Demonstration Teacher Program
Demonstration Teacher Program, Employee Development Human Resources
“Teacher observations that serve as vehicles for professional growth have multiple benefits -- for teachers, administrators, and the school. This kind of observation can yield its greatest benefits when used as a means of sharing instructional techniques and ideologies between and among teachers.” In the article “Teachers Observing Teachers: A Professional Development Tool for Every School” in the online journal Education World, teacher observation is identified as a key factor in improving teacher performance. San Bernardino City Unified School District has developed the Demonstration Teacher Program to share exemplary teaching practices and identify teachers with a passion to share their skills and knowledge in the instruction of NGSS and California State Standards. The program was developed collaboratively with the San Bernardino Teachers Association, California State University San Bernardino Faculty, and San Bernardino City Unified Program Specialists, Principals, and Human Resources Certificated Staff.
The Demonstration Classroom Teacher program is an exemplary program that provides opportunities for teacher leadership, a pathway for aspiring teachers through mentorship of students and student teachers, a systematic support system for new and struggling teachers, and inspiration for all teachers to innovate and excel. This innovative program provides instructional support to all district teachers and student teachers, and builds teacher leaders within the classroom. Demonstration Teachers provide an innovative blend of traditional professional development and professional learning by opening their classroom doors to all educators from the first day of school to the last, in order for teachers to observe and learn.
Demonstration Teacher Program Goals and Objectives
The goal of the Demonstration Teacher program is to enhance teacher quality and effectiveness in our school district and build a pipeline of high-quality future teachers by using our own exemplar teachers as resources and models. Our objectives are to: 1) create a pathway for teacher leadership in our district; 2) to support district teachers through observation, coaching, and mentorship; and 3) to provide exemplary models of teaching practice for current and future teachers to observe (through personal observation and video).
Demonstration Teacher Program YouTube Channel
A range of California state standards-based lessons is videotaped on an ongoing basis and made available for use in staff development via the District’s professional development website on YouTube. We have created 140+ videos since the inception of the program in 2013, which have been enthusiastically and widely endorsed. Several of our videos have been featured on the California Department of Education website. Noted educators from across the United States, Canada, and as far as Pakistan have contacted us to use the videos for teacher development, and have invited featured teachers to co-author articles and presentations. As of July 2025, our Demonstration Team videos have been viewed over 5,000,000 times in 131 countries (67% of the world’s countries). This shows that educators around the world are passionate about observing excellent teaching and learning, and they are headed to our district’s professional development YouTube channel to do that.
Click the button to view our entire collection of training videos on YouTube
Morgan Pellettera, NBCT
Demonstration Teacher Program Lead
Ph: (909) 381-1110