At the heart of the Danielson Framework is Domain 3: Instruction. In this component lie the teacher's ability to communicate with students, use questioning and discussion techniques, engage students, use assessment in learning, and demonstrate flexibility and responsiveness. If a teacher is failing in this component, students will not be learning, even if they are excelling in the other domain areas, simply because this component is the bulk of teaching. Components of this include:
Communicating With Students
It is essential that teachers are good communicators with their students. Teachers must be able to effectively communicate the purpose behind learning, classroom instructions and expectations, and concepts in ways that students will understand. Teachers should also be using age appropriate vocabulary. Many students shape their vocabulary based on models, so teachers must be positive vocabulary models. See page 3A: Communicating with Students
Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
The questioning and discussion technique is a technique meant to deepen learning, not as a recitation or verbal quiz. Teachers should use a variety of convergent and divergent questions, and these questions should challenge students to formulate hypotheses, make connections, and question previous beliefs. Teachers using this technique must also be skilled at valuing the responses of students, and using those responses to build more discussion and understanding. High-quality questions should challenge students to further their understanding. In order to produce high-quality questions, teachers must not be afraid to pose questions that they do not know the answers to. In addition, teachers should facilitate animated and highly-participatory discussions led by students. If students are asking high-quality questions, it facilitates a positive rating of the teacher in this component, as the students probably saw these questions modeled by the teacher. See page 3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques.
Engaging Students in Learning
The entire Danielson Framework leads to this component. Students who are actively engaged in learning are intellectually active in discussing, debating, asking "what if" questions, discovering patterns, and making choices in their learning of important, relevant, and challenging information. These activities should be a key part of the lesson, but not the entire lesson. A lesson that properly engages students should have defining factors that include a beginning, middle, and end, with scaffolding provided to get from the beginning to the end. At the closure of a lesson, teachers should encourage students to reflect on what they learned. When observing for student engagement, the observer should be watching the students, as the best indicator of proficiency is noting what the students say and do as a result of what the teacher does, has done, or has planned. See page 3C: Engaging Students in Learning.
Using Assessment in Instruction
Assessment should be a part of day-to-day instruction. Teachers must constantly be checking "the pulse" of the classroom by monitoring the learning of the students. On the surface, it may seem that the teacher is monitoring behavior, as he/she may be circling the room and listening to students in both activities. However, the teacher is actually closely looking at the work of students and listening to their conversations to determine whether they understand the concepts. Teachers will also ask questions that reveal misconceptions, as opposed to questions to deepen understanding. See page 3D: Using Assessment in Instruction.
Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness
At some point, all teachers will have a lesson go wrong. The ability to adapt to this is a teacher's flexibility and responsiveness. Skilled teachers can usually plan lessons that predict the responses of students so that midstream changes are not necessary. However, even the most experienced teacher will find that at times a lesson is just not going as planned, or a teachable moment has presented itself, and they must be ready to respond. See page 3E: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness.
Communicating With Students
It is essential that teachers are good communicators with their students. Teachers must be able to effectively communicate the purpose behind learning, classroom instructions and expectations, and concepts in ways that students will understand. Teachers should also be using age appropriate vocabulary. Many students shape their vocabulary based on models, so teachers must be positive vocabulary models. See page 3A: Communicating with Students
Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
The questioning and discussion technique is a technique meant to deepen learning, not as a recitation or verbal quiz. Teachers should use a variety of convergent and divergent questions, and these questions should challenge students to formulate hypotheses, make connections, and question previous beliefs. Teachers using this technique must also be skilled at valuing the responses of students, and using those responses to build more discussion and understanding. High-quality questions should challenge students to further their understanding. In order to produce high-quality questions, teachers must not be afraid to pose questions that they do not know the answers to. In addition, teachers should facilitate animated and highly-participatory discussions led by students. If students are asking high-quality questions, it facilitates a positive rating of the teacher in this component, as the students probably saw these questions modeled by the teacher. See page 3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques.
Engaging Students in Learning
The entire Danielson Framework leads to this component. Students who are actively engaged in learning are intellectually active in discussing, debating, asking "what if" questions, discovering patterns, and making choices in their learning of important, relevant, and challenging information. These activities should be a key part of the lesson, but not the entire lesson. A lesson that properly engages students should have defining factors that include a beginning, middle, and end, with scaffolding provided to get from the beginning to the end. At the closure of a lesson, teachers should encourage students to reflect on what they learned. When observing for student engagement, the observer should be watching the students, as the best indicator of proficiency is noting what the students say and do as a result of what the teacher does, has done, or has planned. See page 3C: Engaging Students in Learning.
Using Assessment in Instruction
Assessment should be a part of day-to-day instruction. Teachers must constantly be checking "the pulse" of the classroom by monitoring the learning of the students. On the surface, it may seem that the teacher is monitoring behavior, as he/she may be circling the room and listening to students in both activities. However, the teacher is actually closely looking at the work of students and listening to their conversations to determine whether they understand the concepts. Teachers will also ask questions that reveal misconceptions, as opposed to questions to deepen understanding. See page 3D: Using Assessment in Instruction.
Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness
At some point, all teachers will have a lesson go wrong. The ability to adapt to this is a teacher's flexibility and responsiveness. Skilled teachers can usually plan lessons that predict the responses of students so that midstream changes are not necessary. However, even the most experienced teacher will find that at times a lesson is just not going as planned, or a teachable moment has presented itself, and they must be ready to respond. See page 3E: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness.
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