Danielson Framework for Teaching
The Danielson Framework for Teaching was developed by Charlotte Danielson as a tool to identify various aspects of a teacher's responsibilities in the classroom.
Domain 1
Planning and Preparation
Domain 1's main focus is to gain resources for teaching and to enhance your content. Through Domain 1 you will learn how to properly assess students understanding of the lesson and set outcomes for the students learning.
Domain 1a Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy:
Educations must keep up to date with all of the strategies used in the classroom with technology and pedagogy. Every educational subject has its own set of smaller components that students must master to reach the higher level topics. Teachers must design their pedagogy around teaching the smaller lessons. In my own classroom, I can create pre-tests for each topic as a benchmark for the students prerequisite knowledge.
Domain 1b Demonstrating Knowledge of Students:
As educators, we must care deeply for our students or they will not want to listen to what we have to say. Understanding each student's individual learning needs and styles is important when lesson planning. Educators must get to know our students in front of us so we know where their language skills are. In the classroom, I can give each student a bag on M&Ms and for each blue M&M they have, they must answer a question about themselves.
Domain 1c Setting Instructional Outcomes:
Domain 1c is all about having objectives and instructional outcomes for our students. Educators must make their academic goals attainable and something they can measure. Using the PDESAS site, educators can find standards to use for their learning goals in their classroom. Teachers outcomes must be very clear, having an accuracy goal for the assessment and having all components mesh well with each other.
Domain 1d Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources:
This domain focuses on the knowledge of available resources to help us as teachers to enhance our knowledge of our content. Using different resources to advance students' learning in specific content areas. Giving students access to the outside resources that we find will also help further student understanding of the topic. In my own classroom, I hope to have many different books or website links for students to use if they did not understand a certain lesson.
Domain 1e Designing Coherent Instruction:
As an educator, we must know our content inside and out so our lessons flow well. When the lesson flows well, the instruction will be coherent. In my own classroom, when using group work, I must have my group planned ahead of time so I can record them on the board. Grouping students based on skill level and different circles will help them grow as learner and hear different perspectives.
Domain 1f Designing Student Assessments:
Designing assessments for all of our students learning levels. As teachers we need to be aware of students with disabilities in our classroom, making adaptations and accommodations for those students. Common accommodations to implement in my classroom is to have less answer choices or taking the test in a quieter room. In the classroom, assessment is used to show the teacher was able to effectively adapt the lesson when needed and to ensure students have understood the content of the lesson. Formative assessment is not graded and happen throughout the lesson where as summative is graded and happens after the lesson. Exit tickets, Blooket, reflection journal, and including state standards are all great assessments of students.
Domain 2
The Classroom Environment
Domain 2's purpose is to help us as future educator to create a classroom environment of respect between students and teachers. It also focuses on managing student's good and poor behavior in class.
Domain 2a Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport:
This component focuses on creating and efficient classroom environment for both the students and teachers by them having respect for each other. Must make sure that all of our students feel values appreciated in their work spaces. As teachers we must be there to support, maintain, and initiate relationships between students and ourselves. In my classroom, I want to have a suggestion box or a google form where students can make suggestions for the classroom. This will show the students they are heard and respected in my classroom.
Domain 2b Establishing a Culture for Learning:
Establishing a culture for learning starts with the enthusiasm of the teacher. The environment of the classrooms must have an atmosphere created by student and teacher, and it must reflect work that is valued by the teacher. Teachers should set high expectations for students to follow so students can internalize them, making sure to follow them. In my classroom, I would love to have a wall where students could showcase their art or something else they have worked hard on throughout the week. With mathematics being my focus area, having an art wall will show students who don't like math they also have a place in my classroom. Talking about current events before starting your lessons is important because the students minds will not be focused completely on your teaching.
Domain 2c Managing Classroom Procedures:
This domain focuses on the procedures like lunch count, homework turn, turning in work digitally, where to find grades, and taking attendance. Talks about ways of how students will work together, giving them skills on how to work well with others. Grouping is an actions that should be done intentionally, group by skill level, random, or seating depending on the students. In my classroom, having expectation set at the beginning of the year so the students are aware of my classroom procedures will help class time to run smoothly. Having a warm up on the board as they walk in to the learning started as soon as possible will maximize class time. Bringing a volunteer into my future math classroom could be having them share about their application of math in their non-stem field. This will give non-math-loving students a drive to learn about math for their future.
Domain 2d Managing Student Behavior:
This domain deals with holding high expectations for student, monitoring student behavior, classroom rules, and being consistent with our students. Expectations for the classroom are extremely important to keep a classroom run smoothly. It is also important for students to help establish those expectations. In my future classroom, monitoring student behaviors with consistently and proximity is incredibly important to subtly monitor behavior. Taking care of misbehaviors outside of the classroom to first and foremost, make sure the student is okay.
Domain 2e Organizing Physical Space:
Creating a accessible and safe leaning environment is important for bother the teacher and the students. A positive, welcoming classroom layout facilitates high learning for students. If your classroom is a comfortable space, students will want to come to class. Ensuring our classroom is accessible for all learners, especially learning that might have a physical disabilities. In my future classroom, I want to protect students grades for other students eyes, so there is no unnecessary competition or tension between peers.
Domain 3:
Instruction
Domain 3 is all about creating a organized space for learning in the classroom. It includes strategies for instructing well using assessments, questioning, and discussion.
Domain 3a Communicating with Students:
Domain 3a talks about how to communicate well with students, all of this happens in the classroom not behind the scenes. When students receive clear and direct instructions it is easier for them to stay engaged in class. Scaffolding should be applied in the classroom when complex topics are being taught. Having a clear schedule for the class period will ensure that students know exactly what they are supposed to be doing at a given time.
Domain 3b Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques:
This part of Domain 3 focuses on different types of questioning techniques to keep students engaged. Using different types of questions to move up and down the Bloom's taxonomy levels is wonderful way to promote critical thinking. Using activities such as Socratic circles does not only teach students to public speak, but also teachers them how to respect others opinions on many topics. As educators and the discussion facilitators, we must ensure that every student's voice is heard in the discussion.
Domain 3c Engaging Students in Learning
This section of domain 3 is all about getting students involved on a deep intellectual level in the lesson. You can provide unexpected material or instructional methods to catch your student's attention. The bulk of our lesson planning should be focused of how and how effective we are engaging student in our learning. Bringing students interests into the classroom will also help to bring students outside joys into the classroom. Using curriculum guides, activity examples, and textbooks but don't rely on these, add elements students in your classroom will enjoy learning through.
Domain 3d Using Assessment in Instruction:
As educators we must be able to assess our students on what they have taken away from the lesson. Students should know going into a unit what the criteria of learning is. Providing them with rubrics that outline those goals is vital for their success in your class. Google Forms are a wonderful tool to use both in a lesson and at the end as an easy way to survey and analyze the knowledge of a class.
Domain 3e Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness:
An educator must be flexible and know their content well enough to respond when the lesson is not going as planned. Taping into teachable moments as the lesson progresses makes lectures more interesting for the students. To make sure you are ready to respond it is important to have a back up plan written into your lesson plan. A great way to keep students engaged is to given them options in their learning by having two activities and having the class pick which they'd prefer to do.
Domain 4:
Professional Responsibilities
Domain 4 is the section of Danielson's framework that focuses on reflection, organization, communication, and high involvement. In this domain, you learn how to grow professionally and develop a high functioning classroom.
Component 4a Reflecting on Teaching:
Teachers must be looking to improve their classroom every single day. Asking yourself questions about what happened in you classroom on a certain day will help better prepare you for classes to come. Using tools like zip grade for tests will show you what topics your students did not understand. Also, watching students' facial expressions to see when they do not understand so you can pace your lesson accordingly.
Component 4b Maintaining Accurate Records:
As a teacher, maintaining accurate records means knowing where our students stand with the material, providing them with good feedback, and checking their progress. Making connections between what the students already know and what they need to know will help you create a smooth lesson plan. In class assessments are a great way to check students' progress and it also gives the students great feedback on what they are doing in class. Non-instructional tasks such as, field trip forms, student food allergies, emergency preparedness, and lunch money, are all tasks that are extremely important in the classroom to keep organized.
Component 4c Communicating with Families:
It is our job as teachers to provide the ability for families to participate in their child's learning. This helps families get involved in the schools, student flourish with parent involvement from kindergarten all the way to 12th grade. When sending information home you want to include involvement opportunities, curriculum goals, topics discussed, any upcoming projects, school events, .and how the student in doing in class (behaviorally, academically, emotionally and socially). Always take into account the cultural background of a student and their specific learning need. When communicating,, make sure that the communication has the opportunity to go two ways. Parent letters, handouts, phone logs, newsletters, class social media, and observations are all ways to communicate with families.
Component 4d Participating in a Professional Community:
In order to promote student learning in the classroom, teachers must share strategies and make joint plans efforts for their students. The professional community is created when the teachers share a respect for each other and everyone's different ideas. As a teacher, you can go above and beyond your classroom duties by taking initiative in the school community, creating unique opportunities for your students to learn. After gaining many years of classroom experience, you as a teacher can mentor new teachers into the field as they navigate their roles in the profession.
Component 4e Growing and Developing Professionally:
To grow professionally, it is important to enhance your content knowledge, be receptive of colleague's feedback, and serve the profession of teaching as much as you can. Teaching requires continuous development in order for our teaching strategies to remain current. As teachers like myself gain more experience in their content area, they can start contribute back to their colleagues by creating seminars and article for them to learn from. Providing and giving feedback allows us as teachers to enhance our classrooms.
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Click on the flower to the right and you will be directed to my infographic all about using math technologies in the classroom!
Domain 4f Showing professionalism:
Professionalism can be shown in the classroom by teacher acting with integrity and respect towards other teachers and students. Teachers should put students first in all situations creating new ways for them to learn. Advocating for your students, having their best interests at heart will help them develop deeper than before. It is so important to keep our students best interests at the forefront of our mind will help us teachers make beneficial decisions for them.