The Benifits of a Discrepant Event

Experienced educators know that using a good demonstration is an effective way to motivate students from the very young to the older ones. The best demo of all is one that the outcome is un... See More

Experienced educators know that using a good demonstration is an effective way to motivate students from the very young to the older ones. The best demo of all is one that the outcome is unexpected. This is called a discrepant event. This article explains all aspects of what a good discrepant event is and it provides a checklist (rubric) to evaluate any demonstration that a preserve teacher might choose. Demonstrations are a form of ‘show and tell’ with the tell portion being the responsibility of the students and not the educator.

How to Use Demonstrations Effectively

Overall, while this article was written as an example of a lesson for pre-service teachers, this article does an excellent job of explaining the importance of effective demonstrations in eng... See More

Overall, while this article was written as an example of a lesson for pre-service teachers, this article does an excellent job of explaining the importance of effective demonstrations in engaging students in inquiry based learning. There is a list of resources to use for discrepant event demonstrations, a rubric for evaluating demonstrations and step by step instructions and ideas on how to implement demonstrations in your classroom. A recommended read for any science teacher looking to strengthen their demonstration skills, or any teacher looking to incorporate more effective demonstrations towards inquiry lessons.