Application of Danielson (case study/example)

Video Transcription

Welcome. I'm Trisha Fyfe. And in today's video lesson we will look at the lesson titled, Application of Danielson. As we learn about this topic, we will work towards two main learning objectives, and will answer the following questions to guide our learning in this video lesson.

How can we apply the Danielson Framework to a teacher who is going to be observed? As well as, what is the process for considering the best evaluation methods and techniques?

In this video lesson, I'll walk you through an example scenario of a teacher involved in an evaluation using the Danielson model. We'll go through the pre-conference, observation, and post-conference stages of evaluation. And I'll address the roles of both the teacher and the evaluator throughout.

Let's start by discussing the case study that we'll look at today. The teacher is Mr. Price. He's a seventh grade math teacher in Washington state. And this is his fifth year of teaching. His class consists of 24 students, 14 boys and 10 girls. With one student having high-functioning autism. And four students who are English language learners.

Mr. Price will be teaching a lesson on finding area and perimeter of rectangles today. And he'll be using stations in his class to implement active learning opportunities for groups.

Here is some review of the components of the Danielson Teacher Evaluation model. Remember, there are four domains, with elements that fall under each domain. Pause and take a moment to review this model, if needed.

Let's look at some questions we can use to guide us in the evaluation process. I'll use this case study as a guide for answering these reflective questions. We'll start by talking about how we can prepare. Here are some questions to consider.

Suppose you are going to be observed during a lesson. How would you prepare? How would you prepare for the pre-conference? What questions would you ask your evaluator? What information would you provide your evaluator about your class and your students? Let's go through these questions. And we'll look at how Mr. Price might have responded to each of these.

One of the first things I would do in this scenario is compile information that's important and relevant about my class. I would write out a description of the makeup of the class, including number of students, and then list any students that had 504s, or special needs, as well my ELL students. Any information you have about class dynamics will help your evaluator understand the observation better.

I would write down a description of what we have done in class that is relevant, and has led up to the observation and this lesson. And I would gather student samples and assessment information from my students math from that year and past years, if available, to give my evaluator an idea of students' levels and needs, as well as to support my reasoning for this lesson.

This falls under Danielson's Domain One, Planning and Preparation. Specifically, elements 1B Demonstrating Knowledge of Students, and 1C Setting Instructional Outcomes. Finally, I would compile a list of questions for the evaluator, and my expectations and concerns. Questions might include, what are you going to be looking for during this particular observation? Is there anything, specifically, such as a classroom management or specific teaching strategy you would like me to focus on?

Let's talk about the observation itself. Here are some reflective questions to guide your preparation for this part of the evaluation. What kinds of things would you hope to highlight doing that announced observation? What teaching strategies would you use? If I were Mr. Price, I would really want to highlight a few things during this lesson.

First, I would want my evaluator to see I have been using strategies that we have been working on from my professional growth and development plan. Let's say Mr. Price has been working on implementing learning centers in his math lessons. This includes working on grouping students together in a way that is intentional. These are important to highlight as they follow under Danielson's Domain 2, Classroom Environment. 2A Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport, 2B Establishing a Culture for Learning, 2C Managing Classroom Procedures, 2D Managing Student Behavior, and 2E Organizing Physical Space.

It also falls under Domain 3, Instruction. Element 3C Engaging Students. If I were Mr. Price, I would also want to highlight the fact I was using assessment data from prior lessons to guide teaching on these concepts.

In this scenario, Mr. Price chose to use learning stations as well as intentional grouping strategies. After the observation, it's time to start thinking about the post-conference. Here's a question you should consider for reflection here. How might you debrief about the observation with your evaluator? If I were Mr. Price, I would consider talking with my evaluator about taking some time for each of us to reflect and gather our thoughts before we meet for our post-conference.

I would propose we write down notes, questions, and concerns to discuss together. This goes back to Danielson's Domain 4, Professional Responsibilities, Element 4A Reflecting on Teaching.

During the post-conference, we would address what went well with the lesson and what areas needed improvement. The evaluator should offer suggestions here for improvement during this time. This falls under Danielson's Domain 4, 4E Growing and Developing Professionally. Based on what your evaluator saw, they decided to conduct two unannounced observations. What kinds of things would you hope to demonstrate during that unannounced observation? How would you prepare? In this situation, I would hope to have had time to observe other teachers in action.

I might look for opportunities to watch teachers and ask for feedback from other peers about strategies I have in place. I would also hope to show that I've been working on growth in the areas that my evaluator and I have been discussing. And I would hope my evaluator would recognize I have new and improved strategies implemented.

Most importantly, I would want to make sure my evaluator was able to see I have been working on elements of Domain 4, Element 4E Growing and Developing Professionally, and Domain 3, 3E Engaging Students in Learning. How might you seek assistance from your evaluator? How would you let them know of your needs? Here it would be important to be honest in your needs and what tools and support you could use. I might set up a time to meet with my principal to discuss these needs, or send an email regarding these concerns and needs.

Of course, you will get to know what's best for you and your evaluator as you establish that relationship. It's important here to keep in mind Danielson's Domain 4, Element 4F Showing Professionalism.

You decided you needed ongoing support. What would you put in place? How would you self-monitor? And how could the teacher evaluation tool help you with self-monitoring and your growth? For this needed support, I might see if opportunities were available for professional development in the areas of Intentional Grouping as well as Learning Centers or Stations.

And I might also look for ways to incorporate technology into these areas. I would connect with peers to set up times for peer observations, or discussions. The Danielson Teacher Evaluation Tool would be essential for growth and reflection. And I would use any rubrics or tools provided by my school and district to monitor and track progress as I rated myself on various areas.

Let's talk about what we learned today. We looked at the questions, how can we apply the Danielson Framework to a teacher who is going to be observed? And, what is the process for considering the best evaluation methods and techniques?

In this lesson, I walked you through a review of the Danielson Teacher Evaluation model. And we used the scenario of a teacher who is being evaluated to work through some reflective questions. Now that you are familiar with these concepts, let's reflect.

Consider a scenario of your own. Walk through these questions, applying elements of Danielson's model in your answers. Were there any challenging questions for you?

Thanks for joining me today in discussing the lesson, Application of Danielson. I hope you found value in this video lesson and are able to apply these ideas and resources to your own teaching.

For more information on how to apply what you learned in this video, please see the Additional Resources section that accompanies this video presentation. The Additional Resources section includes hyperlinks useful for applications of the course material, including a brief description of each resource.