Teaching vs presenting. What’s the difference?

There’s a well-intentioned (but problematic) practice gaining ground in schools right now… 

It seems that in a well-meaning attempt to reduce the (very real) problem with teacher workload, some schools and systems are beginning to confuse presenting with teaching.  

The issue is, though, that these two verbs represent two very different experiences- for both the teacher and the students.   

What’s the difference between ‘presenting’ and ‘teaching’? 

A teacher who is ‘presenting’ might be:  

• Following a script 

• Clicking through a detailed pre-made slide deck 

• Reading out pre-made content 

These verbs are quite passive, but create the illusion that teaching is happening.  

‘Teaching’, on the other hand, involves professional thinking and decision-making, including: 

• Noticing 

• Responding 

• Adjusting 

• Explaining things differently 

• Providing rich feedback 

• Accommodating 

• Knowing when to slow down and speed up 

• Drawing connections between content and students' interests, needs and knowledge 

• Making informed decisions 

• Differentiating 

Accordingly, students' experiences in these two styles of instruction differ greatly. One treats students as identical sausages on a factory’s assembly line, while the other treats them as unique and complex human beings. 

The 1 key factor that distinguishes ‘teaching’ from ‘presenting’ 

Does this mean you cannot ‘teach’ if you’re using a pre-made PowerPoint? 

No, it doesn’t.   

I’ve witnessed some highly effective teaching and learning with these tools.  

You see, it’s not the tool that determines whether a teacher is ‘teaching’ or ‘presenting’.  

Rather, the one key factor that distinguishes ‘teaching’ from ‘presenting’ is the level of teacher content knowledge.  

In order to assess, tweak, reexplain, modify, provide effective feedback or -dare I suggest differentiate- the teacher needs a deep understanding of the content they’re teaching.  

You simply cannot out-script or out-slide deck a lack of teacher content knowledge. 

“Students processing new information will learn most effectively when taught by someone with expert knowledge” (AERO, 2023). 

What is teacher content knowledge? 

Content knowledge -also referred to as subject or discipline knowledge- is a teacher’s understanding of the topic they’re teaching.  

In the Maths classroom, the teacher has to be able to do the maths themselves. They need to understand it to a point that they can confidently explain it to others and adapt their explanation when necessary. They need to understand the continuum of skills: what comes before and what comes after? This is all critical knowledge for differentiation.  

In the phonics classroom, the teacher has to understand the theory behind the program or approach they’re using. (Why is the program asking students to do X? How does that help reading?) They also need to understand the continuum of skills: what comes before and what comes after?  

In the writing classroom, the teacher needs to be able to write well themselves. They need to understand all the ingredients that go into crafting an effective piece of writing. They also need to understand the continuum of skills and stay connected to the complexity of all forms of writing (it is NEVER as simple as just following a recipe!) 

“Student errors and misconceptions are more easily recognised when a teacher knows the content topics and concepts” (Veal & MaKinster, 1999). 

To learn more about the importance of teacher content knowledge, read this blog post that outlines the three types of knowledge teachers need to be effective.  

What does this mean for schools?  

Schools are constantly searching for the one true ‘silver bullet’ that will solve all their teacher and student problems quickly and quietly. The truth is, though, that the only silver bullet in school improvement is building teacher content knowledge. And this bullet takes a large investment of time and energy, so it’s not all that ‘bullet-like’ after all. 

What school and curriculum leaders need to understand is that supplying the PowerPoints, buying the program and/or enforcing the script is not enough.  

If you want to maximise the effectiveness of programs, scripts, or resources, they must be accompanied by sustained investment in teacher content knowledge. 

Note: this requires professional development going beyond simply ‘how to use the program’ (this is pedagogical knowledge) and delving much more into the what and why behind it (content knowledge).  

“Professional learning that has shown an impact on student achievement is focused on the content that teachers teach” (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017). 

Where to from here?   

If you want to build your own (or your team’s) content knowledge in phonics instruction, check out Foray into Phonics—enrolments are open now. 
Or, if your current focus is writing, take a look at the Writing Traits Masterclass Series. 

Both courses are designed to do more than just show you how to follow a program—they’ll help you understand the why behind the instruction, so you can assess, adapt, differentiate, and teach with confidence. 

P.S I want to make it clear that I’m not blaming teachers for being put in a position where they are forced to ‘present’, rather than ‘teach’. It is up to schools and literacy leaders to support teachers in building their content knowledge. This involves reducing the number of ‘new’ things a teacher must focus on, prioritising the development of content knowledge in ONE area on the PD schedule and ensuring that ALL staff are supported (rather than sending one teacher off to a PD and expecting their learning to somehow transfer to everyone else in the school).  

Related Blog Posts 

• The Critical Key to Improving Student Writing Data 

• 6 Life-Changing Leadership Lessons 

• 3 Common Change Leadership Mistakes In Schools 

References: 

• Australian Education Research Organisation. (2023). How Students Learn Best. https://edresearch.edu.au/resources/how-students-learn-best 

• Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., Gardner, M. (2017). Effective Teacher Professional Development. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute.  

• Veal, W., & MaKinster, J. (1999). Pedagogical Content Knowledge Taxonomies. Electronic Journal of Science Education, 3.