group presentations

Today was the first day of our group presentations on the Hero's Journey. By next week, I'll have the students' work up on the class website.

This being my first real attempt at having them teach the class, I had mixed feelings about the results. I was impressed by some and disappointed by others. (Not unusual, I'm sure.) But what I'm left with is all kinds of questions, concerns, and doubts.

I want so badly to teach them that 90% of being successful is showing up for the class. Not just being there with your definitions and your movie clips, but really showing up. This is one of those lessons that every student should learn while they are in high school:

• How to give a kick-ass presentation.

(Remind me, and someday I'll share with you my whole list.)

My kids are mostly seniors, so they have gone through most of what our school has to offer. We are a competitive, private, college-prep high school and these kids do not know how to give a kick-ass presentation.

Or do they? I'm sitting with this question, wondering if this was a matter of not knowing how to do it or just a matter of not doing it. Both are very possible, and I need to decide how important it is to me that they learn this in my class, which is a religion class and not a public speaking class. But isn't it our job as a school to prepare these kids for whatever they might encounter out in the world? And isn't this skill an important one?

Hmmm. I'll have to do some evaluating on that one.

Posted: Mon - September 22, 2003 at 02:03 PM

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group presentations

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