Application of Danielson (case study/example)

Video Transcription

Hi, my name is Ashley. And today's lesson is titled Application of Danielson. In today's lesson, we will demonstrate how the Danielson Teacher Evaluation model is applied. We'll look at this in more detail through a scenario and reflective questions to guide you through the evaluation process.

Mr. Foster is a fifth-grade teacher who teaches sixth grade in a high achieving school in Georgia. He will be teaching his students how to find the circumference of a circle during his classroom observation. His classroom consists of 30 sixth graders, 2 of which have autism. Let's take a look at how to apply the Danielson Teacher Evaluation model through a few reflective questions.

So if I were Mr. Foster, how would I respond to these questions? Suppose you were going to be observed during a lesson, how would you prepare? If it were an announced observation, 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?

If I were Mr. Foster, I would prepare for this lesson by first giving a pre-assessment. I don't want to start off cold with this lesson and not to know exactly what my students need to learn. This addresses Danielson model domain 3, using assessment and instruction. I would use this pre-assessment to drive my instruction. I would use the pre-assessment to prepare for the pre-conference, by using the collection of data so my evaluator would know that I've carefully planned out my instruction.

Questions I would ask my evaluator is, how long would the observation last? What are three main things that he will be looking for when he comes to visit my classroom? I will also ask my evaluator for a rubric that will be used during the observation.

The information that I will provide to the evaluator about my students will be the number of students I have, the number of students who receive special education services or have 504 plans, the number of students who have been retained. I would also point out students that have major difficulties with math. I might name topics that students have been successful with in the past, and then on the other hand, topics where the class as a whole struggled with. I might even ask the principal to keep an eye on specific students to see if what they observe compare to any academic or behavior issues I have observed.

What kinds of things would you hope to highlight during the announced observation? What teaching strategies would you use? Well, considering Danielson Teacher Evaluation model, I would definitely hope that the evaluator would see good classroom management as noted by domain 2, classroom environment.

At the beginning of the school year, I would work very hard to make sure students understand classroom routines and procedures so that when it's time for me to be observed, the evaluator will see students knowing what to do during transitions and where to put things away when it's time to move one. I would also want the principal to see the questioning and discussion techniques that I use addressing domain 3 again with instruction, and how these questions and discussion engage students in the learning process. I would want my knowledge of the content to shine through my instruction, which is addressed by domain 1, planning and preparation.

I want my evaluator to know that I'm qualified to teach circumference to sixth-grade students. And like I mentioned before, I would using questioning and discussion techniques in order to engage students as well as classroom management procedures. How might you debrief about the observation with your evaluator? During the post conference, I would evaluate my performance by explaining what I thought went well with the lesson and what things I need to work on. This addresses domain 4 of Danielson, reflecting on teaching.

I would consider the feedback of my principal and ask my principal for assistance if we both felt it was needed in a particular area. Based on what your evaluator saw, they decided to conduct two unannounced observations. What kinds of things would you hope to demonstrate during the observation? How would you prepare?

I would use whatever feedback my principal gave me to prepare for the next observation. Being that they are both unannounced, I would assume that my principal has given me ample time to make corrections if needed. Let's say my principal was not too pleased on how I managed classroom behavior procedures the first time I was observed. I would want my evaluator to see the second and third time that the classroom atmosphere is more positive by establishing routines and being consistent in what I expect from my students.

In order to work on my classroom management skills, I could do a number of things. I could observe another teacher who is known for having good classroom management. I could research procedures and routines to see which ones would work best for my classroom. I can check in with my evaluator frequently to let him know of things I have tried and their results.

How might you seek assistance from your evaluator? How would you let them know of your needs? If I need assistance from my evaluator, I could do this through face-to-face conversation by setting up an appointment to meet with my principal, or send an email asking for strategies or suggestions for what I need improvements on.

You decided that you need ongoing support. What would you put in place? How would you self-monitor? How could the teacher evaluation tool help you with this self-monitoring in your growth? To receive ongoing support, I would set up a mentoring relationship with a teacher who has good classroom management experience and skills, someone that I can learn from. Periodically, I may have that same teacher observe me and provide feedback for me to see how I can improve. I would use that feedback from my mentor to self monitor my growth.

The teacher evaluation tool would help me with self-monitoring because I could use a rubric and decide where I fall in the rubric by the information that is presented. And that will help me to decide whether my classroom management has improved, or if I still need work.

Let's recap what we have discussed in today's lesson. In today's lesson, we explored how the Danielson Teacher Evaluation model can be applied. We looked at some reflective questions and demonstrated how the model can help prepare the teacher for the pre-conference, the observation in the post-conference, and can serve as a tool when self-evaluating one's progress.

Use the scenario in questions discussed in today's lesson to help you prepare for the evaluation process using the Danielson Teacher Evaluation model. Now it's your turn to apply what you've learned in this video. The additional resources section will be super helpful. This section is designed to help you discover useful ways to apply what you've learned here. Each link includes a brief description so you can easily target the resources you want.