TEACHING PRESENTATION: IMPROVING ORAL OUTPUT WITH MORE STRUCTURE

Abstract

In many second language (L2) communication classes the majority of the class time is taken up by teacher-fronted, drill-oriented activities. Oral presentations are one example of a learner-centered, communicative activity that can be used to fix this problem. However, if not implemented correctly, the difficulty of the tasks involved in presenting in front of others can take away from the pedagogical benefits of using presentations in the classroom. Because of this, it is important that language teachers understand the skills involved in giving an effective presentation, and the potential difficulties oral presentations can cause for L2 learners. This paper focuses on one genre of oral presentations, the poster presentation, and examines the benefits of using poster presentations in the L2 classroom. It draws upon the practical experience the authors have gained from teaching and developing materials for presentation classes to provide a framework for how poster presentations can be used in the language classroom. By examining the tasks involved, and the pedagogical justification behind those tasks, it is hoped that this paper will encourage language teachers to use poster presentations in their classrooms in a way that benefits both the students and the teachers.