If you’re reading this blog post, you are most likely a new teacher or haven’t taught demo lessons in a long time. Be sure to read this whole blog post. You’ll learn about my most successful demo lesson and why the other four demo lessons were far from perfect!
So, you got through step one… the first interview! You got the phone call asking you to do a demo lesson. Now what?! If your BA in Education did not supply you with world language teaching pedagogy, then I suggest starting with a basic understanding of the different teaching methods. Don’t worry… I have you covered. Grab my Free Spanish Teacher Survival Guide. Everything you need to know to get a brief overview is in here! You’ll blow away your interviewers with knowledge, techniques, and world language standards!
When I first started looking for teaching jobs in 2015, I had no “formal” education background. I had a minor in Spanish and a BA in Arts Administration. I never observed a Spanish teacher before, and I only had my “Alternate Route” education classes that were for new teachers from K-12 in any subject. I desperately needed some help, and in the past 8 years, I have been able to gather my thoughts on successful demo lessons for you!
Demo Lesson Tips
Do research on the school district.
Dig through their website for the curriculum, if it is posted. See if the teachers have websites or Twitter accounts. You can learn a lot about their style of teaching from these sources. For example, if the school is headed in a CI (comprehensible input) direction, you want to make sure that you demonstrate your knowledge of CI.
If the school is very grammar-instruction driven, chances are they will request that you teach a lesson about a specific grammar concept. I remember doing a demo lesson where they asked me to teach about the differences between imperfect and preterit. I was not sure how I was possibly going to do that in a 20-minute demo lesson. I knew I had to make that my focus because it is what they asked for. So even if you don’t like teaching with a focus on grammar, you may need to incorporate grammar if that is what they want!
Bonus Tip: Bottom line – do what is asked of you, but with your own spin! You need to feel comfortable in your teaching. You shouldn’t present a “fake” lesson to make the school like you. You want to fit in at the school you teach at; you want to be yourself. Your hope is to teach there for many years to come, so they need to get to know the real you! If you have a passion for CI, but they are asking for a grammar lesson, then use CI to teach that element of grammar. Read a story, use TPRS, just be yourself! Heck, the school may not even know what CI is and may be blown away by your demo lesson.
Demonstrate your knowledge of pedagogy
With the Free Spanish Teacher Survival Guide, you get three extremely useful documents for demo lessons. The first will explain the different methods of foreign language teaching, and there are even video examples of teachers using each method in the classroom.
During the post demo lesson discussion, be sure to explain the method that you used and why you chose it. Demonstrate your understanding of pedagogy, but also give evidence as to why this method is your preferred choice.
Bonus Tip: Choose just one or two methods to focus on. It is rare that a teacher would just use one of these methods. I have probably incorporated aspects from 4 or 5 methods into my “teaching style,” over the past few years.
Implement the 3 Modes of Communication
I know that demo lessons are brief. But if at all possible, try to get the students to use all three modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. This will show the administrators and other teachers that you value a well-rounded lesson and students. You will not be able to go in-depth with each mode, but if you give students a short text to interpret, they will have time to speak and write about it in the target language.
Bonus Tip: Make sure you know the students’ proficiency level before you plan your lesson. You want to choose a text that you know they will be able to understand in a short time. You also must choose a brief text, probably no more than a paragraph. This would be a great time for using an infographic that is simple and to the point. You’ll find tons of authentic resources for novice learners on Pinterest. Here’s how I use Pinterest to find infographics.
Have confidence in yourself
Some of my worst demo lessons and interviews were when I lacked confidence in myself. In 2015, I had no teaching experience, never done an observation, and to be honest, my Spanish skills were not the best. Since then, I have become more fluent, through travel, watching TV shows, translating for my church, and teaching upper level classes. Give yourself credit for your teaching and language skills. Nobody is perfect, but if you go into the lesson with a positive attitude and confidence, the administrators and students will see that!
Bonus Tip: During my first few demo lessons, I literally wrote out a script for what I would say. (Cringe!) This was to help ease my nerves, but I probably ended up relying on this too much and it actually made me more nervous. Make a bulleted outline of your lesson, and you can bring that with you, but don’t “overplan” in the sense of having everything written out word for word.
Write Out a Lesson Plan
Again, the Spanish Teacher Survival Guide has you covered! Grab my free lesson plan template in the download. Plan out your lesson, by identifying the can-do statements, the authentic resource(s) you’ll use, the 3 modes of communication, your step-by-step plan, and assessment. The assessment at the end of the lesson is actually very important! It will wrap up your lesson and demonstrate to the administrators in the room that you never end a lesson without a check for understanding.
Bonus Tip: Bring copies of your demo lesson plan template and give one to each of the people that will sit in on your demo lesson. They will be extremely impressed that you took the initiative to make a formal lesson plan, but even more impressed with your preparation in providing each of them with your plan!
My Four Not-So-Great Demo Lessons
In my teaching career so far, I’ve done five total demo lessons, and most were successful because I did get job offers with four of the five lessons, but looking back on these, there are some pretty cringe-worthy moments. I am not ashamed to share them with you because I’m here to help you learn from my mistakes! There are reasons why these four demo lessons were not my best. Let me briefly break down why each of these demo lessons could have been better.
1. Preterit vs. Imperfect
I mentioned earlier that I was asked to do a 20-minute demo lesson on the preterit and imperfect, something you could literally spend an entire month teaching. The school was very text-book heavy and grammar-instruction driven. So, I planned a grammar lesson, complete with a mnemonic device for the differences between the two past tenses and had students do fill-in-the-blank. Boring! Looking back, I would have read a short text in the past tense and had students deductively identify why preterit or imperfect was used. If you have to teach preterit and imperfect, these are my tips after years of trying to perfect this lesson.
2. La Casa en Mango Street
I taught a short lesson about identity, for a school that uses communicative language teaching. I focused on students’ identities through their names and read a short excerpt of La casa en mango street. We talked about the meaning of their names and their Zodiac signs, just like in the chapter called “Mi nombre.” The plan was great, but the execution could have been better. One of my tips is to use the three modes of communication. I feel like I brushed right past interpretive, even though the whole lesson was based around the text. I recommend reviewing vocab, annotating, making sure that students know what they read with you. Don’t just assume they understand because you only have 20 minutes to teach the lesson!
3. Technology of the Past
This demo lesson combined grammar with a communicative approach, as I was asked to teach about technology vocabulary in the past tense. I kept my lesson short, with plenty of time for students to do the talking and to complete activities. I was very student-centered in my approach and I think that is why this lesson went so well. It also ended up taking the pressure off of me, which was always my biggest downfall.
4. Ir + a + Infinitive
Finally, I taught a lesson on “ir+a+infintive.” We listened to a song with this grammar element and then I had students ask questions about their future, like “Am I going to be a teacher?” “Am I going to be a millionaire?” I had magic 8 ball responses written in Spanish in a bag. They each asked the question and pulled out an answer. It is a fun idea, but unlike example number three, it wasn’t very student centered. They each had to wait for their response and listen to each other. There wasn’t much interaction with interpersonal or presentational communication.
My Favorite & Most Successful Demo Lesson
So, now after those four demo lessons, I finally crushed my most recent demo lesson in 2021. My favorite demo lesson was for my job at the World of Learning Institute. It was based on an excerpt from an authentic audio about Peru that I found on the University of Texas at Austin Listening Proficiency website. I pulled out the most important key words, provided images, and lots of opportunities for student discussion and participation.
I did my research…
The World of Learning Institute provides virtual synchronous and asynchronous instruction for schools that do not have a world language teacher. As I did my research, I learned that the synchronous instruction is based on comprehensible and authentic input. This is something I am very passionate about. So, I knew that I would be a good match.
I demonstrated knowledge of pedagogy…
I planned a lesson that would incorporate authentic resources with comprehensible input. After looking at the mission statement and meeting with administration, I knew that authenticity and input were two key factors in their teaching style. I demonstrated my knowledge of how to incorporate that into my lesson.
I used the 3 Modes of Communication…
With comprehensible input and TPRS style teaching, I presented the short audio, and had my students answer questions verbally. They were extremely engaged and participative because I chose a text that was short and interesting. I got them involved before, during, and after the text. Finally, I had students write one sentence about what they learned in the target language.
I had confidence…
Now, I do believe this is because I had five years of teaching under my belt by this demo lesson. Remember when I said my first demo lessons were with literally no experience… It is hard to have confidence in moments like that. But you can do it. Give yourself credit. Tell yourself 5 things you are proud of before you begin your lesson and you will rock it!
Feel free to comment below with demo lesson questions or to bounce ideas off of fellow teachers! Especially as a new teacher, it can be scary to plan a lesson without any guidance. I would love to help you out. You can always email me, too! Best of luck on your interviews and demo lessons!
