Yesterday I made my first presentation to a group of teachers. I led a session about integrating technology into the Social Studies Classroom at the Connecticut Council of Social Studies Annual Conference. I left very excited, not about my presentation, but about how much I learned about presenting this topic to adults. If it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in something, I have 9,999 more presentations before I become an expert in making this presentation. What is amazing is even though I have been teaching 13 year olds for 20 years, this presentation still made me feel like I was up in front of a class of kids for the very first time. The clock was not my friend. I realized that the first part of my plans that were suppose to last 5 minutes, was taking 20. At the 45 minute mark I realized that there was no way I was getting to what I considered the best part and the “highlights” of session. I also wish I had given out some kind of quick feed back form—right now the only thing in my head is what I thought went good and bad, which might be totally opposite of what the audience thought.
I would like to encourage everyone to consider sharing their passion at an upcoming conference. If you hadn’t noticed, there seems to be fewer and fewer classroom (or ex-classroom) teachers presenting—or has it always been this way and I am just starting to notice. Too many teachers tend to be afraid to share what they are great at doing, and that fear shaped my presentation. Last June Karenne Sylvester left a comment on one of my posts that stuck out for me: “All too often we spend ages thinking about the ways we’re not good enough without thinking of all the ways we shine.” So true. I ended up sticking to a more “nuts-and-bolts” presentation on tools rather than the powerful work my kids have done with them. By the time I relaxed and realized what I was doing there were five minutes left and I actually said “Do you mind if I brag about something great that my kids do.”
I have a few more proposals in for conferences this year. I really wish I had had the courage years ago to submit proposals. I would have many more hours under my belt on my way to becoming an expert. Even if my other three get accepted, I will still have 9,996 more presentations to go 
11 responses so far ↓
Hi Paul-
Thoughtful and needed. 10000 hours should be the real takeway from ‘Outliers’.
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I, too, feel like the clock is not my friend when presenting to adults. I am good at estimating how long a less will take and moving things along with my little ones, but somehow I underestimate how long things take with adults. Part of it is that I spend more time with adults’ responses and questions–with my students, I’m much quicker to say “Okay, let’s keep going and I’ll take more questions and comments later”. I guess I’m just pleased that the adults want to interact with me and find the content interesting, and I don’t want to cut them off. I take that for granted with kids.
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Woohoo! Congrats on putting yourself out there. Way to model getting out of your comfort zone and taking risks. I wish I could have been there–I’m sure it was amazing.
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great..wish everyone was doing this..tech is king and everyone needs to know how to use the tools..particularly educators
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Congratulations, Paul!
I’m still summoning the courage to send in a proposal. I know what I’m doing with my students in math is important and should be shared. One day…..
As for 10,000 hours, you have to include some of your time as a classroom presenter. It’s only fair since I’m counting my days with LOGO turtles and VCRs toward my expert programming status.
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I reckon you’ll get there faster : you stopped now and took time to reflect at what you should have done more of (the powerful work of your students, which tells more than any theory or explanations of any tool).
I’d also recommend, if you don’t mind my tips, spending some time learning from “expert” presenters, as well as those outside edu – if you do youtube searches on Steve Jobs, for example, you’ll see that one of the most important things he does is practice, practice, practice before delivering a presentation at that would have shown you about the timing issue.
Another tip would be to spend some time watching loads of TED talks to find a style that fits in more with your own.
But anyway, the best thing about your post… reading the excitement in your own learning
– it’s a thrill knowing one has 9,999 hours (or 999 or 99 or even 9): the glory that goes with the journey!
Summits are never as exciting as the climb.
Enjoy! Do hope to see you in action one day.
Karenne
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@ Paul
Glad to hear the conference went well. I’m sure you did a tremendous job.
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I enjoyed reading this post and have found myself in the same situations both with adults and with my students. I find that I have too much and then spend too little time on the meat of the presentation that which I really wanted them to get and like you I cover it in the remaining time that is left. Perhaps in the remaining 9999 times I’ll get it. Thanks
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Your post today sent me back to check out the November posts which you relished for their rich comments. I recall commenting on one of them but never checked the notify me box so I didn’t get to see the final product.
I’d like to comment on why teachers don’t present more. HELLO! We present every single day – seriously. This is not meant to be glib. I think your question is why don’t we “create presentations” for adult peers. For myself, I find that leaving work at 5:30 or 6:00 is enough already. To take additional time to reflect on what my practice or thinking looks like from the outside would require a good deal of time and I need to extend myself in other areas of my life. My home and family, my organizations, my health and exercise – all require my attention. My personal observation is that classroom teachers have too much on their plates, especially global teachers. The people in our building who “do presentations” are the specialists and those without full time classroom assignments. With only 4 forty minute prep periods a week, I am not going to use that time for anything but lesson prep. My website takes up a lot of time, more time than most other teachers in my building want to budget. Even now you are giving more time to “your presentation.” When, and I do mean “when,” I finally do a presentation, it will require hours and hours of work, most of which will never be seen from the outside.
Don’t get the wrong message, please. I appreciate the presentations and learn a lot from most of them (as long as they don’t read aloud their power point.)
Congrats on your Edublogs Award nomination. Your blog is listed in the Edublogger post today and I aim to check out lots of nominees to learn even more.
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Paul Bogush Reply:
December 11th, 2009 at 11:34 am
I don’t know about your comment regarding teachers presenting everyday…
While you can say teachers might spend a lot of time grading, I don’t know about creating. I still see lots of copying from the teacher supplements and doing the same thing each year. You are kindergarten right? I think that is a big difference between K and other grades. Even my own kids elementary teachers rarely have the kids do anything other than prepackaged stuff.
As for the hours of prep work for a presentation…I think if we presented what we do great, it becomes less of a presentation, and more of just sharing what we do with student work examples. My presentation became a cut and paste or student work and our online work.
And I hear you about the time…one of the things I am going to include next time is how to make changes without it taking more time.
I see some of these folks on the net who get all sorts of accolades for their projects and sites and presentations and I say to myself there’s a person who hasn’t see their kid in a week or one who never sleeps.
Wake up 5:30
At school by 6:15
Out of school at 3:15
Home by 3:45
Help with kids stuff–at least 5:00
Supper prep and eat 6:30
My work at least 7:30
Play with kids/wife/fix something/etc 8:30
If there is an after school activity add an 1 or 2 hrs…
When are these people creating all their presentations, twittering, and facebooking!!
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