Sweating when you need to teach a demo lesson as part of your new-teacher interview process? We’re all there! That’s why we’ve compiled a list of essential elements to include in the demo text. These are just some of the goal setting shareware that you can use. Also, we’ve included some ideas for demo lesson topics towards the end of this article!
1. Hook
Make sure you start your lesson with a catchy hook. It doesn’t have to be long, it just has to be interesting and connected with the learning goal. It could be a quick story, an interesting question, or maybe a short picture book or a picture. Keep it simple and engage your interviewing audience.
For example: If you are teaching a lesson about portions, introduce the lesson by talking about pizza and how many slices the whole pizza makes. Make it fun and relevant.
2. Standard-aligned education goals
You need to create learning goals that match the standard you are teaching. Learning goals should also be measurable and objective, so use verbs Explain, Describe, Identity, And the like. Use language from the content standard and make it a part of your learning goal. It will show you the criteria for teaching and how to use it for learning goals.
For example: Suppose you are teaching CCSS.RL.3.3 वर्णन Describe the characters in the story (e.g., their characteristics, motivations, emotions) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. The teaching goal may look like this: “We are learning how to describe the character’s characteristics, motivations, emotions and actions.” A second learning goal for this standard may be, “We are learning how to explain how character actions contribute to the sequence of events.”
3. Modeling and metacognition
Show an interview panel that lets you know how to teach skills by modeling during your lessons. When modeling how to do a skill (such as finding common denominators or determining key ideas), also use metacognition. Think hard about your thinking and show the panel how you will think loudly with your future students.
For example: Suppose you are learning to determine the main idea. The first time you read a section, you may think aloud that you do not understand the main idea, so you should read it again. Then literally re-read the section and think aloud about how you focused on the main details to determine the main idea.
4. Check to understand
Another element for teacher demo lessons is to make sure you are checking your students’ comprehension. When you check for comprehension during your lesson, you are showing that you are monitoring your students’ progress towards learning goals. If students do not understand the skills you are teaching, there is an opportunity to show you how to adjust the pace of your lessons.
For example: You can do this by imitating that there are whiteboards in your interview panel and asking them to show the answers on their boards. If you are teaching a group of students, you can pass whiteboards or use sheet protectors with white paper inside. You can also check to understand when students are writing answers or listening to students’ conversations in think / pair / share moments.
5. Variation
When you are teaching your lesson, make sure you use variation. Adding this to your lesson will show interviewers that you know how to scaffold for students who need help and that you can expand learning for your students who need more challenges.
For example: You can ask different levels of questions while trying to understand. Consider bringing in different levels of independent practice and end the lesson by inviting a small group to re-teach students who need more support once you remember. Some other examples of differences in your lesson time may show that you know how to adjust the lesson time by using different layered sections or math tasks during the lesson, or if students do not acquire skills immediately.
6. Depth of knowledge questions
One of the other important elements for teacher demo lessons is to use depth of knowledge (DOK) questions. When you ask students questions during the lesson, use DOK questions to make sure the students are being challenged. DOK questions vary from level 1 to level 4, level 4 being the deepest and most thought provoking. By including these types of questions in your lesson, the interview panel will show that you will challenge your students by asking thoughtful questions.
For example: Level 1 is To remember, So ask literal questions that students can answer based on their book or the other printable ones in front of them. Level 2 questions are more concept oriented, so ask students to separate objects or ask questions to determine cause and effect. Level 3 is Strategic thinking. When students answer these types of questions, they may cite evidence or come up with arguments. Finally, level 4 is Extended thinking. These questions challenge students to design, make connections, or validate concepts.
7. Opportunities for student negotiations
Don’t be the only one speaking during the lesson. Invite students (or interview panel) to turn and talk, think / pair / share or use A / B sharing to share ideas during the lesson. Students can work together on the question during the examination for the comprehension part.
For example: If you are teaching math lessons, pair students to work on one of the problems together.
8. Closed questions
Always at the end of the lesson ask the students what the goal was to teach. At the end of the lesson, students should be able to tell where they are working. You can also ask students additional questions related to learning goals. They can be “how” or “why” questions or questions based on DOK.
For example: Some of the closing questions may be, “Why is this important?” Or “How are you?” Consider asking students to fill out an exit ticket so that they have another opportunity to show what they have learned in the lesson.
9. Matching independent practice
If you are going to bring an independent practice task to pass at the end of your lesson, it should be aligned with the learning goal. Be prepared with different levels of independent practice and be creative in how students want to show what they have learned.
For example: If you’re teaching math lessons, you can bring math problems, work cards, or a handout of interactive activity done online. If you are teaching an ELA lesson, bring reading, writing, or literacy activities to show students their understanding. Just make sure it relates to your learning goals.
10. Personality
One of the most important elements for teacher demo lessons is to show your personality. Have fun, be yourself, and let your passion for teaching shine!
For example: Smile, make silly jokes, make connections in your daily life, and give a glimpse of what you are as a human being. Stay connected.
Here are 10 topic ideas for basic demo lessons:
- Determining the main idea
- Comparing the differences
- Citing evidence
- Rounding numbers
- Comparison / contrast of story elements
- Educational terminology
- Comparing decimals
- Searching the perimeter
- Describing the characters
- Determining the author’s point of view
Here are 10 topic ideas for secondary demo lessons:
- Annotating text
- Figurative language
- Grammar
- Narrative structure
- Poetry analysis
- Square root
- Coordinating planes
- Factoring by grouping
- Slope
- Percent