MODULE TEACHING SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY GRADES

CHAPTER 10: TEACHING SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY: TEACHING

DEMONSTRATION

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
a.) memorize the effective ways on how to do teaching
demonstration;
b.) tell the ways on how to evaluate the teaching demonstration
performance;
c.) perform a teaching demonstration.

HOW TO GIVE AN EFFECTIVE TEACHING

DEMONSTRATION

Giving a teaching demonstration can be

intimidating. In fact, you can win (or lose) a job
based on your performance during a demonstration
lesson. It is important to know what you
are getting into and how you can
effectively prepare for the lesson. On
this page education expert Professor
MacGregor Kniseley provides tips and
resources that will help you ace your
teaching demonstration.

WHAT IS A TEACHER DEMONSTRATION

LESSON?

A demonstration lesson is a planned lesson taught

to an interview committee or a group of students to
assess your teaching abilities and skills. The
process can vary depending on the school:

- You may be directed to teach a specific topic

or a particular skill; or, you may be able to
teach a lesson entirely of your own choosing.

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- You might be asked to teach a 15-minute

lesson to the interview committee; or, you
might be asked to teach a 45–60 minute
lesson to a class of students.
- Sometimes the interview committee will
provide time after the lesson to reflect with
you on how it went as well.

WHAT DO EMPLOYERS EVALUATE DURING A DEMONSTRATION LESSON?

Employers’ judge qualities related to effective teaching. They often use professional
teaching standards such as the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
(NBPTS) and state certification standards to define their expectations.

Below are four important criteria for giving a job-winning demonstration. For each
criterion we provide the indicators that employers are likely to use to evaluate your
demonstration lesson, tips for ensuring your teaching demo meets these criteria, and
valuable resources to help you plan.

1. ORGANIZE AND DELIVER A PURPOSEFUL LESSON.

What with standardized testing and criteria for teaching to specific standards, teachers
face high demands for accountability. There never seems to be enough time in the
school day to cover everything. Effective teachers must be well-prepared, well-
organized, and purposeful in their instruction.

Indicator: Conveys a strong sense of purpose and knows the lesson well.

Tips for making it happen:

- Practice, practice, practice! You can never practice too much before your actual
teaching demo.
- Provide a copy of your formal lesson plan to all evaluators.
- When preparing, make sure you are clear about the objective of the lesson. In
the classroom, begin by telling students the goal of the lesson so they have clear
expectations.
- Choose a lesson subject that you know inside and out.
- Don’t load up on creative strategies or tools (such as technology) that don’t add
to the purpose of the lesson.

Indicator: Sequences planned learning experiences with a timetable.

Tips for making it happen:

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- Have a clear beginning, middle, and end to your lesson.

- In preparing, give yourself a rough timeframe for each part of the lesson.
- Although you need to plan the sequencing and flow of the lesson, be flexible.
Don’t rush to a new part of the lesson if students aren’t ready. Don’t linger on
another part if students have a good grasp of the material

Indicator: Delivers an engaging lesson that motivates students to learn.

Tips for making it happen:

- Use interactive teaching strategies such as cooperative learning to engage all

learners simultaneously.
- Provide students with many opportunities to interact, both with you and each
other.
- Model concepts and instructions.
- Deliver positive feedback that is specific and genuine.

2. RESPOND TO ALL LEARNERS.

Effective teachers recognize the wide range of needs among diverse learners in the
classroom. They use knowledge of how their students learn along with their students’
individual interests, strengths, challenges, language, cultural backgrounds, and
developmental needs to mold their lessons. In addition, effective teachers collaborate
with other school personnel in teaching students with special needs.

Indicator: Connects with all students in the classroom.

Tips for making it happen:

- Begin the lesson by getting to know the learners, building rapport, and pre-
assessing.

Indicator: Differentiates instruction to engage all learners.

Tips for making it happen:

- Incorporate a variety of teaching techniques into your lesson to ensure you

address all learning styles.
- Anticipate the cultural differences in your class and weave in cultural connections
in your lesson.

Indicator: Assesses student learning.

Tips for making it happen:

- Check in with students regularly to make sure they are grasping the content.

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- If some students are having difficulty, determine whether you might reach these
students using another technique.
- Bring the lesson to a close by allowing students to self-assess and/or summarize
their learning.

3. MANAGE THE CLASS.

Effective teachers create the conditions for a safe, productive learning environment.
They have a plan for a well-managed classroom based on a learning community,
structures, routines, and clear expectations and instructions.

Indicator: Creates a positive environment that fosters learning and respect.

Tips for making it happen:

- Begin the lesson by setting ground rules (norms) for successful learning (e.g.,
respect, safety, responsibility).
- Use specific positive feedback to motivate students and set a positive tone for
learning.

Indicator: Makes smooth transitions from the whole class to small groups.

Tips for making it happen:

- Make notes in your lesson plan about when working with small groups might be
advantageous.
- Have students form small groups at the start of the lesson so you can easily
move from whole-class instruction to small-group interaction.

Indicator: Has command of the classroom.

Tips for making it happen:

- Remind students of the ground rules you established at the beginning.

- In order to foster trust and rapport, address individual students (or small groups)
by name when providing feedback, and make the feedback specific to the actions
of those students.
- Don’t be afraid to move around the classroom.

4. REFLECT AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS IN THE MOMENT OF TEACHING.

Effective teachers work from a well-conceived plan of action. However, during

instruction they should monitor their students’ learning and make changes to their
lesson plans as needed.

Indicator: Uses results of formative assessment to make instructional decisions.

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Tips for making it happen:

- Frequently ask students questions to assess their understanding.

- Change direction if students are not grasping a concept.
- Re-teach if it’s clear students are confused or need more information.

Indicator: Is flexible, yet maintains a focus on the purpose of learning.

Tips for making it happen:

- In preparing for your lesson, consider other ways to present the material if
students aren’t grasping the concepts.
- If you need to change direction during your demonstration, make sure you keep
the overarching goal of the lesson in mind. Don’t go off on tangents that take you
away from the purpose of your lesson.
- Use your gut. Every lesson is different, and there are no set prescriptions for how
to react to the unexpected in the classroom. Don’t be afraid to follow your
instincts.

DO’s

- Interact with students and encourage them to interact with you.

- Model instructions or concepts.
- Establish rapport with students.
- Keep in mind the overarching purpose of your lesson.
- Assess student understanding as you go and alter instruction as needed.
- Prepare your lesson well ahead of time and practice, practice, practice!
- Recognize the diverse needs of students.

DON’TS’S

- Assume that everything will go as planned.

- Incorporate lots of bells and whistles that don’t contribute to the effectiveness of
the lesson.
- Gloss over students’ questions in order to stick to your lesson plan.
- Get in over your head with regard to subject matter.
- Lose sight of what you want students to achieve.
- Focus on how well YOU are doing—instead, focus on how well students are
learning.

For more knowledge about do’s and don’ts’s in teaching please check the link provided:
https://youtu.be/UWq_f0n9nEg

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ALL ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author: Dr. MacGregor Kniseley, Ed.D.

Dr. Kniseley began his 35-year career in education as a teacher employed in non-
school environmental education programs. He taught for 10 years in elementary and
middle schools, and since 1990, has been a professor of elementary education at
Rhode Island College. He is the author of ―The Guide to Winning a Teaching Position in
Any Job Market,‖ based on the workshop he leads of the same name.

For more knowledge about teaching demonstration please check the link provided:
https://youtu.be/mnPYvjffVEQ

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EVALUATION FORM OF EACH STUDENT WHO WILL HAVE HIS TEACHING

DEMONSTRATION

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THE RUBRICS IN CHECKING THE LESSON PLAN OF THE STUDENTS

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