Demonstrations

Demonstrations can prime participants for learning because they make participants think of what they already know about a topic. Watching a demonstration can sometimes highlight a participant’s misconceptions or gaps in knowledge and create a desire to learn more.

Demonstrations can include:

  • Experiments
  • Surveys
  • Data analysis
  • Simulations

When an instructor uses a demonstration to walk participants through a website or software interface, it is sometimes called a “tutorial tour.”

Instructions

How to conduct a demonstration:

  1. Demonstrations need to be carefully planned, and it is a good idea to practice them several times in advance.
  2. Explain the demonstration and ask participants to make predictions about the result.
  3. Ask participants to take notes as you perform the demonstration in front of the class.
  4. After the demonstration, ask participants to reflect on what they saw and identify the differences between what occurred and their predictions.

Example

In his NHI “Instructor Development Course” training presentation, “Drilled Shaft Volume,” Don Dwyer presented a demonstration on the challenges of estimating drilled shaft volume. He used three coffee mugs that had the same height but different diameters. He then related the volume and shape of the mugs to the volume and shape of a drilled shaft. Figure 24 displays the slide he used to link the coffee mug demonstration to the task.

  • Put out three coffee cups of the same height.
  • Ask the class to describe and compare the volume and shape of the cups.
  • Ask if you can you infer relative volumes from your observations?
  • Ask how could you better determine volumes of each cup?
  • Connect this to drilled shafts.
  • A drilled shaft has the “perfect” volume of concrete for its designed diameter and length. But because the “mouth” of the shaft is at the surface of the ground and the rest is hidden underground, you cannot see the shape. So how can we learn something about the shape using the volume?
slide from Drilled Shaft Volume presentation. Title: the hole for the shaft is theoretically a cylinder. Outline of a cylinder. Graph framework: x axis: volume placed, y axis: depth. 1. Place concrete, and measure Depth after each truck load delivered. 2. Plot the delivered Volume against the measure depth.

Source: Dwyer (2018).

Figure 24: Demonstration explanation slide from “Drilled Shaft Volume”
  • We know the theoretical volume of the shaft. The volume vs. depth plots in a straight line because Volume = Area x Depth.
  • When area is constant, volume is linearly related to depth.
  • Concrete is delivered in trucks holding known volumes. If we plot the volume vs. depth to top of concrete, we can compare this to the theoretical volume.

Instructor-Led Training

Take the number of participants and your classroom layout into consideration when planning a demonstration. Will they all be able to see it? Would it be better if they left their seats and gathered at the front of the room? Is physical safety a consideration? Can you record the demonstration in advance and play the video instead? Can you leave the classroom and conduct the demonstration outside or in another part of the building?

Web-Based Training

Find a video of a similar demonstration or record yourself performing the demonstration and embed it into the course materials. Preface the demonstration with predictive questions and follow it with reflective questions.

Web Conference Training

Find a video of a similar demonstration or record yourself performing the demonstration and present it during a course web conference. You can use the video conferencing platforms polling tools or chat feature to allow participants to record their predictions beforehand. Display the poll results after the demonstration and use them to start a follow-on discussion.