Presentation Skills Training 2015

For four weeks, the students of the Johann-Winklhofer-Realschule worked in small groups on a self-chosen topic, which they then had to present to the entire class.

At the beginning of the project phase in the 2014/15 school year, trainers from the 360-Kompetenzteam in Augsburg came to JWR and trained all 250 students from the nine ninth-grade classes in rhetoric and presentation techniques. The students practiced how to stand confidently, what to do with their hands, how to use their voice effectively, and how eye contact can impact a presentation. They also learned about structuring a presentation and using various media.

The six best teams were given the opportunity to present their work to a public audience. It was a lot of work for the students, but they approached their task with great motivation. Their presentations were creative, varied, and media-rich. German literary history was addressed with dramatic performances. Sensitive historical topics such as World War I or the Holocaust were didactically well prepared. Technical topics were also represented: one group explored the combustion engine, while another presented the future of a hydrogen-powered automobile.

The Frank Hirschvogel Foundation was happy to support this project financially.