Many courses these days require students to make presentations or lead classroom discussions around a lesson. There’s usually much anxiety around the preparation and the presentation, with students spending sleepless nights putting together slides and notes in various combinations calculated to gain marks and teacher appreciation. I find that most students handle presentations as a necessary evil. They need to be done, or, more correctly, done with. The focus is on covering the material in the allotted time with the least possible hiccups. Often, it seems as though it doesn’t matter if the class is dead bored, or if no one understands a word you say.
And what about the audience? — The hapless group of students (and not to forget the teacher) at the receiving end of all this? They sit there in silent sympathy, because they know that this is something each one of them has to do, and the best way of showing solidarity and understanding is to sit through the whole performance quietly. Most students seem to think the best way to help out a classmate is to not ask any questions or offer comments — that, they think, only prolongs the agony.
But really, is that what it’s all about?
Earlier in this column, I spoke about the classroom being a “safe space” where one could experiment, take risks in asking questions, and engage in discussions without being afraid of the consequences. Class presentations too are an opportunity to learn a variety of things, and not just the content you cram into those slides! When a fellow classmate makes a presentation, it should not be greeted with polite silence. This is the time to ask questions that generate discussion, and carry forward the points made in the presentation. It is also the time to offer helpful comments and feedback on the presentation itself. Just saying “it was good”, is not of much use. Instead, be honest with your peers. If you thought it was good, of course, do say so. But don’t say it just to be kind. This is in fact the most misplaced sort of kindness.
Positive criticism
It’s important for people on either side of the equation to see these as opportunities to learn. For the presenter, it is about learning to engage the audience, to spark and keep their interest. When looked at this way, the presentation becomes more than just summarising and spouting the key points from a lesson or article. For the listeners, it is about looking critically both at the style of presentation and at the content. What was enjoyable (or interesting) and what was boring or fell flat? What could the speaker have done differently? Did you understand everything or were there bits that were confusing? When fellow students ask for clarifications, it forces the speaker to think and speak more clearly.
Instead, we seem to have developed a culture of being completely noncommittal in class when it comes to responding to peer presentations. When there are no questions and comments, the presenter is relieved, and the listeners are glad that they can get on with the next thing on their schedule. Sometimes it seems as if there is a pact among the students — “don’t ask questions at my session and I won’t ask questions at yours”. Of course there’s a fine line between providing friendly and constructive criticism and getting offensive, and the classroom is also a place where we begin to recognize this line and learn to honour it.
We could all do with some healthy criticism and honest feedback. It’s not just the teacher’s job to provide this; all students can learn to provide peer-to-peer feedback. If you think you’re being kind by sparing your friend the questions, think again. In fact, it would be a bigger compliment to the presenter when the audience takes enough interest to comment and criticize. It means he or she has done a good job — they have actually provoked thinking!
