Why We Need to Raise The Expectations in the Classroom

Some basic brain research to support what I keep preaching in class about your Google Presentations.

This research comes from John Medina in his book, Brain Rules

Rule #4: We don’t pay attention to boring things

• Slides with lots of words are BORING! You know this so why do you continue to make these slides?

Rule #10: Vision trumps all other senses

• Hear a piece of information and three days later you remember 10%

• Add a picture and you will remember 65%


Key Points

• Structure presentation around meaning and the big picture

• Don’t start with the details. Start with the key ideas

• Clean up your presentation. Too many words

o Slide are boring

o Nobody wants to read a bunch of words on the screen

*As I shared on all presentations, how would your presentation look if I deleted sentences and slides with too much info? Could you pull off your presentation in a persuasive manner?


I provided this feedback to all my groups in my latest project in my class.

Why is it that even though the students hate boring presentations with lots of words and a monotonous speaking voice they turn around and do the same thing?

Can anyone explain this to me? Is it because it has been what they have always done? Can they not think on their own two feet anymore?

It drives me nuts. Hence the reason I have now banned PowerPoint from any class activities and projects.

Students need to learn how to deliver the goods. Be persuasive, be passionate about their work, be organized and prepared.

Students need to learn to begin to think in new ways. We as teachers need to quit doing the same things over and over because it is not fresh. This is hard to do when we are being forced to be robots and teach the same way at the same time, but we must fight this.

Be original. Be creative. It is the way of the future people. If you don't know how to ask the right questions, problem solve, and be creative, then the future is not looking good for you.

Students it is time to step up to the plate and begin to realize your potential.

Teachers it is time for us to change the way we teach and how we teach to provide students a chance to realize their potential.