Hartmann                Psychology 326                Spring, 1998

Hints for Your Class Presentation

A.  The following is a paraphrase from the syllabus 
regarding class presentations:
	Panel presentations: After the first 4-5 weeks of the course, the final hour 
of about half of the class periods will be used for panel presentations.  Each 
panel will be lead by a team of 2-4 classmates.  The team will introduce the topic 
(3-4 minutes), make a short presentation (10 minutes per person), conclude their 
presentation (3-4 minutes) and then lead the discussion (10 minutes).  Thus, a 
typical presentation by a panel of three class members should use no more than 45 
minutes.  The presentation should focus on some controversial or otherwise 
interesting topic on social/personality development (e.g., influence of the Mormon 
culture on social development; effects of incest on social development; censorship 
of TV or the Web during child-using times; effects of sibling relationships on 
peer relations; consequences of being a rejected child).  The available time slots 
will be allotted on a first come-first serve and level of preparation bases.  
[There are only 5 panel time slots available so everyone cannot participate in 
panel presentations!]  The available times are indicated on the tentative schedule 
of events -- which follows. 
	If, for example, you choose to present during the week of April 19, then 
your panel topic should concern something from chapter 5 or 6.  The specifics of 
the class presentations are as follows:
	-- select 1-3 partners and a general discussion topic -- the class location 
form (Names, interests, phone #s) handed out will help you do that.  Thereafter, 
all further activities are team activities.
	-- talk to me of your choice of topic and partners, and be sure that a time 
period is available for that topic;
	-- A week prior to your scheduled presentation time, make an appointment 
with me (e.g., after class), and give me more detail about the specifics of your 
presentation, such as the sources you are using, the subtopics you intend to 
cover, etc.;
	-- conduct the presentation-discussion together with your partners;
	-- on the Tuesday following your presentation, each participant should hand 
in a packet of 6-10 pages that includes the following five items:
		(1) a cover page (similar to that used for a term paper);
		(2) 1-3 usable multiple-choice questions on the presentation;
		(3)  a brief description on how you prepared for your presentation;
		(4) a typed copy of your presentation (2-3 pages) -- include 
everything you prepared, even if you did not have time to deliver all of it, 
including overheads, handouts, and the like; and
		(5) your evaluation of your experience as a panelist.  [An example of 
the material to be handed in is available at the Marriott Reserve e Desk.]

B.  This material is amplified below:
Finding partners.
	-- Use your copy of the class " Locator" form filled out by 
all class members during the first week of class.

Choosing a topic.
	-- Choose a topic that is interesting to you, and relatively 
narrow in scope.  You will want to gain some expertness in your 
topic (e.g., by reading), and expertness in a narrow topic is far 
easier to attain than in a broad topic.  Some topics from previous 
classes include the following: the development of sex-type 
schemas; differential effects of maternal vs. paternal custody; 
effects of peers on adolescent drug use; TV effects on altruistic 
models; Patterson's coercion theory; status of the maternal 
bonding hypothesis; developmental trends in children's humor; and 
the effects of birth order on siblings social behavior.  I invite 
-- in fact I require -- you (and your team members) to meet with 
me and discuss your preliminary choice of topic.

Finding relevant readings.
	-- Read the relevant section of the test.
	-- Peruse the relevant ancillary reference (on reserve), 
check Psychlit, and perhaps some of the following:  (Note: this 
list is not exhaustive.)
Books & Monographs:
	Advances in child development and behavior (Volumes in this 
series are edited by Reese, sometimes in collaboration with either 
Spiker or Lipsitt.)
	Annual Review of Psychology (sections on social development).
	Bornstein, M. H., &  Lamb, M. (Eds.), Developmental 
psychology: An advanced textbook (3rd. ed.).  Hillsdale, NJ: 
Lawrence Erlbaum.
	Brehm, S. S., Kassin, S. M., & Gibbons, F. X.  (Eds.).  
(1981).  Developmental social psychology.  New York: Oxford 
University Press.
	Campos, J., & Haith, M.  (Eds.).  (1983).  Handbook of child 
psychology.  New York: John Wiley & Sons.
	Damon, W.  (1983).  Social and personality development.  New 
York: W. W. Norton.
	Damon, W.  (Editor-in-Chief).  (1998).  Handbook of child 
psychology (5th ed., vol. 1-4).  New York: Wiley.
	Higgins, E. T., Hartup, W. W., & Ruble, D. N.  (Eds.).  
(1983).  Social cognition and social development: A sociocultural 
perspective.  New York: Cambridge University Press.
	Heatherington, E. M.  (Ed.).  (1983).  Carmichael's manual of 
child psychology: Vol. IV. Socialization, personality, and social 
development.  York: John Wiley & Sons.
	Magnusson, D., & Allen, V. L.  (Eds.).  (1983).  Human 
development: An interactional perspective.  New York: Academic 
Press.
	Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology.  Members of this 
series are edited by a number of individuals, including W. A. 
Collins, J. P. Hill, M. Perlmutter, A. D. & H. Pick.
	Zahn-Waxler, C., Cummings, E. M. &  Iannotti, R.  (Eds.).  
(1986).  Altruism and aggression.  New: Cambridge University 
Press.

Journals: 
	Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Developmental 
Psychology Review, Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, Psychological 
Bulletin.

Preparing for Your Presentation.
	-- Prepare 1-2 pages of lecture-discussion notes or prompts 
for your 10-minute gig.  [I usually use 3-5 pages of notes for a 
50 minute class.]  You may want to include in this material a 
couple of jokes -- including one for the beginning of your 
presentation -- and a supply of questions to promote class 
participation.  The questions should be sprinkled throughout your 
notes, and not all come at one point.  You also may want to 
prepare overheads or handouts on important references, difficult 
material, and the like.  Remember that it is better to make a few 
points clearly than many points hurriedly!
	-- Avoid the repetitive use of discussion questions such as 
"What do you think?".  Ask questions about conflicting theories, 
discrepant findings, social (e.g., parenting) implications, and 
the like.
	-- Do not use complex phrases or constructions in your verbal 
presentation.
	-- Rehearse your presentation with your partners.  Decide who 
is responsible for what, and who will manage the details of the 
presentation (e.g., introduction, conclusion, and timing).  Check 
the timing of your presentation; be prepared to omit a section of 
your presentation if you run out of time.  Time allotment is the 
most serious problem of student presenters.  If you take longer 
than 10 minutes, we will hiss!

The Presentation.
	-- Bring along something to drink.  Anxiety causes thirst, 
and drinking slows down the pace of your presentation.
	-- Don't chew gum while you speak.
	-- Don't read from books or from your notes.  Use your notes 
as a guide.
	-- Use the board (it is a great place to hide when you are 
nervous).
	-- Use overheads and handouts, particularly for outlines, 
references, lists, and other material that requires precision in 
note taking.  When preparing overheads, acetate sheets can be 
obtained from the bookstore and perhaps copy centers.  
Normal-sized capital lettering will not be readable on overheads 
from the back of the classroom!  Use at least font size 13.
	-- Maintain eye contact with the class; do not lecture to the 
instructor!
	-- Do not use more than 2-3 minutes of your presentation time 
to review material that is discussed in the test.
	-- If you don't know something (1) engage the class in 
discussion on the question or (2) tell the questioner that you 
don't know but will look up the answer (and then do so).  Don't 
fake it!
	-- Provide us with critical references.  But be sure that 
references, lists, and other lengthy items are written on the 
board, on an overhead, or on a handout.
	-- Use your speed of presentation as a cue to the class 
concerning what should be written down, and what should merely be 
listened to.
	-- Check to make sure that questions from the audience are 
understood, e.g., by paraphrasing them.  And summarize the major 
points of discussion when it has come to an end.
	-- Maintain control of the class!  Don't allow questioners 
(including the professor) to take over the class (and it is 
tempting to do just that).  Bring classmates back on track if they 
wander away.
	---- Be certain that all of the presentations on a topic are 
quite tightly tied to the central topic.

The Packet Due on the Following Tuesday
	The cover page.  Give us the standard information included on 
cover pages for term papers; also include the date and topic of 
your presentation, and the members of your panel.
	Preparing quiz questions.  We need about 1 usable 
multiple-choice questions from each presenter on your presentation 
and the discussion.  Based upon my experience, that will require 
that you write 1-3 questions, as the prevalence of poor questions 
is high.  Here are some hints in preparing questions.
	-- Use 5-alternative multiple-choice questions.  If you can't 
think of a fifth alternative, use a funny (see below).
	-- Do not use repetitive phrases in each alternative.  
Instead, put the phrase in the stem.
	-- Use correct grammar and punctuation.
	-- The items should be of moderate difficulty and deal with 
important issues.  Obvious questions, as well as very difficult 
questions, are a waste of student test time and trees.
	-- Indicate the correct alternative.  Students often forget 
this!
	-- Examine the following three sample items:

 1.	Generally speaking, which one of the following sources of 
information is likely to have the greatest impact on the sexual 
activities of young people?
	a.	Sex education programs.
*	b.	Information learned from peers and dating partners.
	c.	Formal sexual instruction from parents.
	d.	Reading about sexual activities in textbooks.
	e.	Scout Handbooks.

 2.	Which of the following statements about Harry Stack 
Sullivan's theory of psychosocial development is false?
	a.	Development is characterized by the pursuit of 
satisfaction and the 
	pursuit of security.
	b.	The focus of interpersonal needs changes across ages.
	c.	Psychosocial development is viewed as a cumulative 
process.
*	d.	Sexual adaptation precedes social adaptation.
	e.	None, or all of the above is (are) false.

 3.	Which of the following actions is prone to result in quite 
different interpretations by males and females, and hence produce 
some difficulties in dating situation?  The
	a.	girl wearing high heeled shoes.
	b.	boy wearing high heeled shoes.
*	c.	girl playing with the boy's hair or rubbing his back.
	d.	boy inviting the girl to his parents house while the 
parents are on 
	vacation.
	e.	girl and boy discussing the pros and cons of condoms 
and 
	diaphragms.

	Your presentation notes.  Include the notes you used for your 
presentation; be certain that they are typed.  Also be sure to 
include the major references (in APA style) you used in your 
presentation.
	The history of your presentation.  Describe the history of 
your presentation.  Include how you selected collaborators and 
topic, how you researched the topic, the interpersonal and other 
difficulties you had, your practice sessions, and the like.  As 
much as possible, describe techniques that you used that helped 
the process go well, as well as actions you might have taken that 
should have facilitated the process.
	Project evaluation.  Prepare a 1-2 page evaluation of your 
class presentation.  The evaluation should include the following:
	-- Your assessment of the benefits to you of the project.
	-- Whether the project should be continued, and if revised, 
how it should be modified.

C.  Class Presentation Evaluation:
	The evaluation form used for class presentations is given 
below in draft form.
EVALUATION OF STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

NAME:                                               

TOPIC:                           DATE:        

PRESENTATION: (0-12):	Comments:
	  Effectiveness (0-8)
	     Understanding of topic
	     Overheads, etc.
	     Eye contact, etc.
	     Interest
	     Organization
	     Pacing
	     Went beyond text
	     Other:               
	  Discussion (0-4)
	     Quality of questions elicited
	     Control of audience
	     Responsiveness to questions
	     Other:               
   Subtotal

THE PACKET (0-16)	Comments:
	  Promptness (0-2)
	  Cover page (0-1)
	  Quiz questions (0-4):
		  Quantity (0-2)
		  Quality (0-2)
	  Notes (0-3)
	  History (0-3)
	  Evaluation (0-3)
   Subtotal



 

 
 
Hartmann, Psychology 326, Handout
on Presentations, Sp ‘98, p. 2 of 4