English A Literature (SL): IOP

[Tanaygopal]

Hello,

I have to present an IOP presentation on the different types of identity crises depicted in The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Adichie. I wanted to know what essentially is required of me because I have no clue about what I should speak on for 10-12 minutes. It would be great if you could help me out by giving me some idea of what exactly do I need to do.

Thanks.

[Blackcurrant]

Sorry, we can't tell you (exactly) what you should do. That's your job -- and part of the evaluation, btw.

Also, tell us what you know already about the IOP so that we don't have to go through stuff you already know -- a question of saving time and effort. Or do you have no idea at all, except that you must speak for 10-12 minutes? 

 

Edited July 19, 2017 by Blackcurrant

[Tanaygopal]

Sorry, I actually meant what does it require us to do (in a general sense).  I do not understand in what manner do the examiners want us to relate the topic to the text. I don't exactly have a great idea of what I am supposed to add in my presentation, I am already performing a skit explaining identity crisis.

[Blackcurrant]

Check the marking criteria for the IOP-- that will give you a good sense of what is expected.

It should be clear from your skit that you have knowledge and understanding of the topic you studied in class -- the text will provide a source for analysis ... Make sure you discuss its significance to the topic, according to your roles (for the skit). That is how the relation is made.

[Tanaygopal]

Thank you!

The skit is only for 2 minutes and I have written it myself. It is just to give an example of an identity crisis. After that, I have thought of doing a PPT on Identity crisis like everyone else. In it, I am using 3 short stories of the book and giving examples of situations of an identity crisis in them through the characters and their actions. Is that good enough? The other problem I am facing is that I have a plan for the presentation in mind but I don't know what I would write in the body of the slides because most of the IOP is supposed to be spoken by us, isn't it?

[IB`NOT`ez]

22 hours ago, Tanaygopal said:

Sorry, I actually meant what does it require us to do (in a general sense).  I do not understand in what manner do the examiners want us to relate the topic to the text. I don't exactly have a great idea of what I am supposed to add in my presentation, I am already performing a skit explaining identity crisis.

Below is a useful guide my friend (@ateddy) who excelled in the IOP made.

For many, the Individual Oral Presentation or Further Oral Activity is the very first “real” IB assessment and for this reason, it can become very daunting! I remember when I did my Literature IOP and I was so nervous. I ended up scoring 29/30 in the IOP and I thought I would share some of the techniques which helped me in preparation for my IOP.

1. Pick a niche topic

The IOP/FOA marking is quite volatile. The teachers do not have to record your presentation and therefore a moderator can not directly question your teacher’s grading. For this reason, don’t bore them with well-worn topics! Your teachers have taught the same texts for years and seen hundreds of students come through the IB programme, your job is to make yourself distinct. A great way to do this is to pick a very focused and niche topic. My presentation was fairly common-garden in a lot ways, but I believe my question about how juxtaposition was used to create political polemic was ultimately a distinguishing factor.

A niche topic will allow you to show your personal interpretation and engagement with the text in a way other topics won’t. It will also lend good focus to the presentation.

2. Pick the text you actually like

You are going to end up spending quite a few hours on this presentation [at least if you want to score highly] and so it makes sense to pick your favourite text. I think this is especially important, because in oral format it is harder to fake your interest, as opposed to written. I despised “the Kite Runner” and all the poetry we where given in Part 4. Therefore, it was obvious to me that I would pick Orwell! I recommend that you do the same, or you risk burning out and not practicing enough.

3. Use an “on-the-move” drafting process

This is probably the least intuitive point that I can make about the IOP/FOA preparation. I wrote my first draft over two months out from my IOP, and after a week of delivering the presentation, I made major overhauls and a second draft. After practicing that, I formed a third draft. I eventually had four drafts, staggered based on my observations during practice.

I think this is a highly useful technique, because it allows you to recognise points of your presentation where wording of phrases is awkward when spoken or when your analysis is implicit. Your first draft will sound awkward to deliver, because you aren’t used to tailoring your words for spoken purposes. As you make edits, you will feel more comfortable with the transition to oral analysis.

4. Practice. Practice. Practice.

Undoubtedly the reason that I ended up scoring well in the IOP was because I was fastidious with practice. Every night for two months, I would deliver my IOP once. In the week leading up, twice per night. Some might call this overpreparation, though I feel it prepared me to an extent that my cue cards were almost unnecessary. This practice, combined with the “edit as you go” technique I talked about early will make your presentation very polished by the real day.

To this day, when I deliver the opening words of my IOP, my mum cowers in terror, remembering the tedious nights of receiving it. I don’t pretend this is fun, or your friends and family won’t hate it, but it pays off!

5. Basic presentational skills are more important than you think

The IOP/FOA, more than any other tasks in IB English is about PRESENTATION. In fact, 1/3 of the marks are exclusively about the presenter-audience relationship. During practice, drill down your ability to stand still, practice your hand movements as to be vivid and inviting, yet not excessive. Make sure that you have control over your voice [i.e make it clear and audible] and that you make a specific effort to eyeball every person in the audience [especially your marker(s)].

Believe it or not, demonstration of these basic skills is likely to score well. The good news is, anyone can learn how to do it with enough practice. For myself, due to my natural instincts from debating, moving around and shuffling was a part of my persuasive technique, however, I had to control this during my IOP. After laborious practicing, I could stay still while delivering my final IOP.

Use a basic PowerPoint. This is the gold standard for visual engagement. I know people who used flashy bells and props in their presentation, however, I never did. My presentation was very basic, it consisted of my basic idea in the paragraph, with relevant quotes shown. It had one image for my conclusion which essentially foregrounded my thesis. Ultimately, I scored 10/10 for Presentation. I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel or utilise contrived and complicated visual engagement techniques, I simply practiced my eye contact, voice, tone and stillness. More often than not, people feel as if they need elaborate aids to the speech to foreground it. I assure, this is NOT necessary!

Holistically, it is very nice to earn a high score in the IOP/FOA, as the marking criteria are quite relaxed. You’ll benefit from having a really high score, allowing some leniency with other, harder aspects of the course [IOC, Paper 1]. I hope this has been of help and aids you with your IOP/FOA coming up in the future!

Edited July 20, 2017 by IB`NOT`ez