Dodging Bullets in Presentations

This semester I am teaching a course on professional classroom communication to future teachers at the University of Bochum. We have spend some time looking at presentations and figuring out what separates the good ones from the bad ones. One of the main criticisms of the bad presentations was the amount of text used in them. The presentation below explains why too much text in presentations makes even the most interested audience fall asleep and explains ways of avoiding this trap.

Dodging Bullets in Presentations

View more presentations from Rowan Manahan.

Bottoms up ;-)

The scariest thing is probably that I felt able to answer the questions about my bottom ;-) For those of you who know me, is this an accurate description?

Your Butt Says You're Laid Back

You are an easygoing, trusting person. You don't get too worked up, because everything usually works out in life. You are not afraid to flirt and show off what you've got. At times, you can be a bit full of yourself. You are drawn toward close, one-on-one relationships. You crave a partner - romantic or otherwise. You are outgoing and confident. You are proud of who you are, and you are brutally honest. You tend to be a serious, straight laced kind of person. It takes you a while to warm up and let loose.

What Does Your Butt Say About You?

Teaching in the 3rd Millenium

A group of 35 students is lucky enough to have me as their tutor for their second half of the Introduction to Linguistics. Unlucky for them (and me) that there is not a single more suitable room available during the time slot. How I am supposed to teach in my inimitable interactive, cooperative way is still a bit of a mystery to me. Am thinking about moving the class into the corridor in front of the lecture theatre. While this lecture theatre was designed (and badly I must say!) for at least 200 listeners, it's not much good for 35 learners. The lack of day light and the ample fluorescent and slightly flickering illumination does its best to stifle any creative thought. If I was allowed I'd teach this course solely through moodle and would meet up with smaller groups every now and then.

Playing for Change

This project has finally awoken me from my long blogging hibernation:


What a brilliant project! Please check it out and if my word is not enough, watch my favourite Playing for Change Video below. If this doesn't convince you, I give up ;-)

Rainy Days...

This is what my orange umbrella says about me, but what does your brolly say about you?

What Your Orange Umbrella Says About You

When faced with adversity, you are able to come up with a creative solution. Problems don't ever get you down. You see them as an opportunity to think outside the box. You are playful and light hearted. You make the dullest tasks interesting and lively. You are curious about the world around you. You take every moment as an opportunity to learn. On a rainy day: you should get out there and play in the rain

The Umbrella Test

Learning Styles don't exist

Hi guys,

if you belong to my teaching cirlcle of friends and relatives, this may be especially interesting to you.



I am getting ready for my autumn break in Andalucia in two weeks time and just cannot believe the heap of work I have to get through till then. But hey if you are a teacher , who am I complaing to?

The traditional Holland weekend

This year the traditional Knüdeler weekend away has taken place in Volendam, Holland. After spending the previous family weekends in Kamperland, we spend our weekend away in Volendam, home of all dutch wedding singers. The picture below shows some of us having a go at Lacrosse on the beach, thanks to Benjamin's imported Lacrosse bats (is that what they are called?)