Author: Tom Hayton, Teacher, Business Trainer, British Council Kuala Lumpur Why I get students to do presentations Syllabus fit Planning a presentation lesson Aims Classroom Management Assessment Conclusion Why I get students to do

In this article I would like to give you a few tips and some advice on what I've learned from helping students prepare and deliver presentations.



Author: 

Tom Hayton, Teacher, Business Trainer, British Council Kuala Lumpur

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  Why I get students to do presentations
  

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  Syllabus fit
  

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  Planning a presentation lesson
  

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  Aims
  

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  Classroom Management
  

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  Assessment
  

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  Conclusion
  

Why I get students to do presentations
Presentations are a great way to have students practise all language systems areas (vocabulary, grammar, discourse and phonology) and skills (speaking, reading, writing and listening). They also build confidence, and presenting is a skill that most people will need in the world of work. I find that students who are good presenters are better communicators all round, since they are able to structure and express their ideas clearly.

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  Presentation skills are extremely useful both in and outside the classroom. After completing a project, a presentation is a channel for students to share with others what they have learned. It is also a chance to challenge and expand on their understanding of the topic by having others ask questions. And in the world of work, a confident presenter is able to inform and persuade colleagues effectively.
  

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  Presentations can also form a natural part of task based learning. By focussing on a particular language point or skill, the presentation is a very practical way to revise and extend book, pair and group work. The audience can also be set a task, for example, a set of questions to answer on the presentation, which is a way of getting students to listen to each other.
  

Syllabus fit
Normally the presentation will come towards the end of a lesson or series of lessons that focus on a particular language or skill area. It is a type of freer practice. This is because the students need to feel relatively confident about what they are doing before they stand up and do it in front of other people. If I have been teaching the past simple plus time phrases to tell a story, for example, I give my students plenty of controlled and semi controlled practice activities, such as gapfills, drills and information swaps before I ask them to present on, say, an important event in their country's history, which involves much freer use of the target grammar point.