SKILL OF DEMONSTRATION

In teaching-learning process, demonstration plays a prominent role, making concepts easier for the learners. Demonstration can transform the whole classroom environment into lively and vibrant. It gives the learners opportunity to learn with active participation, which is called “Learning by doing”. To gain learners’ sustained attention in the class, demonstration is a very helpful technique for the teachers. Therefore, every teacher must try their best to acquire and apply the skill of demonstration in their classes.

Meaning Of Demonstration

Demonstration is a way of teaching. It is a process of describing and explaining a particular topic or teaching point with the help of specimens or experiments.

Importance Of Demonstration

In teaching-learning process, demonstration plays a prominent role, making concepts easier for the learners. Demonstration can transform the whole classroom environment into lively and vibrant. It gives the learners opportunity to learn with active participation, which is called “Learning by doing”. To gain learners’ sustained attention in the class, demonstration is a very helpful technique for the teachers. Therefore, every teacher must try their best to acquire and apply the skill of demonstration in their classes.

Components Of Demonstration

1.Relevance

The demonstration must be relevant to the topic supposed to be taught. The aim of demonstration is to make learning easier and thus the teacher should have to select carefully appropriate specimens or devices or charts etc. For example, to explain about the shape and size of the Earth, rather than a World Map, a Globe will be the appropriate model for demonstration. In simple, he should not demonstrate irrelevant devices or specimens or models which are not directly related to the teaching points. Irrelevant demonstration may distract the attention of the learners.

2.Creation of Appropriate Situation

Demonstration should not be done haphazardly or all of a sudden. An appropriate environment should be created in the classroom or among the learners, before demonstration. Along with demonstrating materials, his statements on the topic supposed to be taught or demonstrated, the teacher have to arouse curiosity in the learners mind like – what is to be going on ? what is this ? Is this something new ? etc. The teacher should remember, rather than demonstrating all the material together, he should do that one after another systematically.

3.Adequacy of Manipulative Skills

It implies manual skill of the teacher in handling instruments, equipments etc. in demonstrating experiments, working models, or drawing etc. Teacher’s inadequate demonstrative skills may lower the competency level in demonstrating materials in the eyes of the learners. Therefore, the teachers should learn how to handle those materials efficiently before they are going to demonstrate in the classroom.

4.Appropriateness

It implies that the concept, idea, and procedure meant for demonstration, should be suitable to the age, class and abilities of the learners. A complex demonstration cannot be understood by the lower grade pupils while for the higher grade learners a simple demonstration would not be fruitful. Again, the objective of the demonstration should also reflect the objective of the subject matter.

5.Pupils Involvement

This means the teachers have to ensure pupils active participation in demonstration process. It will provide a “learning by doing” environment to the learners. However, through encouraging learners to ask questions or by putting questions to the learners the teachers can also involve them in a demonstration.

6.Generalisation

With the help of demonstration, teachers try to show the learners a concept, an idea or a phenomenon as reality. To do so, he should proceed step by step with a systematic way. Thus, during his demonstration, the teacher should use the blackboard as complimentary teaching aid to write every phases of the demonstration. And, at the end of all the phases of the particular demonstration, he should give a conclusion statement and should convince the learners that everywhere the same will be found in all the similar conditions.

7.Approach

The teacher should follow the learner-centered approach to perform a demonstration. This means, making the learners mere audience, the teacher should not do everything of the demonstration. He should give his learners enough opportunity to take part actively in the demonstration process. This will help them observe minutely all the phenomena of the demonstration.

Conclusion

Thus, demonstration plays a prominent role in teaching-learning process. Through demonstration an abstract idea or a complex concept can be projected as real and easy going in front of the pupils. However, if the teacher is not efficient enough to perform a particular demonstration, the expected objectives cannot be achieved. Therefore, skill of demonstration demands repeated practice by the teacher before he enters the classroom.

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