In my speech class, I have given my students a choice of which of the nine speeches that they have already done that they wanted on their final. I told them that the final had to consist of three of the speeches that they had given;during the final they would drastically improve on the already given speeches.
I listened as they talked about which speeches they thought would most benefit them. They talked about the portfolio that they have to create as a requirement of the college. They thought of which speeches would most impress a future employer. They all agreed that the “Tell Me About Yourself” interview question speech was absolutely critical. They next agreed on the Persuasion speech since it shows how they can convince others of their ideas. Finally, they decided that they would do an Information speech since often in work, they give information to others. Most of them had already done these speeches on areas in their future career.
Their discussion revealed much about their understanding of their future careers, their showcasing themselves during an interview, and their analyzing the various speeches we had done.
Do you have your students have input into their final? What criteria is used to select material for the final? Does it serve a “greater purpose”?
Education with Technology Harry G. Tuttle 
