Teens don’t like presenting in class

For many middle– and high-school students, giving an in-class presentation was a rite of passage. Teachers would call up students, one by one, to present their work in front of the class and, though it was often nerve-racking, many people claim it helped turn them into more confident public speakers.

“Coming from somebody with severe anxiety, having somebody force me to do a public presentation was the best idea to happen in my life,” one woman recently tweeted. According to a recent survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, oral communication is one of the most sought-after skills in the workplace, with over 90 percent of hiring managers saying it’s important. Some educators also credit in-class presentations with building essential leadership skills and increasing students’ confidence and understanding of material.

Source: Some Students Want to Abolish In-Class Presentations – The Atlantic

I always give students the option to present in whatever format in which they feel the most comfortable. Unfortunately, they always pick to present in class even though they hate it. I have a feeling that they believe creating anything is more work than presenting, which is unfortunate. Especially when one of the options is to record themselves presenting as a screencast and sharing that with the class.