A Short Guide to Action Research 4 th Edition Andrew P. Johnson, Ph.D. Minnesota State University, Mankato

Chapter 13: Presenting Your Action Research

THE EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT 1. Your colleagues 2. Your students 3. School boards, principals, and administrators 4. Your classroom: Evaluate new programs 5. Parent conferences 6. As part of a Master’s Thesis

GUIDELINES FOR AN ACTION RESEARCH PRESENTATION 1. The presentation should be between 30 and 45 minutes in duration. 2. Enter a teacher mode. 3. Describe the problem, topic, research question, or area of investigation as well as what brought you to it. 4. Include a short synthesis of related research or the theoretical background (review of the literature). 5. Briefly describe how you collected your data.

6. Describe your results or what you found. 7. Include your recommendations, practical application, or plan of action. 8. Be clear and concise. 9. Use a visual aid of some kind (overhead, poster, PowerPoint, video clip, or handouts). 10. Include 5 to 10 minutes for questions at the end.

THE PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT 1. Professional conferences and conventions 2. Academic journals 3. ERIC

MAKING EFFECTIVE PRESENTATIONS Planning the Presentation 1. Know your audience. 2. Say only what needs to be said 3. Use structure to carry your ideas 4. Include questions and discussion prompts

General Platform Skills 1. Be mindful of time parameters 2. Be mindful of pacing 3. Use vocal inflection and pauses 4. Use a public speaking voice

5. Use your face and body to communicate 6. Maintain eye contact 7. Do not read your report 8. Use an advanced organizer

Power Point Specifics 1. Use an advanced organizer 2. Use words or short phrases to hold ideas 3. Use two to four ideas per slide 4. Use point font

5. Capitalize on the multi-modal nature of power point 6. Do not read off your PowerPoint 7. Show transition points 8. Differentiate using font, size, color, and underlining

Effective Handouts 1. Show the structure of what is to be covered 2. The handout is not a written document 3. The handout should be single-sided and use one sheet of paper

Online Video Presentations 1. Understand the medium 2. Do not create another talking head 3. Communicate with your face, hands, and voice 4. Try to create video presentations that are five to eight minute in durations 5. Use your video image most times 6. Speak from an outline