Classroom demonstrations liven up a room and help reinforce your presentation. Act out a scenario specific to your presentation and do not be afraid to get a few others involved in your display. You can ask for volunteers from your audience or have a preset group with whom you are working. If your assistants are volunteers, take a moment to explain what role you wish for them to role play in front of your class before you begin.
Criminal justice classrooms are ideal for these demonstrations as they allow you to explore the complicated legal situations that your class may face during their career. Make sure that your demonstration is pertinent to your presentation and try to make it entertaining and informative. You want your demonstration to reinforce your presentation, not become your presentation.
A thought-provoking classroom discussion can get your class involved in your presentation. Pose a question to your class and lead them from point to point as you discuss the issue thoroughly. Make sure that your question and the following discussion stays on track to support the points in your presentation but do not be afraid of posing challenging questions or scenarios to your class.
It is your responsibility to guide a classroom discussion which you begin. Be active, respectful and encouraging. Classroom discussions are ideal for criminal justice teaching because they encourage analysis of the complex legal issues in an open atmosphere and with the insight of many students.
Well thought out visual aids can enhance your presentation with a visual demonstration of potential legal issues. Avoid using words in your visual aid which can draw your audience's attention away from your speaking and can become boring. Use images that support your points or demonstrate legal issues that are difficult to explain verbally.
Criminal justice deals with many issues that are clearly defined by state laws but it also deals with issues which are difficult to write but which you can present in a stimulating way. The classic example is to have a friend rush into your classroom, steal something off the desk in front of you and run out as fast as he can.
The demonstration continues as you ask your class to describe the offender and what they took. This presentation allows you to demonstrate how the individual perceptions of witnesses are often confused by the stress and complexity of the crime they just witnessed.