Tell students what to observe during the demonastration2. Describe each step and then demonstrate it3. Explain tasks students will have to perform4. Gide students as they practice the taskWhat is the correct order to perform the above steps when teaching a manipulative skill?

Skill-teaching research recommends first orienting learners to what they should watch for, then giving a step-by-step narrated demonstration, next clarifying exactly what the learners will do, and finally supervising guided practice. This progression (1 → 2 → 3 → 4) maximises attention, cognitive organisation and psychomotor transfer.

A. Begins with learner task description before they know what to observe; sequence neglects cognitive priming literature.
C. Starts practice description before full demonstration, reducing observational encoding.
D. Puts guided practice ahead of observation, violating modelling-then-doing principle.

• MIT OpenCourseWare, “Teaching College-Level Science & Engineering,” Session 6: Demonstrations & Active Learning, pp. 5-7.

• Gagné, R. M. “Principles of Instruction,” in The Conditions of Learning (5th ed.), 1985, Ch. 12, pp. 245-250.

• U.S. Army Training Circular 25-20, A-3 “Demonstrate, Explain, Guide, and Practice” model.