Appendix 3 of _Using the 'Poster Session' Format in L2 Contexts

Using the 'Poster Session' Format in L2 Contexts

Appendix 3: Sample student posters

The posters presented here are divided into three groups: 'Weak', 'Strong', and 'General'.
Though all of these posters presume genuine effort by students, not all are equally successful.
Let us consider what makes posters successfull or unsuccessful by examining some actual posters.
Click on any image for enlargement.

Weak Posters

Discounting quickly assembled and roughly labelled posters not illustrated here, some posters can be ineffective for the following reasons:

1. They are difficult to read from a distance because of the choice of colours, font styles, size, or lightness of print.

A poster on concentration enhancement.
(from 'How to be a More Successful Student')

A poster on stress management.
(from 'How to be a More Successful Student')

A poster on anguish.
(from 'How to be a More Successful Student')

2. They are arranged poorly, making it difficult to use effectively and/or access information.

A poster on sleep enhancement.
(from 'How to be a More Successful Student')

3. They are too short on content, despite student effort on the overall project. Be sure enough content is actually on the posters.

A poster on Claude Monet.
(from 'A Person I Admire')

A poster on cross-gender communication.
(from 'Aspects of Inter-cultural Communication')

Strong Posters

Strong posters are effective as vehicles for information and/or as supporting visuals for an oral presentation.
The following layout features should be considered:

They have a clear, accessible, 'note-card' arrangement of information.
They have identifiable elements for the audience.
They are carefully organized with sufficient white space.

A poster on Japlish.
(from 'Aspects of Inter-cultural Communication')

A poster about stress management.
(from 'How to be a More Successful Student')

A poster on Sakamoto Ryouma.
(from 'A Person I Admire')

A poster on Maria Callas.
(from 'A Person I Admire')

A poster on memory improvement.
(from 'How to be a More Successful Student')

Also refer to the 'Definition' section of this paper for more elements 'good' posters should consider.

[ p. 100 ]

General Points

Interactive posters include elements that make them unusual or effective, enhancing audience participation and interest. The posters below are not 'strong' in all respects, but they do have good features which make them interactive.

1. They have use many forms of information such as graphs, photographs, illustrations, diagrams, tables, flow charts, and survey results to communicate.

A poster on sleep and health.
(from 'How to be a More Successful Student')

A poster on memory enhancement.
(from 'How to be a More Successful Student')

A poster on culture.
(from 'Aspects of Inter-cultural Communication')

A poster on colors and communication.
(from 'Aspects of Inter-cultural Communication')

A poster on nutrition.
(from 'How to be a More Successful Student')

2. They demonstrate creativity in their construction.

A poster on memory enhancement.
(from 'How to be a More Successful Student')

A poster on culture.
(from 'Aspects of Inter-cultural Communication')

3. They include interactive elements or interesting innovations.

A chair was prepared for an audience member to sit and try a breathing exercise featured on the poster. (from 'How to be a More Successful Student')	'Hands-on' element to the poster. (from 'Aspects of Inter-cultural Communication')
Audience were asked two questions. (from 'A Person I Admire')	Movable parts to manipulate such as this bungee-jumper (from 'Aspects of Inter-cultural Communication')

Other examples might include:

Music samples from CDs or MP3 files
Relevant literature, books, or posters
Interactive realia which enables the audience to create something

Return to Main Article	Appendix 1	Appendix 2
Appendix 3	Appendix 4	Appendix 5

2005 Pan SIG-Proceedings: Topic Index

Complete Pan SIG-Proceedings: Topic Index

[ p. 101 ]