Power Point Presentations
One problem I have encountered with PP while teaching in the career school setting, is when technical dificulties arise w/ equipment, lighting, etc. The students in these settings seem to have problems refocusing after these "mishaps". In general, I stick to more traditional methods based on my experience.
Any suggestions?
Hello Harry:
PPT can be challenging at times; projector, computer, PPT file, etc.
A couple of simple suggestions:
1. Print off a copy of your PPT. If the equipment screws up, then you may be able to quickly run off copies of your lesson. Less than perfect but at least you don't loose valuable time.
2. Reinvigorate your students during these technical downtimes by engaging them in providing the lesson. For instance, you might break the class into groups with each group assigned to present a section to the rest of the class.
3. Similar to number two, have the students write out one or two questions for other class member to answer; or write out a section of the lesson to turn in.
4. In the planning ahead department, overhead projector slides can sometimes be a helpful, low-tech substitute for the more professional looking PPT's.
5. There are probably many more ideas specific to your topic area. The key is to get the student involved in their learning - the more involved they are the more they will remember. This is true whether the equipment is working or not.
Regards, Barry
Maybe some of these ideas will prove helpful.
Suggestions: arrive in the classroom at least 10-12 minutes ahead of time to make certain that the equipment works. That way alot of 'glitches' are taken care of and class can run more smoothly as a result. Also, develop a 'working relationship' with people in the tech department at your school and even ask one to come down to your room at the beginning of the classroom to make certain that the equipment is working effectively and your presentation will be successfully 'launched' before class starts.
Having been on both sides: viewing power points as a student/trainee and showing power points as a teacher, here are some of my pet peeves and good practices:
Best practices:
- Teach the material don't read it!
- Keep the presentation to 20 minutes or less (after that you've lost the students for sure)
- Keep the slides to the point
- Use bullet points/numbers to organize slides
- Make sure students can get a copy or have access to the same information in their textbook, so they don't have to rush to write everything down and not pay attention
Pet peeves:
- Typos (didn't you proofread your slides?)
- Animated slides (they take the attention away from the material)
- Funky backgrounds (take attention away from material)
- Overcrowded slides (do I need a telescope to read it?)
- Using full sentences (if each of your bullet point is a paragraph, just give me a copy of the text!)
- Monotonic delivery (teaching equivalent of elevator music!)
Hi Eric:
Boy, you've really provided a great laundry list of do's and don'ts for PPT presentations.
Said in a slightly different way, PPT's are tools, and they can be used for maximum effectiveness, or actually hinder their purpose. The key is that PPT's are merely one type of media. Unless you're teaching what not to do with PPT's, they should not be the focus.
Regards, Barry
Great points to cover. One thing that I always think about is that there are two ways to present a class. You can be lively and enthusiatic or you can be dull and monotone. That choice is up to the instructor and has nothing to do with the power points lecture or course material. If you are not passionate then it will show and your students will have no fun and learning should be fun
Anthony: Right! Animated. Interesting. Engaging. Focused. Attractive. All adjectives that describe effective PPT presentations. I think involving the students is a good way to assure you're engaging them.
Sometimes it's helpful to have a trusted (and honest) co-worker sit in and evaluate how interesting a presentation is. A good friend will tell you the truth.
Regards, Barry
The power point presentation has merit & demerit.
The merits are that student can visual effect.
they can see the colorful pictures. It will
stimulate both visual and auditory learners.
On the other hand if the students are used to
learn from the power point if there is any technical difficulty they are irritated.
In my class I use power point to show them
colorful pictures & explained the material in traditional way using the board
Hi Mohammed:
You've touched on one of the biggest drawbacks to PPT presentation: technical difficulties. I think almost any level learner is going to be at annoyed to some degree by the delay and frustration by the instructional team getting the computer and projector to work.
Regards, Barry
if it seems like they have lost intrest or are board with the content i try to tell a story relating to the content to make it more interesting,a life experiance in the field.
one problem that i have noticed with PPT. is that most times the student work book gets updated.And then the ppt. is not updated. this can cause confusion and will take more time to correct and find out what the new information is.
Hi Roger:
Yes, thte situation you describe can be frustrating. But the beauty of PPT's is that they are so easy to modify or edit.
If there was time, one fun excerise would be for the students to read their workbooks and, together as a group, go through the "old" slides and update them with current information. That'd be a fun exercise that would involve the students and give a bit of "pride of ownership" to the lessons. Just an idea.
Regards, Barry
Greeting Harry,
I have the same problem. As a plan B, we will switch to worksheets or an open discussion.
I agree with Eric on this. A power Point should be used as a reference only. It should not be used to "Teach" the subject. We are Subject Matter Experts, are we not?
Hi Charles:
Yes, Eric did provide quit a list of good do's and don'ts. There are probably many more. I agree that we are the experts - not second class and subservant to the PPT!
Regards, Barry
