Tips for Presenters
- Practice with the equipment.
- Be sure the school set up has what your demonstration needs. (L&C)
- Allow sufficient set up time.
- Go with experienced people, at least to begin.
- Two on a visit is much better than one, and "pass the buck" every few minutes.
- Relax, they're just kids.
- Look at the students as much as you can.
- Speak loudly - "better to shout than mumble."
- Relate concepts to things in the students' everyday lives.
- Don't do "spectacular" demonstrations in the middle of presentations. Students will be distracted for the rest of the presentation. (Spectra tubes, Van deGraph)
- Ask them questions . . . but only ones they might be able to answer.
- Engage the students whenever possible . . . don't do something if a kid can do it.
- Show the students that you are having fun and that science is FUN.
- Better to make it fun than to make it "like a class."
- Be there to entertain, do not try to over teach the subject.
- Don't bother as much about teaching them physics than as much about teaching them that physics is fascinating.
- Let them see that scientists are normal people.
- Encourage them to try things at home.
- Tell the girls (especially at middle school ages) that lots of women work in science and often better than men.