Domain 1: Planning and Preparation

As I talked about in my last blog, the Four Domains of Teaching Responsibility is a great tool for teachers to use when planning lessons and a way for administrators to observe and critique new teachers. I have been given the task to pick a domain that I would like to look more deeply at and have chosen Domain 1: Planning and Preparation. The components of this domain are: 1a) Demonstrating knowledge of content and pedagogy, 1b) demonstrating knowledge of students, 1c) setting instructional outcomes, 1d) demonstrating knowledge of resources, 1e) designing coherent instruction, and 1f) designing student assessment.

The component that I feel the most comfortable with is in demonstrating knowledge of content and pedagogy. I feel that after teaching Algebra for the last few years, I have really begun to understand the themes that run through all of the content and are important for students to learn and understand. I was confident in my knowledge of Mathematics before I started teaching, but I have found that as I teach, I have gained a deeper understanding of the material and have been able to relate the upper level Math courses I took in college with what I teach at the high school level. Though I would have to relearn a lot of the content if I were to teach Geometry or Calculus, I know that with a solid Algebra background, I would be fine.

The second part of this component is about demonstrating a sound pedagogy. Though I went through coursework designed to teach pedagogy, it wasn't until I started teaching that I gained a better knowledge of the art of teaching. It definitely took me a while to find my niche and be able to break down the material so that my students could understand me. Like a lot of first year teachers, I was given classes that most of the other teachers didn't want to teach. I had a hard time relating the material to my students and found that I was teaching over their heads. Once I realized how to uncomplicate my subject, I had success with my students and have been continuing to grow in the area of pedagogy.

In terms of instruction, I think that the third component is most important. This component is about setting instructional outcomes which is very important when designing a lesson. Instructional goals must be clearly stated so that the teacher and students can see if they met the desired outcomes. It is also important because teachers must incorporate school directed curriculum, statewide requirements, community expectations, etc into every lesson that they teach. Setting sound instructional outcomes is a way to integrate all off these outside factors into a lesson so that instruction will most benefit students.

The component that I think I need to focus on in my own instruction the most is designing student assessments. I would like to see myself incorporate higher-level thinking into my assessment as opposed to a procedural type of test. Currently I feel that my assessments (tests and quizzes) are mostly driven by low-level memorization. Can the student factor the binomial like all of the examples? Instead I would like to focus more on problems that would cause the students to apply the facts/procedures that they have learned. Also I would like to get them to think about the importance of the topics that they are learning so instead of them asking when they will need Math in life, they will already have the answer. Lastly, I would like to use different methods for assessing student learning. Instead of always using a test or quiz, I would like to use a project or some other form of assessment. Hopefully using alternate forms of assessment and higher-level thinking problems will help promote student learning and lasting knowledge of the subject.