Demonstrations allow students to learn by observation and can demonstrate the application of a concept/skill, act out a process, etc. It is recommended that demonstrations be active and not passive in nature by engaging the students throughout the process including analyzing each step and reflecting as a whole. This can be aided by a worksheet students must complete or incorporating “think-pair-share” activities throughout the demonstration.
Application
Before class…
Plan ahead starting with asking why you are using a demonstration method and what do you want your students to be able to do or understand as a result of the demonstration. Doing so will help ensure you are taking full advantage of your face-to-face interactions and will help you to integrate these interactions in a meaningful manner. In some cases, you may realize that the demonstration can be presented or made available to the students through an online activity in preparation for in-class work.
As you plan for your demonstration, determine what level of student interaction you are expecting. Will students be asked to make predictions, record observations, respond to your questions, or perhaps lead the demonstration? Questioning before, during and after the demonstration is a useful way to assess prior knowledge and progress.
From a logistical perspective, advanced planning is especially important in a hybrid course as you want to ensure you are taking full advantage of the in-class time. As with any class session involving technology or specific resources, tools, or supplies, have a back-up plan in place.
On the day of the demonstration, introduce the goal or purpose and connect to online activities, either those that may have taken place prior to the demonstration or those that will be taking place afterwards.
During class…
- Ensure that all students can see.
- List or explain the correct order of any steps.
- Consider questioning the students to engage them in the process. Such as asking why is something happening or what will happen next.
After class…
- Summarize the demonstration or let students summarize.
- Have students apply the same concept/skill/process to a similar problem
- Provide students with opportunities to answer questions, either in class or online:
- Why did… happen?
- What does this tell us about… ?
- What do you think would happen if…?
In terms of your own reflection, make note of what went well and what could have been improved. Can you think of what might be a useful and interesting follow-up activity for your students? How could you extend the demonstration into a further investigation or engagement?
Conducting Demonstrations in a Video Conferencing Format
Instructors who wish to have students take part in demonstrations generally have questions about availability of resources in a video conferencing format, particularly how they make sure that students at the receiving sites or at home have access to the same materials as the students co-located with the instructor. Although not all students are in the same physical classroom, there are many options in how to employ this strategy in the face-to-face format.
Low Tech Simply show the demonstration from a wide angle and zoom in when necessary. |
High Tech Conduct smaller demonstrations under the document camera, if available, for a high resolution, three-dimensional image. Be sure to practice this set-up prior to implementation. Use prerecorded multimedia demonstrations. |
Low Engagement The instructor conducts a demonstration in front of the class. Students are spectators only. |
High Engagement If connected to other classrooms – Students conduct demonstrations at each site, either as a leader or as a participant following along. If connected to students who are by themselves – Model each step of the demonstration with lots of time in-between for the students to do the step by themselves. |
What Would You Do? (Self-Assessment)
In the following scenario, decide how best to conduct demonstrations in a video conferencing format.
Situation:
In a recent Gerontology hybrid course, the instructor wanted to demonstrate how the natural aging process affects seniors’ everyday living. For instance, loss of dexterity in the fingers can make opening prescription pill bottles and filling weekly pill boxes a challenge for seniors. Add cataracts to the seniors’ conditions for an even more challenging situation. To demonstrate these challenges in the instructor’s traditional face-to-face course, she created “aging kits” (which included oven mitts, pill bottles filled with small candies, weekly pill boxes, and glasses covered with petroleum jelly) that she gave to her students and demonstrated how to use them in class. The students would put on the oven mitts and glasses and then try to fill the weekly pill boxes to “feel” what it was like to be a senior with limited dexterity and cataracts. For the video-conferencing format, the instructor has 1/3 of the students in the same room as her, 1/3 of the students are split in two different classrooms connected via video-conferencing, and 1/3 of students are connected from home.
Question:
If you were the instructor of this course, how would you demonstrate the challenges that seniors face as a result of aging in the hybrid version of this course? Keep in mind that there are multiple sites with three to six students at each site geographically close to a particular campus.
Possible Answers:
Option 1: Engaging activities that you use in traditional face-to-face courses should be re-purposed and incorporated into video conference courses. You should only need to make minor tweaks to existing, engaging activities in order to accommodate for a video conference delivery.
When the instructor taught Gerontology as a hybrid course, she included the demonstration in her class, and she still created the aging kits for the students at the broadcast site. To accommodate the students at the receiving sites, she secured funding to ship kits. She worked with her connections via the registrar and department head to have a point of contact to ship the kits to so that students were able to pick them up accordingly.
During class, the instructor asked all students to get out their kits while she demonstrated on camera how to use them. The instructor then gave the students 10 minutes to practice assigned tasks while wearing various items provided in the kits. After the activity, students took turns providing feedback and sharing their reactions.
Option 2: Another option could be giving ALL students the directions for making the kits as a homework assignment. Then, instruct the students to bring in their kits to the next face-to-face session.