Main requirements for the success of any demonstration on Geography are:
(i) It should be planned and rehearsed by the teacher beforehand.
(ii) The apparatus used for demonstration should be big enough to be seen by the whole class. It would be much better if a large mirror is placed at a suitable angle above the teachers table which will enable the pupils to have a view of everything that the teacher is doing while performing the experiment.
Alternately, if the class is well disciplined the teacher may allow the students to sit on the stools placed on the benches to enable them to have a better view.
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(iii) Adequate lighting arrangements are made on demonstration table and a proper back ground be provided.
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(iv) All the pieces of apparatus are placed in order before starting the demonstration. The apparatus likely to be used should be placed on the left hand side of the table and it should be arranged in the same order in which it is likely to be used.
After an apparatus is used it should be transferred to right hand side. Only things relevant to the lesson are placed on demonstration table.
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(v) Before actually starting the demonstration, a clear statement about the purpose of demonstration be made to the students.
(vi) The teacher must make sure that the demonstration-cum- lecture method leads to active participation of the students in the process of learning. This he can achieve by putting well structured questions.
(vii) The demonstration should be quick and slick and should not appear to linger on unnecessarily.
(viii) The demonstration should be interesting so that it captures the attention of the students.
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(ix) The teacher must be sure of success of the experiment to be demonstrated and for this he should rehears the experiment under the conditions prevailing in the class room.
However even after all the necessary precaution the experiment fails in the class room due to one reason or the other, the teacher should not get nervous instead he should make an effort to find the reasons for the failure of the experiment. Sometimes in this process a good teacher may draw very useful conclusions.
(x) No complaints about inadequate and faulty apparatus be made by the teacher. In such a situation a good teacher finds an opportunity to show his skill.
(xi) It would be much better if the teacher demonstrates those experiments which are connected with common things which are seen and handled by students in their everyday life.
(.xii) There should be a correlation between the demonstrations and the sequence of experiments performed by the students in their practical classes.
(xiii) For active participation of students, the teacher may call individual student, in turn, to help him in demonstration work.
(xiv) During lecture-cum-demonstration session, teacher must act like a ‘showman’ and a ‘performer’. He should know different ways of arresting the attention of the students.
(xv) He should write, a summary of the principles arrived at because of demonstration, on the black board. The black board can also be used for drawing necessary diagrams.