Demonstrations in Teaching

What is a Demonstration?

•A public showing emphasizing the salient merits, utility, efficiency, etc, of an article or a product.
•involves showing by reason or proof, explaining or making clear by use of examples or experiments. Put more simply, demonstration means to clearly show.

•In teaching through demonstration, students are set up to potentially conceptualize class material more effectively as shown in a study which specifically focuses on chemistry demonstrations presented by teachers. Demonstrations often occur when students have a hard time connecting theories to actual practice or when students are unable to understand application of theories.

•Teachers not only demonstrate specific learning concepts within the classroom, they can also participate in demonstration classrooms to help improve their own teaching strategies, which may or may not be demonstrative in nature. Although the literature is limited, studies show that the effects of demonstration classroom teachers includes a change of perspective in relating to students, more reflection in the teachers’ own classroom strategies, and more personal responsibility for student learning.

THREE GUIDING PRINCIPLES MUST OBSERVE IN USING IN USING DEMONSTRATION AS A TEACHING-LEARNING EXPERIENCES

•ESTABLISH RAPPORT – Greet your audience. Make them feel at ease by your warmth and sincerity. Stimulate their interest by making your demonstration and yourself interesting. Sustain their attention.

•AVOID COIK FALLACY (Clear Only If Known) - What is this fallacy? It is the assumption that what is clear to the expert demonstrator is also clearly known to the person for whom the message is intended. To avoid the fallacy, it is best for the expert demonstrator to assume that his audience knows nothing or a little about what he is intending to demonstrate for him to be very thorough , clear and detailed in his demonstration even to a point of facing risk of being repetitive.

•WATCH FOR KEYPOINTS – Dale says “they are the ones at which an error is likely to be made, the places at which many people stumble and where the knacks and tricks of the trades are especially important”. The good demonstrator recognizes possible stumbling blocks to learners and highlights them in some way. What are the usually highlighted are the “don’ts” of a process or a strategy.

PLANNING AND PREPARING FOR DEMONSTRATION (BROWN 1969)

1. What are our objectives?

2. How does your class stand with respect to these objectives.

3. Is their a better way to achieve your ends?

4. Do you have access to all the necessary materials and equipment to make the demonstration?

5. Are you familiar with the sequence and content of proposed demonstration?

 6. Are the time limits realistic?

You have planned and rehearsed your demonstration, your materials and equipment are ready, you have prepared your students, then you can proceed to the demonstration itself.(Dale 1969)

•Set the tone for good communication. Get and keep your audience’s interest.
•Keep your demonstration simple.
•Do not wander from the main ideas.
•Check to see your demonstration is being understood.
•Do not hurry your demonstration.
•Do not drag out the demonstration.
•Summarize as you go along and provide a concluding summary.
•Hand out written materials at the conclusion.

What questions can you ask to evaluate your classroom demonstration? Dale(1969):

• Was your demonstration adequately and skillfully prepared? 
• Did you follow the step-by-step plan? 
• Did you make use of additional materials appropriate to your purposes? 
• Was the demonstration itself correct? 
• Was your explanation simple enough so that most of the students understood it easily? Did you keep checking to see that all your students were concentrating on what you were doing.
• Could every person see and hear? 
• Did you help students do their own generalizing? 
• Did you take enough time to demonstrate the key points? 
• Did you review and the key points? 
• Did your students participate in what you were doing by asking thoughtful questions at the appropriate time? 
• Did your evaluation of student learning indicate that your demonstration achieved his purpose?