DEMONSTRATION METHOD

The word demonstration means to give demos or to perform the particular activity or concept. In
demonstration method, the teaching-learning process is carried in a systematic way.
Demonstration often occurs when students have a hard time connecting theories to actual
practice or when students are unable to understand applications of theories. In order to make a
success of demonstration method, three things are necessary. (a) The object being displayed
during demonstration should not be so small. (b) During the demonstration, the clear language
should be used so that pupils may understand concept easily. (c) The pupils should be able to
question teachers in order to remove their difficulties.
Characteristic of demonstration method

(1) The demonstration should be done in a simple way. (2) In this strategy, attention is paid to all
students. (3) Goals and objections of demonstration are very clear. (4) It is a well-planned strategy. (5)
Time is given for rehearsal before the demonstration.

Steps of Demonstration method

There are six steps of demonstration process. (1) Planning and preparation proper planning is required
for good demonstration. For this following points should be kept in mind. 1. lesson planning 2. collection
of material related to the demonstration. 3.rehearsal of demonstration. In order to ensure the success
of demonstration, the teacher should prepare lesson minutely and very seriously. (2) Introducing the
lesson The teacher should motivate students and prepare them mentally for the demonstration. The
teacher should introduce the lesson to students keeping in mind the following things. • individual
differences • Environment • Experiences The lesson can also be started with some simple and
interesting experiments. Very common event or some internal story. The experiment should be able to
hold the attention of students. (3) Presentation of subject matter – In demonstration presentation of
subject matter is very important. – The principle of reflecting thinking should be kept in mind. – The
teacher should teach the student in such a way that their previous knowledge can be attached to their
new knowledge. (4) Demonstration -The performance in the demonstration table should be ideal for the
student. -The demonstration should be neat and clean. (5) Teaching Aids -The teacher can use various
teaching aids like models, blackboard, graphs etc.during demonstration. (6) Evaluation -In this last step,
evaluation of the whole demonstration should be done, so that it can be made more effective.

Merits of demonstration method

(1) It helps a student in having a deeper understanding of the topic. (2) It helps students remain
active in teaching -learning process. (3) It leads to permanent learning. (4) It accounts for the principles
of reflective thinking. (5) It helps to create interest for topics among students. (6) It helps in arousing
the spirit of discovery among students. (7) It imparts maximum learning to students.

Demerits

(1) Students can not benefit with direct and personal experiences as teacher carry out the
demonstration. (2) It can be costly as it requires costly materials. (3) It can be a time-consuming
method. (4) It is not based on learning by doing. (5) This method does not provide training for the
scientific method. (6) There is a lack of experienced teachers to carry out the demonstration.

Advantages:
 The psychomotor objective is easily achieved through this method. This
strategy improves the understanding of complex skills and principles.
Students can pay their attention and follow along with the learning
process. Knowledge becomes permanent because this method requires
different human senses.
 Students are motivated to study and gain necessary skills.
 No time is wasted because students see the process live and understand
how to apply theoretical knowledge practically.

 Through this method, teacher gets the help in guiding and directing the
learning in desired direction.
 With the help of this method, teachers can demonstrate those activities in
front of students to which they cannot perform. Thus, students can get
information of complex or dangerous activities through this method.
 This method plays an important role in getting the student’s involved in
learning process. Under the supervision of teacher, students are required
 to note down the matter or information written on black board. Thus, they
feel a sense of belonging, which encourage them to play an active role in
learning process.
 As one experiment can be demonstrated to a large number of students,
thus teacher find it time saving to make use of this method.
 As students get opportunities to ask various kinds of questions from the
teachers on basis of their observation, thus, this method promote relevant
and useful discussion in the class.
 Through this method, various scientific facts and concepts can be best
illustrated in front of large number of students.
 It helps in involving various sense to make learning permanent
 Though, teacher behavior is autocratic, he invites the cooperation of pupils in teaching
learning process
 It develops interest in the learners and motivates them for their active participation
 It helps in achieving psychomotor objectives
 Any simple or complex sill becomes easy to understand
 This Method of teaching serves as model Laboratory Instruction.
 Demonstrations present subject matter in a way that can be understood easily.
They make clear what might otherwise be vague and meaningless.
 They convince those who might otherwise doubt that a thing could be done, or that
they themselves could do it.
 Demonstration permits the teaching of theory along with practice. They show by
example the practical application of knowledge.
 Experiment shown as demonstration points out the matter of observation and
indicates the inference.
 It makes pupils familiar with the nature and use of apparatus.
 Experiments requiring special skill will merely be shown by the teacher. In this
method no time is wasted.
 Advantages of the method demonstration practice of teaching include the
ability for participants to see, feel and participate directly in the learning
process and the enhanced learning ability of those being instructed. 
 Additional advantages of method demonstration include a student's
opportunity to engage in self-directed learning at a pace that suits the
particular student. For example, a student can work ahead when
 constructing a woodworking project once the teacher demonstrates the
overall process.
 The disadvantages of this method include some students feeling left
behind when others advance at a faster rate, which decreases student
morale in the classroom. Teachers may also not be able to assist all
students due to time and space limitations, which is also considered a
disadvantage to the method demonstration process of teaching.
 The method demonstration practice of teaching involves showing students
how to complete a project or task by doing the task as opposed to
listening to a lecture and writing notes. For example, lab experiments,
pottery making and cooking workshops are examples of method
demonstration instruction techniques.

Disadvantages:
 Students are not allowed to ask questions or start discussions during the
demonstration.
 Only technical and training skills can be taught this way.
 Universities and colleges often lack the equipment necessary for making
the ‘demonstrative’ models.
 This method requires a significant effort from the teacher. The method is
limited to particular teaching situations only.

 It is not possible to impart information of all the topics included in the

syllabus through this method.
 Generally, numbers of students in the classroom are found to be large as a
result of which majority of them fail to get advantages from experiments
conducted under this method.
 As number of student is generally found to be very large in the
classrooms, thus, all the students do not get opportunity to play an active
 role in learning process and a large number of them cannot even touch the
apparatus, which are used by the teacher.
 Generally it is found that pace at which experiments are conducted by the
teachers in the classrooms are very high as a result of which large number
of students fail to understand the information provided by them. It will be
unjustful to blame the teacher for conducting experiments on such a fast
pace, as they also have limited period of time for this purpose.
 It can be used only for skills subjects
 Only the attention of the learners is invited towards the activity demonstrated. They
are not free to discuss about it
 Due to poor economic conditions of the government schools, there is scarcity of audio-
visual aids and equipment and the teachers are not so creative to produce handmade models
for demonstration
 There is a general lack of sincerity and diligence among teachers who wish to
complete the syllabus or syllabi at the earliest without putting sincere efforts

 Disadvantages of method demonstration include the risk of too many

participants being involved and a potential shortage of time, resources and
facility space, which limits the hands-on opportunities of the participants.