Definition
A teaching method in which the instructor first demonstrates a skill or procedure and then has the student perform the same skill, with the instructor observing, correcting, and reinforcing until the student can perform it correctly and consistently. It is built around the principle that people learn physical and procedural skills best by watching them done correctly and then doing them under guidance.
Plain English
The instructor shows you how to do something, then you do it yourself while they watch and help. You repeat it until you can do it right on your own.
Context Anchor
Used in flight-instructor training and lesson planning when teaching hands-on aviation tasks, such as aircraft control, checklist use, and cockpit procedures.
Why Pilots Care
Almost every cockpit skill a pilot learns -- from a steep turn to a power-off stall -- is taught this way. Knowing the structure helps a student understand why the instructor demonstrates first, then hands over the controls, and why repetition under supervision matters before solo practice.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as only a demonstration by the instructor or only a performance by the student. The method requires both: first the instructor shows the task, then the student performs it with guidance and evaluation.
Example Sentence 1
The CFI used the demonstration-performance method to teach slow flight, flying the maneuver first while explaining the control inputs, then having the student fly it.
Example Sentence 2
Using the demonstration-performance method, the student practiced the traffic pattern immediately after watching the instructor fly it.