My Final Teaching Demonstration Experience

March 13, 2025, was the day of my final teaching demonstration, a pivotal moment in my journey as a pre-service teacher. Unlike previous sessions where I collaborated with peers in team teaching, this time we are assigned to teach individually—an opportunity to prove my readiness as an educator. The stakes were high, but I embraced the challenge with careful preparation and enthusiasm.

My cooperating teacher allowed flexibility in lesson planning, so I chose to follow a Philippine-style lesson plan and employed the inductive method. This method encourages students to observe specific examples (like animal descriptions) and derive general rules themselves, rather than memorizing facts. I believed this approach would foster critical thinking and make learning more engaging. To enhance clarity, I integrated technology by creating a PowerPoint presentation filled with vibrant images of animals. Visual aids, I felt, would help students connect descriptions to real-life examples, especially for a topic like “Describing Animals.

The lesson began with a brief recall of our previous discussion on animal traits. I asked students, “What did we learn yesterday?” to bridge old and new knowledge. Next, I launched a motivation activity: dividing the class into six groups and handing each a set of animal name cards. I read aloud sentences like, “This animal has a long trunk and large ears,” and groups raced to raise the correct card (e.g., elephant). The room buzzed with excitement, and I could see students collaborating eagerly.

Before diving into the main lesson, I asked questions like, “What do you already know about describing animals?” to activate their prior knowledge. This sparked a lively discussion, with students sharing ideas about colors, sizes, and sounds. Using my PowerPoint slides, I then modeled how to craft descriptive sentences, emphasizing details like texture (“rough scales”) and behavior (“swims swiftly”).

For the first activity, students completed sentences by choosing the correct descriptive words from a list (e.g., “The giraffe has a ____ neck” with options like long/short). This simple task ensured everyone grasped the basics before moving to a more complex group task.

In the main activity, I reassigned groups and gave each a specific animal to describe. Using cartolina and markers, students collaborated to write descriptions based on the animal’s physical traits and habits. Each group presented their poster, with every member speaking at least one sentence. I noticed shy students gaining confidence as they stood before the class, and peers listened attentively, clapping after each presentation.

To wrap up, I held a reflection session, asking, “How can you use descriptive words in your daily life?” Students shared creative answers—one boy said he’d describe his dog to friends, while a girl wanted to share a story about her pet. Finally, I summarized key points and praised their hard work, leaving the class smiling and energized.

This experience taught me the power of preparation and flexibility. Practicing my slides and timing reduced nerves, while adapting to students’ responses (like extending discussion time when they raised hands) made the lesson feel organic. Most importantly, I realized that engagement thrives when students feel heard—whether through group activities or reflection.

Teaching alone was daunting, but seeing my students’ enthusiasm and progress reminded me why I chose this path: to create moments where curiosity meets growth.

My Lesson Plan During the Final Teaching Demonstration

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