Show and tell (education)

Show and tell (sometimes called show and share) is the practice of showing something to an audience and telling them about it. In the United Kingdom, North America, New Zealand and Australia, it is a common classroom activity in early elementary school. It is used to teach young children about public speaking.[1] For example, a child will bring an item from home and will explain to the class why they chose that particular item, where they got it, and other relevant information.

In this "show and tell" activity, a child is describing an umbrella he brought in.

In popular culture

• The television series Timothy Goes to School regularly featured this practice, except that it was referred to as "In the Spotlight," which became the title for one of the program's stories.
• In the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson, show and tell in Calvin's class is an occasionally recurring theme.

See also

• Idiom
• Circle time

References

1. Ammer, Christine. (1997). "show and tell," The American Heritage dictionary of idioms, p. 580.