Oral Presentations

Rationale

Norwood Secondary College, as a government school, aims to provide a dynamic learning culture that takes pride in the holistic development of students through the promotion of the college values of respect, responsibility, aspiration and resilience. We are committed to offering a comprehensive, viable and guaranteed curriculum based on the Victorian Curriculum F-10 and VCE. We have high expectations about the content that we teach, the way in which we engage students in learning and the means by which we assess their level of understanding. Therefore, the delivery of oral presentations is a rigorous and careful process.

Principles

Oral Presentations are used to:

• Support and develop the desired outcomes of the Victorian Curriculum and VCE Study Designs 
• Provide students with learning experiences, which access a wide range of knowledge and understanding.
• Provide students with communication and presentation skills required in the workforce.
  • Students are required to present their Oral Presentation to their English class and classroom teacher during a designated lesson(s) as they are required to present to an audience at a VCE level. 

Guidelines for Oral Presentations (7-10)

The Victorian Curriculum requires English teachers to report on a student’s speaking and listening skills. To this end, staff require students to deliver an Oral Presentation to a designated audience each semester. However, whilst this is a formal assessment task, general classroom practise will also be taken into consideration for the VELS progression point on the end of semester report.

The following guidelines will be enforced by teaching staff:

1. All students must be ready to present from the first lesson that presentations are scheduled to occur. A copy of the speech and accompanying PowerPoint presentation should be submitted online as part of a Learning Task and cue cards should be printed and organised.
2. Teachers will select students to present at random. This could involve pulling student names out of a hat or using an online generator etc.
3. If a student refuses to deliver their Oral Presentation for assessment when called, the coordinator and Head of Year level must be notified via email which will be documented on Compass. Contact should also be made with the respective parents and/or guardians using the email template [see Appendix I]. A new time to present as negotiated by the student and teacher must be made. In this case, the Late Policy will apply and the student will receive a reduction in their final grade. If the student refuses to present on a second occasion, then the student will receive a ‘UG’ grade on the end of semester report with a zero contributing to their global grade. The coordinator, Head of Year level and parents and/or guardians should be notified using the email template [see Appendix II]. Further to this, the VELS progression point could be impacted and therefore, not reflect the students’ level of ability.
4. Students are expected to present to an audience. If for whatever reason a student is unable to present to an audience then an appropriate medical certificate must be provided for exemptions to be made. If a medical certificate isn’t provided, then the student will be granted the same conditions as every other student, regardless of any pre-existing conditions. A parent letter or email does not suffice. 
5. Students with an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) or EAL status may have different arrangements for oral presentations compared with other students. It is the responsibility of the classroom teacher to check the student’s ILP/be aware of the EAL pathway, which is attached to their Compass profile. If a student requires specific conditions, then the teacher must ensure that these are implemented and if necessary, should liaise with the coordinator, Head of Year level, Student Wellbeing and/or EAL Coordinator.
6. If a student is linked in with Student Wellbeing and the Student Welfare Coordinator deems that there is reasonable grounds for the student to present without a wider audience then this may be granted. This will need to be finalised with appropriate documentation one week prior to the presentation date. It is the responsibility of the student to make a time with Student Wellbeing to discuss their concerns. The Student Wellbeing Staff will have a set of criteria to determine whether the student is a candidate for special presentation arrangements and Student Welfare Coordinator will sign off on any students allowed these different conditions. A record of students requiring special conditions will be kept and maintained by Wellbeing Staff and the English Coordinator and the classroom teacher will be notified. *NB: This process must occur during each school year and students must not assume that they will be granted special conditions each time. 
7. In the event that the teacher requires a Statement of Intention from the student, then this can be completed in class under test conditions or it can be completed as a Homework Task. This is at the discretion of the classroom teacher. If students fail to submit a statement on the designated due date, then it will not be counted in the final result/grade. 

Guidelines for Oral Presentations (VCE)

At a VCE level, students are formally assessed on their presentation skills. The delivery of Oral Presentations for VCE students will occur in Term 2 (TBC) and students will present to a panel of two staff members over one school day. By having this process, staff can cross mark all presentations, resulting in a greater consistency.

Students are required to:

• Sign-up to a time slot for the allocated date. The sign-up sheet will be available at least two weeks prior to the date and it is the responsibility of the student to pick their time (periods 1 – 4 and 3.00-4.00pm in the case of some panels). If students fail to sign up for a time slot, then the VCE teachers will allocate the student a time and no changes will be possible. *NB: A maximum of 6 time slots will be available for each period.
• Attend school during the time they have signed up for. They must stay for the duration of the session. They cannot leave once their presentation is complete. Even though students are not required for the majority of the day, it is still considered a ‘learning day’ and therefore, the expectation is that students will use this time to catch up on work they have not completed or to study for any exams.
• Read through the SAC notification form for VCE Oral Presentations. This outlines their roles and responsibilities and should be considered alongside the assessment rubric. It is the responsibility of the student to familiarise themselves with the task requirements. This SAC notification form will be distributed at the start of the Outcome / Unit both electronically and as a hard copy and will be discussed in class. This document will provide details on the timing of presentations, referencing, the statement of intention and PowerPoint presentations with accompanying visuals. The assessment rubric will be made available on Compass. 

Parents of VCE students will be notified about the Oral Presentations 3-4 weeks prior to the assessment date. This will be via a Compass email [see Appendix III].

Any special consideration or arrangements must be organised through the appropriate VCAA channels and medical documentation must be provided.

Appendix I

Dear [Parent/Guardian],

Please be advised that [student] has failed to deliver [his/her] Oral Presentation when called upon to present in English today [insert date]. This is disappointing as [student] has had since [insert date] to prepare this task, including [insert number] lessons of class time.

It is hoped that [student] will be ready to present [next lesson/insert time] as this assessment is now already late. If [student] is not ready to present at this rescheduled time, then they will receive a ‘UG’ for this task with a zero contributing to their global grade for the Semester.

If you have any further questions or concerns regarding this task, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,

[Teacher’s name]

English Teacher

Appendix II

Dear [Parent/Guardian],

Please be advised that [student] has failed to deliver [his/her] Oral Presentation when called upon to present today. As this was the second time, they will receive a ‘UG’ for this task with a zero contributing to their global grade for the Semester.

If you have any further questions or concerns regarding this task, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,

[Teacher’s name]

English Teacher

Appendix III

Dear Parent / Guardian,

Please be advised that the [Year level] Oral Presentations will be conducted on [date] between 8.30am and 4.00pm. All [Year level] classes will be suspended on that day and students will only be required at school when their presentation is scheduled. If the student is in the VCAL program, then classes will run as normal. 

All students have signed up for an appointment time and it is important that they check the noticeboard outside of the Year 12 Common Room to confirm their time and room allocation. Students are expected to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to their scheduled time with their speech on organised cue cards. As students are required to have a PowerPoint Presentation, they must bring a charged device that includes their presentation. Students should bring another copy of their presentation on a USB in the event of any technical difficulties. Students must also bring their Statement of Intention and hand it to the assessing teachers prior to their presentation.

Each student will present in front of a small group of peers (maximum 6) and two staff members. All presentations will be cross marked, resulting in greater consistency. 

We are sure that you will agree, that this is an invaluable learning experience for our students here at Norwood.

To reiterate, students need to bring:

• their speech on cue cards
• an charged electronic device with their presentation
• a copy of their presentation on a USB
• the statement of intention and list of references

If you have any questions or concerns, then please do not hesitate to contact [teacher]

Kind regards,

[English Coordinator]

English Faculty