Danielson Model Teacher Standards and Collaborative Professional Development Plans

Video Transcription

Hello there, and welcome. In this lesson we'll take a look at the role that the professional teacher standards from Charlotte Danielson's evaluation model have on collaborative professional development. Let's get started.

If you look closely, you'll find that one of the most widely used evaluation models in education today is the Danielson Model. Districts and states across the country have adopted or adapted it. The model was developed by Charlotte Danielson, founder of the Danielson Group. And, like most teacher evaluation models, it has professional teaching standards embedded in it.

These standards act as a blueprint for quality teaching when collaborative teams are building their professional development or growth plans. These comprehensive standards give teachers the language and metrics to determine the effectiveness of their plan.

The Danielson Teacher Evaluation Model is based on the interstate teacher assessment and support consortium standards, or INTASK, which were developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers in 2011.

Two years later the Danielson Model was updated to include the instructional shifts that were introduced by Common Core State Standards and findings from the Gates Foundation's Measures of Effective Teaching Project.

Charlotte Danielson is one of the most respected researchers in the field of education today. She carries with her an impressive background in education, including curriculum, evaluation, and research. Her goal was to develop a framework that included clear parameters that defined effective teaching practices. The result was a model framed around a constructivist teaching philosophy. It includes 22 components that are broken down into 76 smaller elements and grouped into four domains.

Before we get into the details of the Danielson framework I would like to point out two main purposes. They are to frame our dialogue around professional practices for the purpose of improving teaching and learning. In other words, it gets those of us in the field talking about what really matters. And that is getting better at what we do in order to help students grow.

Secondly, to frame the district's mentoring, coaching, professional development, and teacher evaluation processes. We know that these are all in place to help us get better at what we do.

As stated earlier, the model is structured in a way that breaks down the information into four domains and 22 components. Please keep in mind that many districts modify, or adapt this, to meet their own needs. However, this is the format in its purest form. As we go through them I will highlight one component from each domain. However, you may want to pause at each slide to take a closer look at all of them.

In the first domain, planning and preparation, I would like to highlight 1f, designing student assessments. With so much emphasis on this topic teachers are now expected to be skilled in designing high-quality assessments that help to guide instruction. It's important for teachers to understand the purpose of each assessment given and really use the information gathered effectively.

In domain two, classroom environment, I want to highlight 2a, creating an environment of respect and rapport. We often talk about educating the whole child. And to me, that means respecting each individual that we come into contact with. If they aren't in the right mindset they cannot learn. There's an ancient Chinese saying I often remind myself of, intelligence grows in the happy mind.

For domain three, instruction, 3b, using questioning and discussion techniques. There's been an explosion of research and literature on this topic. Having had the opportunity to observe dozens of teachers in action it has become evident to me why. Simply posing questions in a certain way and allowing learning to happen through discussion makes a huge impact on learning.

And finally in domain four, professional responsibilities, let's highlight 4e, growing and developing professionally. Continuous growth is something we should all aspire to. Becoming an effective teacher in the 21st century requires us to take control of our own learning and make the necessary adjustments to meet the needs of the students and families that we serve.

Here's an example that demonstrates how one growth plan can include so many of the components listed. Here's a teacher who needs to increase and improve communication with families. More contact with families will help the teacher gain more knowledge of the students. By making positive phone calls and e-mails students will know that they're respected. If parents know what's going on in the classroom they're more likely to discuss topics with their children. And everyone will be more invested in learning. That affects culture.

The next two, communicating with students and families, is at the heart of this plan. It could be through social media, phone calls, e-mail, weekly newsletters, or special events. And finally, increasing the quantity and quality of communication will show the learning community that this teacher is a true professional.

I'll leave you with one more example of a teacher who wants to improve their formative assessment practices. By including more assessments the teacher will gain more knowledge of her students. Designing student assessments is the main focus of this plan. When formative assessments become a routine part of the teacher's practice and are used instruction it will impact the culture of learning. Achieving this goal will require the teacher to maintain accurate records. And finally, this teacher will most likely attend some professional development in order to learn more about formative assessments.

Let's take a quick look back at what was covered in this lesson. We introduced the Danielson teacher evaluation model and the purpose of the framework. The four domains are planning and preparation, classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities. We wrapped things up by sharing a couple of examples of plans and how the components can guide professional growth.

And now for today's food for thought, create a plan, or take an existing one, and check off how many components are reflected in it.

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 that you want.

Thanks so much for watching. We'll see you next time.