Using Design Thinking to Enhance Oral Presentation Instructions in an Advanced Level English Teaching: A Reflective Practice

Abstract

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54850/jrspelt.6.29.06 Abstract: This article centers on teaching oral presentation in an advanced level English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classroom as a 21st century essential skill. Recent English language studies about teaching oral presentations indicate a high demand for oral presentation skills in English medium institutions. Learners’ ability to conduct oral presentations represents a key requirement for academic and career success. Therefore, educators continue to look for effective, innovative strategies to enhance the learners’ oral presentation skills. This article contributes to oral presentation literature by addressing the role of collaborative learning as a strategy that enhances learners’ motivation and teaching instructions. To accomplish this purpose, the authors use a framework they developed from Gibbs’ concept of reflective practice and insights from design thinking to reflect on their experiences of teaching oral presentations. The paper suggests that teachers can use collaborative strategies and the principles of design thinking to improve academic presentation instructions by focusing instructions on students’ personal interests, motivation, and engagement. In practice, the principles of design thinking allow both instructors and learners to diagnose oral presentation challenges, brainstorm and refine solution ideas, and then test these ideas to ensure their effectiveness. By facilitating students’ oral presentation projects, instructors can thus identify the learning challenges, engage learners more effectively as contributors to the building of the course design, and collaborate with them to overcome these obstacles.