I will point out a few that I found particularly helpful.) Unlike many of the documents regarding student teaching and co-teaching I have seen in the past, this document does not focus as much on the teaching methods as the communication and relationship between teachers.

The first suggestion for co-teaching is “establish rapport” between teachers, even before the school year begins. I believe I already have a great start on this! My CT and I met before the school year started and had a long conversation. We discussed our lives, our family situations, educational background, and hobbies, as well as (of course) our teaching styles and plans for the school year. We bonded very quickly and this has made us both feel comfortable working together.

Another helpful tip that the NEA suggests is “act as a unified team.” This is so important, not only for us to work in harmony, but also so our students have a unified classroom environment in which to learn and grow. The first week of my placement I felt like a student: I primarily observed and did not really know what was going to happen next. Toward the end of the first week, I gained enough confidence to begin giving some input on lessons. I told my CT when I had ideas, and offered to help as much as I could. As I began to gain confidence, my CT gained confidence in me and began to include me in the lesson plans. The second week, I participated in planning and teaching every day, and had much more responsibility. Going into my third week, I feel like I am really a part of the classroom.

One thing the NEA suggests (which I really need to work on) is to “discuss strengths and weaknesses.” I have not identified any of my weaknesses to my CT quite yet. Actually, I am just now discovering my weaknesses as a teacher. I think as student teachers we tend to see our placements like one big job interview, always trying to make a great impression. I think that is a good way to look at it (networking!!) but I think we should also remember that our CT is there to help us. They want us to succeed! We do not have to be perfect yet. If there is an area of teaching I need to work on, I should ask for help.

For other helpful tips regarding co-teaching, visit the NEA website (link above)!

Goals for Student Teaching

On August 18^th, I began the third and final school year in my journey toward becoming an English/Language Arts teacher.  I began my pre-student teaching at a local high school this week as well, and will be a full-time student teacher in the spring. As anxious as I am to graduate and get a job, I know that this exciting year is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I intend to savor every moment. I have been told that senior year in the education program is when you stop feeling like a student, and start seeing yourself as a teacher. That is my plan.

 

Student Teaching Goals

 

1. Fearless Creativity. I have played it very safe in my lesson plans up to this point, but now I feel it is time to be bold. I should have enough experience and knowledge at this point in my education to blend the methods I have learned in classrooms and textbooks with my own innovative ideas. I no longer want to be a textbook teacher, but use the proven strategies I have learned as a foundation to explore unique ways to reach the unique students in my classes.

 

2. Eloquent Under Pressure. When a lesson is planned weeks in advance, rehearsed every day, possible student reactions imagined, jokes embedded, content mastered…I can teach with elegance and poise. On the other hand, when unexpectedly asked to jump in and teach, or when a student asks a question I do not anticipate, I tend to ramble. I would like to be more articulate when speaking to my cooperating teachers, colleagues, and students--especially when put under pressure.

 

3. Confidence. I have a bachelor’s degree and am working on a second one. I have had seven years of undergraduate education. I am being trained by educators who are experienced, knowledgeable, and believe in my teaching abilities. I have made it THIS far. No more excuses. No apologies. Throughout this school year, I plan to become confident in my teaching abilities, and allow my confidence to shine through in my teaching, class work, and discussions.

 

4. Impact. Although I am still learning and working toward my own educational and professional goals, I cannot forget about the reason I am becoming a teacher in the first place—the true goal that is listed as #4 but should always be first priority: to make a difference in the lives of young people. If I can help even one student succeed this year I will feel like I am on the right track to becoming an effective teacher.