Incubator

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Presentation at an Incubator

Your presentation will occur in the context of an Incubator Forum. You are to articulate your vexation/venture combination, identify its source(s), indicate its significance, and invite feedback, insights, and suggestions for the other participants. In contrast with typical conference presentations where the person at the front is seen as the provider of expertise (or an authority to challenge), the presenter is seeking support from the audience. We will supply each session with a facilitator to assist in the process. The conference program will be arranged as breakout sessions with multiple Incubator Forums occurring simultaneously.

Incubator sessions are directed by a facilitator who maintains equitable contributions and the following timetable for specific stages:

  • Statement: 10 minutes for the presenter to describe the Vexation and Venture (without interruption)
  • Clarify: 5 minutes for the participants to ask clarifying questions of the presenter (with response from the presenter)
  • Incubate: 15 minutes for the participants to discuss the Vexation and Venture of the presenter (without any input from the presenter), and finally
  • Rejoin: 5 minutes for the presenter to become un-gagged and respond, ask questions, and/or summarize what they’ve heard.

Like much of Crossroads, this makes more sense once you experience it firsthand. It’s safe to say, however, that the incubation stage — in which an academic/teacher has to remain silent while others are discussing their work — is the most essential piece of this meeting. You will have others acting as your critical think tank, and you’ll be there to soak it all in without the need (or ability) to take a defensive stance.

Unlike a typical “conference,” we will NOT supply projectors and screens for the Incubator Forums. You might elect to bring handouts to distribute but we expect most participants to rely upon the Proceedings as the written outlet for their ideas. Our expectation is that the Incubator Forums will consist of 8 to 12 participants, so a circle of chairs will be more conducive to genuine discussion than a formal presentation from the front of the room.