Consider the Workshop


Public Speaking class sounds simple- right?
They get up, they give the speech, you grade them. That's the best way to do it right?

You might see some students improve, but overall, you'll find yourself with a classroom full of panicky, frustrated speakers. Is there a way to help your student become calm, fluent speakers? Personally, I think so. I call it the Workshop Method.


What does the workshop method provide?
If you were a swimming instructor, where would you start your lessons? Would you start in a classroom, explaining the history of a backstroke and the science of chlorine in pool water? Or would you have all your lessons in a pool?

The answer seems obvious. A pool right? I mean, the other information might be helpful at some point, but a student will need to experience the water, practice their breathing, and adjust their stroke in the pool water.

Did you know teaching public speaking is more similar to swimming than you might think?

We can (and should) teach communication principles, strategies, and methods. But it is just as important to make sure students are practicing their new skill.

When I was active in the classroom, it was my goal to have my students speak in front of the class at least once a week. It didn't have to be long and it didn't have to be fancy, but I wanted that feeling a swimmer would have doing practice laps. Practicing.

As you look at grading this method though, you can run into issues. If you make every single mini speech graded, your ability to have impromptu speeches becomes difficult. Your goal-driven students will panic and obsess. If you decide not to make them graded, your less-motivated students can shrug their shoulders and not even try.

This brings me to the workshop method. I loved this! You declare that those mini practice speeches are "workshop" grades. My student knew that meant the grade was completely focused on their EFFORT. Even if they stumbled, even if they slouched, even if they had awkward pauses in their delivery, it was ok, as long I knew they were TRYING. They would be awarded all the possible points if they were showing strong effort.

Results
I saw a huge improvement in anxiety in my high performers.

"So it's ok if I stumble, I just need to get through what I practiced?" Yes! Do those laps. Get up there, feel the pressure of the crowd without sweating about your final grade.

I also saw a rise in effort from my lower performers.

"So it's ok if I'm a little shaky for this one? Ok. I'll try."

Of course, an emphasis on final presentation was important. I made these speeches a heavier weight in grading. But before those days came, I wanted my students to have done a lot of "laps." So they felt more confident.

A 30 second speech about their pet, a favorite vacation, their future aspirations are all ways to get them up and talking for practice. I have a whole categories of products designed to get the students up and talking you can find here.

As you keep getting your students to swim their "laps," you'll see their comfort level, confidence, and poise increase. Work at taking away the scary feelings about speaking with practice.

Use that workshop option! Take away the terror of grading every little thing, and reward students for just getting up and talking.

Curious to learn more? Check out a FREE document in my TeachersPayTeachers store with more ideas on how to grade student speeches!

Check out my guest post!

I was raw and honest in my blog post on New Physical Educator. Check out my guest post here.

You can follow the author of New Physical Educator on Twitter at @thepeguy

Black History Month!



February is Black History Month!

I think the need to celebrate black history increases every year. These great figures cannot fade from our memory. Our students NEED this type of emphasis.

If you feel like your curriculum is sorely lacking on this important topic, there are so many resources out there to give your students a more rounded view!

Here are some of my favorite resources to get you started. You'll find a wide variety in age groups, methods, and themes, so there's something for everyone! While you're there, give the authors a follow!

Centers

Decorations

Games

Lapbooks

Lessons

Reading Activities

Research Units/Activities

Afro-Latino Specific

Have you found any fun activities on TeachersPayTeachers that helped you celebrate with your students? I'd love to hear about it! Please drop them in the comments!

-Sarah
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