STUDENT ORAL REPORTS: Utility, Futility, Futurity

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STUDENT ORAL REPORTS Utility, Futility,
Futurity 

• Mir Zohair Husain

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Introduction

• Todays students face an interdependent,
  fast-paced, and complex world that is markedly
  different from previous generations.
• Students in the 21st century must have
• A higher level of competence in their field of
  study.

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Introduction (contd)

• Students in the 21st century must have
• An understanding of the worlds diverse peoples
  and cultures.
• Critical thinking skills.

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Introduction (contd)

• Students in the 21st century must have
• The ability to communicate effectively with
  others.
• A more diverse and effective skill-set than their
  predecessors.

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Definition

• A student oral report is a formal presentation
  that a student delivers in class and is evaluated
  on it.

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Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
Difference of opinion leads to inquiry, and
inquiry to truth. Jefferson, a broadly educated
renaissance man, also stated, if a nation
expects to be ignorant and free it expects what
never was and never will be .
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John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
The only way in which a human being can make
some approach to knowing the whole of a subject,
is by hearing what can be said about it by
persons of every variety of opinion, and studying
all modes in which it can be looked at by every
character of mind. No wise man ever acquired his
wisdom in any mode but this.
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Benefits

• Student Oral Reports
• Engage several senses, making learning a more
  holistic and memorable experience.
• Enliven and enrich class sessions through active
  learning, rather than the passive learning of the
  traditional lecture method.

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Benefits (Continued)

• Student Oral Reports
• Improve students researching and writing skills.
  Students learn how to locate the necessary
  references, read for comprehension, engage in
  critical thinking, highlight the main points, and
  draw insightful conclusions.

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Benefits (Continued)

• Student Oral Reports
• Help students overcome their fear of public
  speaking. While great oral communication skills
  do not guarantee success, the inability to
  effectively communicate with others could
  definitely pose serious problems.
• Promote an in-depth approach to learning and
  long-term retention thereby, broadening and
  deepening ones understanding of the
  subject-matter.

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Benefits (Continued)

• Student Oral Reports
• Make it easier for students to grasp the
  application of theoretical concepts to reality.
• Enlighten students about the complexity and
  challenge of policy-making in the world.

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Benefits (Continued)

• Student Oral Reports
• Tend to create a less intimidating classroom
  environment in which even passive students are
  less inhibited to speak up and critique their
  fellow students.
• Help students in getting to know their classmates.

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Benefits (Continued)

• Student Oral Reports
• Assist instructors in getting to know their
  students.
• Foster democratic ideals such as freedom of
  thought and speech openness to diverse
  perspectives and tolerance towards others.

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Benefits (Continued)

• Student Oral Reports
• Empower students by enhancing their
  self-confidence and ability to handle stressful
  situations.
• Train the future generation of decision-makers to
  be less vulnerable to the dangers of groupthink.

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Concerns

• Student Oral Reports
• May be time-consuming and impractical for large
  classes thereby, leaving insufficient time for
  completing the syllabus.
• May be ill-suited for classes with both
  lower-level and upper-level students, as
  upper-level students may be unhappy with
  presentations of lower-level students.

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Concerns (Continued)

• Student Oral Reports
• Could be perceived as wasted class time and
  tuition monies by students who expect to learn
  from their professors, not classmates.
• Could provide an uneven learning experience
  presenters will learn much more about their topic
  than non-presenters who remain in the passive
  learning mode.

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Concerns (Continued)

• Student Oral Reports
• Could result in negative teacher evaluations if
  students are dissatisfied with poor presentations.

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Recommendations

• Instructors must play a pivotal role in planning,
  organizing, and supervising the student oral
  reports.
• Instructors should
• Permit students to present oral reports on the
  most important events, issues, problems, and
  people in the course.

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Recommendations (Continued)

• Instructors should
• Limit the oral presentation to 10 minutes,
  allowing an additional 10 minutes for questions,
  comments, and discussion.
• Give students concise and clear guidelines for
  the oral report in the syllabus along with a few
  sample topics, how the oral reports will be
  evaluated, and tips for preparing and presenting
  an effective oral report.

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Recommendations (Continued)

• Instructors should
• Ask a bright and articulate student to present
  the first oral report and serve as a good role
  model.
• Offer students bonus points for volunteering to
  present oral reports.

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Recommendations (Continued)

• Instructors should
• Finalize the dates for all oral reports by the
  second week. This will give students sufficient
  time to prepare and practice their presentations.
• Give the class several reminders about preparing
  for the upcoming oral reports.

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Recommendations (Continued)

• Instructors should
• Insist that students submit two drafts of their
  oral report the first, one month before the
  presentation, and the final draft, at least one
  week prior to the presentation. This will
  minimize inadequately researched and poorly
  written work.
• Give the entire class the opportunity to submit a
  half-page typed critique on each oral report at
  the end of the semester for extra credit.

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Recommendations (Continued)

• Instructors should
• Request that every student in the class come
  prepared to make one comment or ask one question
  of the student presenters.
• Give the non-presenters in class bonus points for
  asking intelligent questions and making
  insightful comments of the presenters.

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Recommendations (Continued)

• Instructors should
• Inform the class that material covered in the
  student oral reports will be included in the
  examinations.
• Encourage a more fruitful discussion of the
  highlights of the student presentations by asking
  questions and modeling that behavior for the
  class.

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Recommendations (Continued)

• Instructors should
• Engage in politically-correct constructive
  criticism that analyzes the strengths and
  weaknesses of the students presentations.
• Discuss the additional points and perspectives
  that were not brought up in the presentations.

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Recommendations (Continued)

• Instructors should
• Ask the entire class to critique and score the
  oral reports. This enhances critical thinking
  skills and assists the instructor in giving the
  presenters a fairer grade.

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Student Oral Report Evaluation
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Conclusion

• Organizing student oral reports is not a
  panacea or quick-fix for optimal learning. It
  is merely one beneficial pedagogical tool among a
  wide variety of fascinating educational
  instruments that instructors can gainfully
  experiment with in their classrooms to enhance
  teaching and learning.

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