Presentation Critique

Presentation Critique

It is a bit disconcerting watching yourself on video. Most people have an image of themselves. They have an idea in their mind of how they look and sound. Even though we use mirrors when we get ready or to check ourselves during the day, we still hold on to this mental image. Mirrors and photographs only show a snapshot in time. A video obviously provides a running depiction. It enables you to view yourself through the lens of how others see and hear you. It allows you to see your facial expressions, body language and gestures. You also hear your own voice, your tone, inflections and your pace. The purpose of this paper is to critique my video taped lesson plan.

The day I presented the lesson I felt incredibly please with my presentation. I am extremely comfortable presenting anything in front of anyone. I felt it was an effective, interesting lesson. Then I viewed the video. There were certain aspects of my presentation that immediately jumped out at me. First, my voice was shockingly irritating. While I thought the pace of my speaking was appropriate, my tone was boarder line infantile. The lesson was designed for children with the intellectual development of a kindergartner. I made an effort to use colorful, encouraging language, but I was hoping it would sound more instructional rather than maternal. In other words, I wanted to come across as a teacher of kindergartners rather than a mother playing a game with her 5 year-old. There were parts of the presentation that my voice cracked or seemed to go 3 octaves higher than my regular speaking voice. It was very nice to be able to edit those parts out.

Next, I was surprised at how much I turned to look at the SmartBoard. Children with special needs require more eye contact, more engaging body language. I felt I was a bit too tied to the technology being used. Part of that was the nature of the assignment. In reality I would not present this material in such a communal way. I would present it in a much more intimate manner. However, if I did have a group or a lesson that lent itself to such an instructional tool, I would practice the lesson with the technology to ensure more a more fluent presentation. I fumbled with the technology in about three different places during the lesson.

There were things I liked and thought were done well. As I stated above, the pace of the lesson was good. Most of the lesson was fluent and smooth. I knew the content. I presented it in a clear, organized, fluent manner. I like the materials (i.e. the three worksheets) I used to present the lesson. I thought they were colorful, developmentally appropriate, and engaging.

If I could do the lesson again, I would watch my tone and be mindful of the “dumbing down” effect. I don’t know if you can really change the sound of your own voice. It is something that most people never get used to, hearing their own voice on tape. Hopefully simply being aware of my voice going up to almost a shrill at points will help keep that aspect in check. I would definitely practice the lesson with the SmartBoard. I needed to be more familiar with how to use the technology to ensure a more fluid, smooth flow.