Public Speaking Makes Celebrities
In-house T V Morning Show Makes Stars of Middle School Students
Say the words public speaking and many students will begin sweat, not to mention feel nauseous. A video camera, editing software and an in-house broadcasting system in a school can make these sweaty students into stars of their school.
“Considering the anxiety that public speaking produces, students of any age are facing a significant challenge when they speak in front of a group. While speaking is considered to be an integral part of language arts, it tends to be neglected in the school curriculum. [Childhood Education, 2007]
Let's make public speaking fun!
About three years ago, a teacher created morning broadcast show called WLMS at her middle school. It was a stab at making public speaking fun and covering the state communications standards. From three eighth grade honor classes, the teacher created 13 teams. Each team airs a show at least three times during the year. Students were broken into teams of five and rotated through the jobs of news anchor, special assignment anchor, entertainment anchor, editor/producer, and camera person.
- The news anchor tells the school announcements and a top news story for the middle school audience as well as introduces the Word of the Week.
- The special assignment anchor interviews students, staff, or community members of interest and reads the math Problem of the Week. The principal gives cans of pop to 10 lucky correct answers.
- The entertainment anchor shares the Book of the Week and reads the answer to last weeks Problem of the Week.
- The editor/producer edits the show on the computer and makes sure that the show is complete.
- The camera person tapes all the footage.
Working broadcasting into part of the class routine
To start the year, the teacher posts team schedules on the first day of school so that students know when their team needs to produce a show. Worksheets for guidance as well as rubrics for each job help students get organized. Students must learn how to work in a group to produce a product that the entire school sees each Friday. This helps the quiet students come out of their shells and allows students to develop leadership skills. Much of this work is done during their study hall.
It's more than just public speaking
Reflecting on three years of broadcasting WLMS has made the teacher realize that it is important to push students out of their comfort zones to try new things. The product is not as important as the process. The students learn that a deadline has “dead” in it, and that some people are easier to work with than others are. Students push themselves emotionally as they wait to hear their peers’ assessment of the show. They learn that speaking in front of people can be fun and sometimes sweaty. Broadcasting may be a future career for them, or not. But, they still have fun and make many middle school memories.
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