FOUR IMPORTANT CRITERIA FOR GIVING A WINNING DEMONSTRATION

Planning
1. Organize and deliver a purposeful lesson.
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. As a teacher,
mastery of the lesson is important. We cannot be inferior to the knowledge of our class or
otherwise the respect and dignity will be compromised. That is why we must set the objective of
the lesson in every class so when there are advanced students asking question, like in a
research panelist, we may say, either it is not part of the scope of the lesson.

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:
 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.
 Infographic about the four learning styles: hearing, thinking, feeling, and seeing

Indicator: Assesses student learning.

Tips for making it happen:
 Check in with students regularly to make sure they are grasping the content.
 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.
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.
Summary
DO
 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’T
 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.