Poster SessionsA Project-based Learning Option for ELLsDawn Shimura, M.S. October 26, 2013

Defined

Instructions for Students:

A Poster Session is short simultaneous and repeated individual or partner presentation given within a specific time frame and location, based on a central theme to an invited and/or walk-in (uninvited) audience. Guests come and go, looking at and listening to the various poster-based presentations that interest them, interacting with the presenters as they desire.

Examples

SNC Intercultural Reflections

Purpose

Instructions for Students:

The purpose of the International Perspectives Poster Session project is for you to work together toward a common goal with other ESL students while developing skills for presentation, inquiry, research, leadership, group participation, time management, organization, self-expression and writing. Support for each other throughout the preparation process is necessary, but the assessment and final grade is individual; each student receives a personal grade, not a group grade. You will provide educational opportunities for the campus & greater community.

Sample Language Arts & Literacy Goals—Common Core

Possible Objectives from the Grade 11-12 Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical SubjectsL11-12.1• Students will demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English

grammar and usage when writing or speaking.L11-12.3• Students will apply knowledge of language to understand how language

functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

SL11-12.1• Students will initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative

discussions with diverse partners.

Sample Writing Goals—ELA Common Core Standards

ELA Common Core Standard for Writing:• 5. Students will develop and strengthen writing as needed by

planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach• 6. Students will use technology, including the internet, to

produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

• 10. Students will write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Sample Writing Objectives

• For students to understand expectations for writing article summaries, interview records, and a 3-4 page essay related to his/her intercultural reflection topic.

• For students to begin writing his/her article summaries, interview records, or a 3-4 page essay related to his/her intercultural reflection topic.

• For students to compose 2 letters of appreciation using the 6-point formula presented in class.

• For students to edit own writing and the writing of peers for grammar and spelling errors.

PRELIMINARY STEPS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Audience, Date, Time, Location

• Identify target audience • Date: appropriate for both your students and audience• (Allow students apx. 30 hours of class-time hours plus additional

homework hours for preparation)• Event Duration: 1.5~3 hours • Location: able to accommodate all poster displays with ample space

surrounding each, easy access for audience, welcoming environment• Food & drink: encourages people to linger• Video recording or photography of the event?: request help

• MAKE RESERVATIONS

Purchase Poster Supplies

• Tri-fold Poster Boards• Quality Markers• Colored Paper• Scissors, Glue• Pre-cut shapes (arrows, stars, etc.)• Pre-cut letters

Target Audience--List

• Professors/Teachers/Administrators• Departments• Student organizations• All students• Off-campus community• Tutors• Home stay families• Guest lecturers• Others (Harmony Café, etc)

Sample Invitation

International Perspectives: Business  

Thursday, March 7, 1:30-3:00 p.m. St. Norbert College

Mulva Library, Room 101  

English as a Second Language Institute students will provide simultaneous presentations on international business culture topics.

•  Feel free to linger, listen, look, and inquire.  

No RSVP necessary For questions contact dawn.shimura@snc.edu or (920)403-3478

Advertising Process

• Advertising/Invitation process• Card & envelope or postcard• Email• E-newsletter• Social media• Posters• Campus announcements• Community announcements?

• Student involvement• Hand-deliver paper invitations!!—excellent opportunity for

interaction• Assign groups to design any of the above if time permits

NEXT STEPS: INVOLVE THE STUDENTS

Theme

• Instructor chooses theme• Intercultural Reflections: General• Intercultural Reflections: Business• ….

• Students choose subtopics• Create a comprehensive list of ideas as a group• Students secretly cast their choices• Instructor assigns topics based on choices (Partner

assignments has been a success)

Theme

Instructions for Students:

For your “International Reflections” Poster Session, we will brainstorm topics for presentation based on the central theme. Two people will work together on one topic; if there is an odd number of students, one student will work alone. If anyone prefers to work alone due to personal circumstances or due the chosen topic, please talk your instructor.

Explain Project Details to Students

• Requirements on Rubric • Deadlines for each piece of the project• Moodle, other CMS to record accomplishments & progress

• Poster materials• Tri-fold poster board• Markers, etc.

• Guest invitation process• Presentation day expectations• Dress appropriately• Arrive early• Be professional

General Project Info: Research

Instructions for Students:

You will spend a majority of your time on this project researching your topic and drafting your presentation. I will give you more details about this later.

General Project Info: The Poster

Instructions for Students:

You will design and create a poster (and other visuals if desired) to quickly support your presentation and make viewers curious about your topic. As viewers look at your poster, they should be able to be read everything in less than 10 minutes. I will give you more details about this later.

General Project Info:Oral Presentation

The oral presentation should be approximately 4-6 minutes per person. You will need to practice your presentation with your partner and plan for interruptions from the viewers because it is likely that they will ask questions during your presentation. When they do ask questions, you will need to remember where you stopped and continue from there after the question has been answered. You should have a introduction, body and conclusion like that of a traditional presentation. I will give you more details about this later.

Monitor Progress

• Allow some apx. 30 hours of class time (1-3 hours out of every 5 hours of class) for in-class project work & questions

• Provide a lesson on how-to-research and cite• Look at students work & ask about their progress• Show examples often• Set the quality bar high

• Provide feedback as each portion of the project is completed• Be sure all students remain on-track

Poster Boards

• Poster boards are distributed upon completion of preparation assignments

• Students can work on them in shared work space or at home

Practiced Oral Presentations

• Students orally present their posters in class for a grade• Encourages them to practice several days before the event• Allows them to “try it out” • Allows them to get a good nights rest the night before

because they are prepared• Allows the instructor to evaluate each presentation (their

won’t be time to do this on the Poster Session day unless you request guest evaluators to do this)

The Poster Session Day

• Set up• Rally together• Open the doors• (Video record or take pictures)• Relax and enjoy, talk to guests• Close the doors• Eat the leftovers and celebrate• Clean up

Saying Thanks

Thank You Letter Assignment Objectives:

• After accessing prior knowledge about the writing process, students will learn how to write a thank you note using a 6-point formula.

• Students will read the www.themorningnews.org/article/how-to-write-a-thank-you-note resource, highlighting the main points.

• The students will compose a thank you note for the instructor on the whiteboard for the snack.

• The students will access the Thank You Card assignment sheet from Moodle and follow instructions as the teacher reads through them and explains…

• Please write to one of the two businesses below. Thank them for the tour of their facility/for teaching about… and for their hospitality/kindness/generosity.

• Read the link in Moodle about how to write a thank you• Draft a note• Edit the note

Ask your partner to check your grammarAsk your instructor to check your grammar

• Copy the note to a thank you card & sign your name. Put the address on the envelope. Ask you instructor where to write the address on the envelope. Our return address is: SNC ESL Institute/100 Grant St./De Pere, WI 54115

• Next, write a thank you note to anyone on campus that you would like to thank (i.e. a tutor, a librarian, a teacher, an R.A., an employee, a student)

• Re-read the link in Moodle about how to write a thank you• Draft a note• Edit the note

Ask your partner to check your grammarAsk your instructor to check your grammar

• Copy the note to a new email. Ask your partner to sign his/her name too if he/he is not writing to the same place you are. BCC the email to Sue Ashley or Dawn Shimura, your assigned writing teacher

Reflect

• Write notes to self about what went well and what you would change

• Write down comments you heard from guests• Ask students to reflect about what went well and what

they would change• Ask students to reflect on the ELL goals

PROJECT COMPONENTS

1) Research

• Journal your own experiences, reflect and record your thoughts

• Interview experts and people from a variety of backgrounds, record.

• Read journals, blogs, newspapers, etc. (Ask a librarian for assistance)

Journal

Interview

Instructions for Students:

• Choose 2 or more people to interview.• Face-to-Face: Choose people you can contact easily: a campus employee, an ESLI tutor, a

classmate, a conversation partner, a friendship family. • Skype/Facetime/etc.: Choose people you can interview remotely & face-to-face that can provide

useful information for your topic• Make a list of 10 or fewer specific questions to ask the subjects of the interview. • Decide a date, time, and place for the interviews. Ask the person for permission to interview. If you want

to approach a person and interview him/her right away, the interview could be conducted immediately. Be prepared to interview or to schedule a future interview.

• Interview the subject. • If possible, audio or video record your interview with your laptop, iPad, phone or other recording

device. (Ask the interviewee if it is OK to record him/her). • Ask follow-up questions if you would like more information about a particular topic.• Write down the responses the subject gives to each of the questions. (If you are recording the

interview, write the responses after the interview)• Translate the responses into English if necessary.• Circle or highlight the parts of the interview you found most interesting or useful.

• Write a thank you note to the person(s) you interviewed.

Reading & Scanning

Essay

Citations

Instructions for Students:

Citations for Interviews: APA Style• When citing your interview in your an essay (using APA),

use in-text citations only. Use the first initial and family name, write “personal communication”, and write the date of the interview with month, day, and year: (W. Harrington, personal communication, September 28, 2013)

• Do not include the interview in your final “Works Cited” page or reference list.

The Poster—Design

Instructions for Students:

• Handcrafted posters are far superior to anything that you could make with a poster printer• Make your poster different from the other posters• The direction for reading the poster should be clear. The viewer should be able to quickly

see where to begin , where to look next, and where to end without you telling them• White space (blank space) is important for a readable poster (ratio should be about 80%

print:20% white)• Colors should be well coordinated• Words should neat, properly aligned, and easy to read• Letter sizes should be properly sized to draw attention to the main topic and support (Main

topics will have a larger font while subpoints and support will likely have a smaller font)

The Poster—Design Ideas

Go to this Engineering & Science resource site for possible layouts and examples

(Alley, 2010)

The Poster—add interest

Instructions for Students:

• Need sounds? Use a recordable greeting card with instructions for your viewers to “press” • Want to show photos? Use a digital frame, iPod, or iPad and attach it to your

poster or put it in a stand in front of or next to your poster.  • Want reality? Display an actual item. • Want the guests to stay by your poster? Have little candies from your country or

directly related to your topic for viewers to taste or give them something to touch• Need surprise? Make hinged covers for parts of your poster. Viewers can lift the

cover to see what is underneath• Want memories? Make a pamphlet or brochure that provides information about the

topic or make full-color, “shrunken” versions of your poster on 8.5 x 11 paper. Hand out a business card that invites them to “friend” you today on Facebook where you have a comment about your poster session

• (Purrington, 2013)

The Oral Presentation

Instructions for Students• Wear business casual clothing; coordinate your colors with your poster• Arrive early• Smell clean—take a shower and don’t wear strong cologne• Brush your teeth• Wear a name tag• Do not chew gum• Keep your hands out of your pockets. • Be prepared to stop and re-start your presentation if the viewer interrupts you with a

comment or question. • Make eye contact with the viewer(s); don’t talk at your poster. • Invite questions & discussion• Deliver your presentation professionally with and introduction, body, and conclusion• Thank your viewers for visiting. If they stay more than 4 minutes or ask questions about

your topic, you have succeeded(Purrington, 2013)

Credits

Poster Design Ideas:• Alley, M. (ed.) (2010) Design of scientific posters.

Retrieved August 2, 2013 from http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/posters.html

• Purrington, C.B. Designing conference posters. Retrieved October 13, 2013, from http://colinpurrington.com/tips/academic/posterdesign.