Current Events > Snowflake students are protesting in-class presentation assignments

(+) Yeah! (+)

The world doesnt accommodate you, you have to learn to live with it. Certain forms of society will always favor some over others. You can talk about safe spaces all day, but the guy who comes beating on your door isnt going to care unless you make him
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I don't think giving presentations ever helped me in any way, but I do see the point in having them
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I struggle with math and it makes me uncomfortable. They should've let me go through school without any math classes.

thrashmetal14 posted...

I struggle with math and it makes me uncomfortable. They should've let me go through school without any math classes.

Exactly.
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This is like the dumbest, most stereotypical millennial bullshit I've probably ever heard of.

The snowflakiest of snowflake kids.

Bunch of lazy kids.
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Thats fine. If you get a job that calls for it, then you signed up for that and are getting paid to as well.
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I hate speaking publicly and I am legitimately awful at it. I have no confidence.

It is an essential skill for many forms of employment and overcoming that anxiety is important. I failed to do so it has hurt me as an adult.
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We should force people to learn a sport and martial art as well.
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I had to do a one hour speech for my com class my freshman year of college. Shit was ridiculous.
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I actually agree with this, I was s good presenter but I didnt learn shit from other kids presenting. Its just so teachers can take a day or two off from instructing themselves.
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VandorLee posted...

We should force people to learn a sport and martial art as well.

Yes because that is so totally the same thing.

I don't know what's worse, the people from the article or the people here trying to keep their bias with this junk.
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I see there's been a lot of discussion on this topic, but I'll add my two cents as an educator.

I do presentation training and public speaking training. My issue with "in class presentations" is that educators want students to present but never actually teach them how to present.

Public speaking in general is all about practice. No high school student practices their presentation in front of a mirror or in front of a friend on their own terms. If they want them to present, they need to give them the resources to succeed and make it a learning experience without pushing them too far out of their comfort zone.

Here are some strategies I've used that have worked for me:
- Forced practice sessions in class. Have the students go to different parts of the room and practice their presentation in front of a small group of classmates (their friends are okay)
- Have a "rehearsal day". Have the students do a "rehearsal" presentation in front of the class that will not be graded. Students are already panicked about having to talk in front of a group. The looming grade attached to the presentation only adds to the stress. Separate it out and have them deal with one issue at a time.
- Do speaking exercises often. Even when not presenting, I always have speaking prompts where students share something about themselves. My favorite exercise is "highs and lows", where students share something great that happened to them in the past week and something not-so-great. I trains them to talk in a group about something they are comfortable with.
- In some cases, I don't even grade the presentation. If the students are doing a paper or project that is accompanied by a presentation, I make the presentation as a celebration of what they created. I won't grade them on it, but they are still required to present. This once again removes some of the fear that speaking poorly will affect their grade. They can focus on what they are saying and who they are saying it to.

I don't think that giving students alternatives to presenting is the way to go. We just need to do a better job of training them to speak and present so they are not deathly afraid of it. It's nowhere near as challenging to give a well-rehearsed presentation. Personally, I practice any public speech I give seven times before I say it in front of an audience. And that's with over 10 years of public speaking experience.
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Unknown5uspect posted...

This is like the dumbest, most stereotypical millennial bullshit I've probably ever heard of.

The snowflakiest of snowflake kids.

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Oh boy, more kids who were babied all their lives and never developed the coping mechanisms or confidence to be an adult. Their lack of confidence gives them zero problem solving ability. I've had a few software engineer interns work here and they are actually useless people. They are unable to self-teach. They can't think for themselves and someone has to do all the problem solving for them.

Rexdragon125 posted...

Oh boy, more kids who were babied all their lives and never developed the coping mechanisms or confidence to be an adult. Their lack of confidence gives them zero problem solving ability. I've had a few software engineer interns work here and they are actually useless people. They are unable to self-teach. They can't think for themselves and someone has to do all the problem solving for them.

its because they are robots
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twitterfriends posted...

I actually agree with this, I was s good presenter but I didnt learn shit from other kids presenting. Its just so teachers can take a day or two off from instructing themselves.

This is a good point. Most kids don't even pay attention when someone's presenting. They usually are messing around or preparing for their presentation. It's essentially a free day for everyone besides the 5 minutes you have to present. It's a waste of time.
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hated doing them but damn its stupid to try to get rid of them.
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Zanzenburger posted...

I see there's been a lot of discussion on this topic, but I'll add my two cents as an educator.

I do presentation training and public speaking training. My issue with "in class presentations" is that educators want students to present but never actually teach them how to present.

Public speaking in general is all about practice. No high school student practices their presentation in front of a mirror or in front of a friend on their own terms. If they want them to present, they need to give them the resources to succeed and make it a learning experience without pushing them too far out of their comfort zone.

Here are some strategies I've used that have worked for me:
- Forced practice sessions in class. Have the students go to different parts of the room and practice their presentation in front of a small group of classmates (their friends are okay)
- Have a "rehearsal day". Have the students do a "rehearsal" presentation in front of the class that will not be graded. Students are already panicked about having to talk in front of a group. The looming grade attached to the presentation only adds to the stress. Separate it out and have them deal with one issue at a time.
- Do speaking exercises often. Even when not presenting, I always have speaking prompts where students share something about themselves. My favorite exercise is "highs and lows", where students share something great that happened to them in the past week and something not-so-great. I trains them to talk in a group about something they are comfortable with.
- In some cases, I don't even grade the presentation. If the students are doing a paper or project that is accompanied by a presentation, I make the presentation as a celebration of what they created. I won't grade them on it, but they are still required to present. This once again removes some of the fear that speaking poorly will affect their grade. They can focus on what they are saying and who they are saying it to.

I don't think that giving students alternatives to presenting is the way to go. We just need to do a better job of training them to speak and present so they are not deathly afraid of it. It's nowhere near as challenging to give a well-rehearsed presentation. Personally, I practice any public speech I give seven times before I say it in front of an audience. And that's with over 10 years of public speaking experience.

Good post.
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Questionmarktarius posted...

gatorsPENSbucs posted...

This country is going to be hilarious if one of these special little children ever come in power.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria_Ocasio-Cortez

A socialist. Wonderful.

BalisticWarri0r posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

gatorsPENSbucs posted...

This country is going to be hilarious if one of these special little children ever come in power.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria_Ocasio-Cortez

A socialist. Wonderful.

That's usually how it goes, yes.
"I don't want to do that thing! Make that guy do the thing, and force this other guy pay for it!"

Pitiful pandering to the perma offended brigade.
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Nobody should be forced to do something that makes them uncomfortable, says Ula, a 14-year-old in eighth grade

Welcome to life.
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Zanzenburger posted...

My issue with "in class presentations" is that educators want students to present but never actually teach them how to present.

Strong point.
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Duwstai posted...

Nobody should be forced to do something that makes them uncomfortable, says Ula, a 14-year-old in eighth grade

Welcome to life.

Yeah, that's a pretty special quote. Smh.

Zanzenburger posted...

I see there's been a lot of discussion on this topic, but I'll add my two cents as an educator.

I do presentation training and public speaking training. My issue with "in class presentations" is that educators want students to present but never actually teach them how to present.

Public speaking in general is all about practice. No high school student practices their presentation in front of a mirror or in front of a friend on their own terms. If they want them to present, they need to give them the resources to succeed and make it a learning experience without pushing them too far out of their comfort zone.

Here are some strategies I've used that have worked for me:
- Forced practice sessions in class. Have the students go to different parts of the room and practice their presentation in front of a small group of classmates (their friends are okay)
- Have a "rehearsal day". Have the students do a "rehearsal" presentation in front of the class that will not be graded. Students are already panicked about having to talk in front of a group. The looming grade attached to the presentation only adds to the stress. Separate it out and have them deal with one issue at a time.
- Do speaking exercises often. Even when not presenting, I always have speaking prompts where students share something about themselves. My favorite exercise is "highs and lows", where students share something great that happened to them in the past week and something not-so-great. I trains them to talk in a group about something they are comfortable with.
- In some cases, I don't even grade the presentation. If the students are doing a paper or project that is accompanied by a presentation, I make the presentation as a celebration of what they created. I won't grade them on it, but they are still required to present. This once again removes some of the fear that speaking poorly will affect their grade. They can focus on what they are saying and who they are saying it to.

I don't think that giving students alternatives to presenting is the way to go. We just need to do a better job of training them to speak and present so they are not deathly afraid of it. It's nowhere near as challenging to give a well-rehearsed presentation. Personally, I practice any public speech I give seven times before I say it in front of an audience. And that's with over 10 years of public speaking experience.

That's actually well executed. Great idea.

I was trying to think of an alternative other than the shitty ones they listed in the article, and because they're so happy to go on twitter and speak "publicly" digitally, why not just do a presentation on a camera and then just show the video on youtube for everyone in the class to see.
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I would like to present Zanzen with one free hug coupon from the CEman of his choice.
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RainblowDash posted...

hockeybub89 posted...

I can get behind this. Not everyone can speak in public. Fucking deal with it.

Sounds like you should have just dealt with it instead of whining your way out of it, lmao

I didn't whine my way out of it. I just failed horribly at it or took an F every time. Exposure didn't make me any better at it. We need to understand people's strengths and weaknesses. You don't need to speak in public to get good at a subject. I killed other assignments. I somehow still pulled a 3.2 GPA in high school despite it all. If schools weren't worthless as shit in my day, I would have been an even better student. Maybe I wouldn't have had to throw my college career away and suffer until I was like 23.

The people comparing being uncomfortable with public speaking to individual subjects are being ridiculous and disingenuous. Imagine knowing so little about anything. I guess education failed them too.

It's well known that the American education system is terrible, but we defend it because "I got through it". Imagine how much better everyone could turn out with a more personally tailored upbringing. Why settle for less?
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hockeybub89 posted...

Imagine how much better everyone could turn out with a more personally tailored upbringing.

That's what private schools are for.

Why settle for less?

Because you want someone else to pay for it.

Damn this is pathetic lol
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hockeybub89 posted...

RainblowDash posted...

hockeybub89 posted...

I can get behind this. Not everyone can speak in public. Fucking deal with it.

Sounds like you should have just dealt with it instead of whining your way out of it, lmao

I didn't whine my way out of it. I just failed horribly at it or took an F every time. Exposure didn't make me any better at it. We need to understand people's strengths and weaknesses. You don't need to speak in public to get good at a subject. I killed other assignments. I somehow still pulled a 3.2 GPA in high school despite it all. If schools weren't worthless as shit in my day, I would have been an even better student. Maybe I wouldn't have had to throw my college career away and suffer until I was like 23.

The people comparing being uncomfortable with public speaking to individual subjects are being ridiculous and disingenuous. Imagine knowing so little about anything. I guess education failed them too.

It's well known that the American education system is terrible, but we defend it because "I got through it". Imagine how much better everyone could turn out with a more personally tailored upbringing. Why settle for less?

If you didn't do well with public speaking due to anxiety, then exposure is absolutely the way to go. It's pretty much the only form of psychotherapy that we can really say is really effective.
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Mist_Turnips posted...

hockeybub89 posted...

I can get behind this. Not everyone can speak in public.

This explains a lot lol.

Ah CE and its social issues. XD

Its ridiculous lol

Being proficient at Public Speaking builds confidence and courage, its stupid to think its solely for speaking in public.

Lots of CEpeople clearly wont get far in life due to their anxiety lol, sad
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Pete, were gonna need you to give a presentation next week to the VP of sales outlining our new business plan.

Sorry boss, i have crippling anxiety, gonna need an alternative assignment.

Said nobody with a meaningfully paying job ever
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I'm a shy shit and I just suck it up. Are people really that pathetic?
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"snowflake"

HURR DURR LOOK WHAT MEME GAMEFAQS TAUGHT ME

Superlinkbro posted...

I'm a shy shit and I just suck it up. Are people really that pathetic?

Yes, see the above post
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I was always nervous as hell when I had to do presentations in front of the class but I sucked it up and did it just like everyone else.

Somewhere along the way that ability has been lost in younger people
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NeuralLaxative posted...

Pete, were gonna need you to give a presentation next week to the VP of sales outlining our new business plan.

Sorry boss, i have crippling anxiety, gonna need an alternative assignment.

Said nobody with a meaningfully paying job ever

People with serious issues don't hold meaningful jobs? That seems bigoted of you.
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I have "anxiety"
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Questionmarktarius posted...

hockeybub89 posted...

Imagine how much better everyone could turn out with a more personally tailored upbringing.

That's what private schools are for.

Why settle for less?

Because you want someone else to pay for it.

I went to private school my entire life. Unless you're going to like some actual special school for the severely impaired, they are terrible at handling anything outside the norm. A public school might have helped me.
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hockeybub89 posted...

Avoidance is literally the way anxiety is maintained. Stop avoiding your issues.
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COVxy posted...

hockeybub89 posted...

Avoidance is literally the way anxiety is maintained. Stop avoiding your issues.

I mean, I've worked customer-facing jobs my entire life so far. Now that I've found a field I like, getting away from the customer is one of my motivations for working towards a better job. Everyone is not a people person.
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hockeybub89 posted...

COVxy posted...

hockeybub89 posted...

Avoidance is literally the way anxiety is maintained. Stop avoiding your issues.

I mean, I've worked customer-facing jobs my entire life so far. Now that I've found a field I like, getting away from the customer is one of my motivations for working towards a better job. Everyone is not a people person.

everyone is not a math person, and i don't plan on doing math at my future jobs, i don't see any raisin i should have to take a pointless math class every year
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Wah Wah, anxiety, wah wah poor me, wah wah I can't function like a normal human, wah wah what a bunch of little bitches who are about to fail at life the second they have to care for themselves. lmfao at these losers
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I always hated public speaking. I avoided it every chance I got. In college, I HAD to take a speech class to "progress". There was no way around it. So, I took the class.

We had a few speeches throughout the semester, but they were always group assignments, so I wasn't actually alone in front of everyone. However... our final was a solo presentation in front of the class, and it was worth an entire letter grade.

I was such a panzy snowflake that I didn't even go to my final. I took my B (woulda been an A) and ran.

Public speaking wasn't actually enforced in my high school, so of course I didn't take it. Maybe if I would have been broken in, so to speak, I wouldn't have that fear as strongly.
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Life presents many challenges that it would be easier to not face, but you need to man up and do them in order to gain vital skills.

Unless these people intend to all be self employed successfully running their own businesses their entire life, they're going to have to do job interviews in front of panels and internal promotion panels etc many times over. You NEED these skills in order to fulfill your potential.

COVxy posted...

@hockeybub89 posted...

Avoidance is literally the way anxiety is maintained. Stop avoiding your issues.

This

Little snowflake, stop being so afraid and wierd
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