Preparing for a Teaching Demonstration

Teaching demonstrations (“teaching demos”) are an important part of the interview process for faculty positions at many institutions. In this episode of The Teaching Scoop podcast, Nina Fontana and Gabriel Winer join the Teaching Assistant Consultants to discuss their tips and tricks for preparing and delivering an excellent teaching demo. Music by Coma-Media from Pixabay. 

Episode Transcript

Guest Bios

Nina Fontana is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis in collaboration with USGS Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. She was also a Teaching Assistant Consultant at the Center for Educational Effectiveness for three years at UC Davis. She has 15 years of teaching experience in both secondary and post-secondary settings, both internationally and nationally, and is committed to fostering creativity, inquiry and critical thinking, both in and out of the classroom.

Gabriel Winer has been teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) at Berkeley City College in Berkeley, California, since 2007. They have served as Department Chair since 2015. Prior to that, they taught English and ESL at Contra Costa College and Berkeley High School. They have also worked in construction, food service and retail.

Show Notes

• Planning a Teaching Demonstration
• Tips for Preparing a Top-Notch Teaching Demonstration
• The Teaching Demonstration: What Faculty Expect and How to Prepare for This Aspect of the Job Interview
• The Academic Job Interview: Three Do’s and Don’ts when Preparing for a Teaching Demonstration
• The Zoom Teaching Demo: Eight Guideposts
• Teaching Demonstration Rubric

About the Podcast

The Teaching Scoop is a podcast by graduate students for graduate students interested in teaching and teaching-related careers. This podcast episode was hosted by Shelley Dykstra and Jasmine Wade, and edited by Hannah Nelson and Liz Giardina. All four are Teaching Assistant Consultant Fellows at the Center for Educational Effectiveness and graduate students at the University of California, Davis.