Integrate Speaker Progress in lessons

  • 7 minutes

Speaker Progress is useful for any grade level with any curriculum.

To get started with Speaker Progress, educators can create a baseline assessment to evaluate learners' current presentation skills. Educators can assign everyone the same content to present and even provide guidance on best practices for their presentation.

Learners can then rehearse the provided speech using Speaker Progress. Educators can analyze learners' practice data to pinpoint specific aspects that need development. Educators and learners can work together to identify the specific skills learners should focus on in their next presentation. As they improve in one area, learners—with their educator's guidance—can identify new areas to focus on in future presentations.

To encourage growth, educators can create Speaker Progress assignments regularly. For older learners, educators can assign rehearsals as homework. For younger learners, educators can add rehearsals to center time.

Speaker Progress assignments are also a great way to prepare learners for an in-class presentation. Speaker Progress gives learners the opportunity to practice their speech and receive coaching before they present in front of their peers.

When a speech assignment requires learners to research the topic, write the speech, and present it, consider the following tips:

  • At the beginning of the project, share a rubric with learners to help them understand the speech requirements and self-regulate their work.1
  • In the research stage, create a Search Progress assignment to track the sources learners find for their topic.2
  • If the speech has a time limit, provide learners with an understanding of how many words their speech should contain to meet the requirement. For example, a two-minute speech should be no more than 250–300 words.

While the practice of writing speeches is also a valuable skill, learners don't have to research and write every speech. Educators can use Microsoft Copilot to create practice speeches for learners.3

Speech assignments can be on any topic. Learners can:

  • Present scientific research findings
  • Analyze literary characters or themes
  • Deliver historical monologues
  • Discuss how a mathematical concept applies to real life
  • Explain the process behind creations
  • Tell a story in a target language
  • Debate current event topics
  • Teach a concept
  • Demonstrate how to do something
  1. To learn more about teaching learners self-regulation, complete the module Develop learner executive function with the 21CLD self-regulation dimension.
  2. To learn more about Search Progress (and Search Coach), complete the module Develop search strategies with Search Coach and Search Progress.
  3. To learn more about how to use Copilot, complete the module Enhance teaching and learning with Microsoft Copilot.