Mrs Mohanty had to manage the resources and the students when she did her demonstration. She made sure that every student could see. Allowing your students to crowd around the demonstration will mean that some will not be able to see, so you will need to think about how close they need to be and check that all students are included. It is easy to overlook the students from marginalised groups at the back who are being disadvantaged or excluded – you have a duty to ensure that this does not happen. Mrs Mohanty made sure that the vulnerable students were at the front. She also included those who she knew had learning difficulties – these students were seated near the front so that she could give them more support. You also need to pay attention to students’ comfort. For longer demonstration, students may be better seated, as it is hard to concentrate if you are uncomfortable. In some situations, students can stand. In all cases, you must ensure that students are able to watch in safety and take any precautions necessary. With large classes, you might want to do the demonstration twice so that everyone has the best chance to see what you are doing and what happens.
As you undertake the demonstration, you should explain what you are doing. It is important to carry out the demonstration systematically without cluttering the table. Not only is clutter distracting, but it provides a bad example to your students if they are to complete the activity themselves. Be sure to draw your students’ the attention to important aspects such as a perceptible change or a safety precaution that must be taken.
Questions will help you capture students’ interest and develop their understanding (see Resource 1, ‘ Using questioning to promote thinking’). Using the blackboard skilfully is also important during demonstration. You can use it to highlight the main points of a process, record observations and note the responses made by students. Seeing their responses on the blackboard will also help motivate students and encourage continued interest in the lesson.
![]() Pause for thought What evidence was there that Mrs Rawool and Mrs Mohanty succeeded in keeping their students’ attention and interest? |
Asking your students about their experience at home, what they feel and think, and focusing their observation are all important ways of gaining their interest. How your students react also tells you as a teacher whether they are interested or not. Bored students are more likely to misbehave than interested ones. Focused students will be quiet in concentration, but there may be more talk when questions are answered. Uninterested students will not be motivated to ask questions or contribute answers.
Planning your demonstration carefully will contribute to its success. Mrs Mohanty’s plan (Resource 2) will help you plan your own demonstration and think about the steps as a guide. When you plan, include the learning objectives of the demonstration:
Write out your plan and any questions you might ask so that you have them ready to use. If you have another science teacher at your school, share your plans with them to help you clarify any questions you may still have.
![]() Video: Planning lessons |
The importance of good planning cannot be overstated if you want your students to achieve their potential. As you become more expert at planning demonstrations and identifying the learning intentions, this process will be much quicker. Sometimes it is helpful if you practise doing a general demonstration on your own first. To help you with your planning and to understand the process better, read Resource 3, ‘Planning lessons’.
One of the most challenging tasks is combining useful questioning techniques and appropriate explanations while demonstrating a concept or process.
A fun way of building your confidence with combining these skills is to practise them informally in relation to a relatively familiar task at home.
Having tried a demonstration in a safe environment, it is now time for you to teach your lesson.
You are now going to teach your lesson with your class.
On the day of the lesson, check that you have all of the equipment and materials you will need. You could prepare the chemicals beforehand if necessary to save time.
Introduce the topic, relating it to what has been covered previously and establishing the students’ prior knowledge of the subject by asking them questions. Explain the purpose of the demonstration to the class.
As you conduct the demonstration, explain any key points, check that they understand and encourage your students to ask you questions. Involve them in POE, where relevant.
After completing the demonstration, think about and make notes on the following questions:
What could have been improved? How would change it?
Demonstration is a strategy that can be used in the teaching of many science topics and in many contexts. Demonstrations can be used with all ages of student, from very young children to adults. The Predict-Observe-Explain technique is particularly useful when you are teaching challenging concepts such as forces, electricity, photosynthesis or pressure. By using demonstrating and POE, you can find out what ideas your students already have about these science concepts and provide an experience that will extend or challenge the non-scientific ideas they may have.
OpenLearn - Using demonstration: food Except for third party materials and otherwise, this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence, full copyright detail can be found in the acknowledgements section. Please see full copyright statement for details.