Over the last 5 years, I’ve had the opportunity to work as a centrally assigned educator in my board. And while the job has certainly had its share of ups, downs, stressors, and successes, one thing I know I will walk away with is the ability to plan a professional learning session for staff.
If you are in the position of planning a staff meeting, lunch and learn, or professional learning activity for your school – and are feeling a bit nervous or unsure about it – keep in mind that it is completely normal. After all, you are presenting to your peers, who can sometimes feel like the most challenging audience to “teach” no matter how long you have been teaching in the classroom. These are the same people you probably not only work with, but have lunch with and perhaps even socialize with.
Here are some tips for getting your first professional learning presentation off the ground.
1. Focus on What Matters to Educators
While you may not always get to choose what topic you will present on, you should try to tailor the content you select to what matters to staff. Send out a survey, talk to your colleagues to find out what challenges they have in their classrooms, or connect with your administrator to see what they are noticing. What you want to avoid is presenting information that does not speak to their work, as they will disengage quickly from your session.
2. Avoid Reading off Text-Heavy Slides
This can be tough, but a presentation is always more engaging when you are speaking and connecting more with the audience than reading off a slide deck. A slide deck is there to provide a visual element that supports the information you are sharing, to highlight key ideas, and add a multi-modal dimension. When slides are overly text-heavy, the information becomes to overwhelming.
3. Drive Engagement through Interaction, when Possible
There are presentations where you may have to simply “stand and deliver”. However, building in points of interaction, however brief, can make the learning more engaging and memorable to your audience. Just as with kids, adults also benefit from being able to interact and engage with their learning in pairs or groups. If time does not permit for this level of interaction, do not hesitate to provide points of provocation or reflection that give learners an opportunity to “take in” and absorb what you are sharing.
4. Give “Real Life” Examples
When we are providing professional learning, we are often helping our colleagues to enhance their workflow or improve their teaching. Sharing authentic examples of student work or practical application goes a long way in getting your messaging across, since teachers can start to imagine how whatever you are sharing will look like in their classrooms.
5. Remember that you Don’t Need to Know Everything
It can be easy to feel stressed about not “knowing everything” about what you are presenting. Remember that you don’t need to know it all (in fact you will probably never know it all). If you get questions you can’t answer with certainty, you can always say you don’t have the answer. Someone else in the room may have the answer or a perspective, or you can always find out and share the information later.
6. Do a Run-Through of Your Presentation
If possible, do a practice run of your presentation before it actually happens. You will probably find that there are pieces that you need to practice parsing, or information you want to add on after you go through it. Even just one practice run can do wonders for your confidence prior to presenting, and you will feel less compelled to read off your slides and more ready to add emphasis and expression to your speaking.
