Math
Class Needs a Makeover - Dan Meyer
This
presentation had most elements that were discusses in the article we read, Key
Steps to an Effective Presentation.
Dan began with a brief introduction of himself, his stance on the topic
he was going to talk about, and then briefly told why it was important. He included visuals (a PowerPoint slideshow)
throughout his presentation. I think near
the beginning a few of the slides had some information that was cut off or were
difficult for me to read, but the video that I saw was shown from an angle, so
those in attendance would have had a better view. The images that Dan chose to show kept the audience's
attention (know your audience) and his comments that went with them kept
everyone laughing. At points in his
presentation he compared math instruction to sitcom TV. During those times, he had images of the
sitcom on the screen.
I could
tell that the presentation was well rehearsed and that the speaker was within
his comfort zone. He is a high school
math teacher and know the material he was speaking about well. This presentation had a general theme that it
stuck with throughout. Images of the math
series were reoccurring and he would highlight the parts of the image that he
was talking about. At the end of the
presentation he revisited his original thought and gave his closing
thoughts. The video cut off before
showing if any questions were answered, so I am not sure if this was part of
the presentation.
Overall,
I feel this was an effective presentation for educators and anyone involved in
the education of children. It kept me
interested and entertained and I was not even at the live presentation!
