Presenting is scary for most students. Effective communication is also a necessary life skill. So how do we cultivate this as teachers?
Every year after AP (Advanced Placement) exams my students research and present on any topic in physics. The only requirement is that they collect data. The projects are always interesting, but the presentations always come with the most apprehension. I decided this year we would spend a week actively studying how to communicate science effectively.
Each day of the week my students at Auburn High School examined a different aspect of science communication and presentations. We learned a bit about the science of motivation and data visualization, and deconstructed TED talks and blog posts. Students were tasked with turning their own work into a blog post. Blogging forces you to write conversationally rather than technically, which I shared would be a great way to get them thinking about the format of their final presentations.
What students did not know yet, was that this blog exercise was also meant to prepare them for the crown of the week: an improv workshop. Earlier this spring I picked up the book “If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?” by actor and science communication advocate Alan Alda. In the book he shares how his first science interview for PBS was a complete flop. The reason? He was so invested in what he wanted to say, he lost complete sight of his interviewee. He reached into his skills as an actor, and specifically his training in improv to craft interviews that were genuine, engaging and highlighted the scientist as a real person. Alda wondered if this connection effect could be taught, so he asked a group of engineering students to participate in a three hour improv workshop. The students were asked to present their research before and after the workshop. In only three hours, these presentations were markedly different. This is now coined as the Alda Method, and courses are taught through Stony Brook University. I wondered if I could see the same impact in only 30 minutes.
I contacted 2020 Auburn alum Elijah Lowry who is a current education pathway student at Rockford University. Eli is working toward his education certification and endorsement in theatre. He jumped at the opportunity and the challenge of coming back to his alma mater to run the workshop for me.
At the start of the hour, students entered an empty room – free of desks and chairs. Confounded students nervously stood amongst the lab tables where I asked them to drop their bags and then coaxed them into the open space.
Students were paired and asked to present their work alone to their partner in two minutes. After two minutes the speaker and listener switched roles. Students were noticeably uncomfortable standing in front of each other and were trying to create the formal presentations.
Then I introduced Eli. He had students participate in three exercises. He split the group into audience and actors, but the actors could only watch the audience. This activity’s goal is to break the barrier (and anxieties) between the audience and presenters. We also did the mirror exercise, as Alan Alda does, which is all about recognizing the importance of being connected with your audience. The best activity was when Eli asked students to either present or sell a random object (such as a banana) in complete gibberish. Students were initially really confused and nervous about this, but eventually they recognized the value of tone, body language and gesture. The end of the hour felt like the end of camp. Everyone was hot and tired, but also full of laughter and completely at ease with one another. Then they presented one last time in groups. This time the presentations were amazing. Everyone was comfortable and playing off each other. Listeners were engaged and presenters were relaxed.
Over the weekend students were asked to write reflections about the activity. By far one of the best comments was from a student who was previously very nervous about their presentation. They said, “If I can sell a water bottle cap in gibberish, I can present on anything!”
Marianna Ruggerio
Marianna Ruggerio teaches physics and AP physics at Auburn High School and is an adjunct professor at Rockford University. She is an active member of the American Association of Physics Teachers and a teacher-leader with the University of Illinois Physics and Secondary Schools Partnership Program.