The Four Domains of Teaching

Charlotte Danielson divides teaching into four domain.

Planning and Preparation

The Classroom Environment
Instruction
Professional Responsibilities

Domain 1: Planning and Preparation

The components in Domain 1 define how a teacher organizes the content that the
students are to learn -- how the teacher designs instruction.
1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
"A person cannot teach what he or she does not know." This statement captures
the essence of why content knowledge is important in teaching. Regardless of a
teacher's instructional techniques, she must have sufficient command of a subject to
guide student learning.
1b: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students
Teachers do not teach their subjects in a vacuum; they teach them to students.
To maximize learning, teachers must know not only their subject and its accompanying
pedagogy, but also their students.
1c: Selecting Instructional Goals
Teaching is a purposeful activity in that it is goal directed and designed to
achieve certain well-defined purposes. These purposes should be clear.
1d: Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources
There are two primary types of resources: those to assist in teaching and those
to help students. Although the balance between the two types varies in different
settings, both should be, to some degree, evident in all contexts.
1e: Designing Coherent Instruction
A teacher translates instructional goals into learning experiences for students
through the design of instruction. Even in classrooms where students assume
considerable responsibility for their learning, the teacher is in charge of organizing the
environment, managing the learning process, and establishing the framework for
investigations.

1f: Assessing Student Learning

Only through the assessment of student learning can teachers know if students
have met the instructional goals of a unit or lesson. The more diverse the types of
instructional goals, the more diverse the approaches to assessment must be.
Domain 2: The Classroom Environment
Domain 2 consists of the interactions that occur in a classroom.
2a: Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport
Teaching is a matter of relationships among individuals. These relationships
should be grounded in rapport and mutual respect, both between a teacher and
students and among students.
2b: Establishing a Culture for Learning
In classrooms with a strong culture for learning, everyone, including the teacher,
is engaged in pursuits of value. Rather than an atmosphere of "getting by," or "punching
the time clock," both students and teachers take pride in their work and give it their best
energy. In such classrooms, it is "cool" to be smart, and good ideas are valued.
2c: Managing Classroom Procedures
Teaching requires good management before good instruction is possible. The
best instructional techniques are worthless in an environment of chaos. Therefore,
teachers find that they must develop procedures for the smooth operation of the
classroom and the efficient use of time before they can address instructional
techniques. Students understand where they are to go and what they are to do, with
minimal confusion.
2d: Managing Student Behavior
Learning cannot occur in an environment where student behavior is out of
control. If students are running around, defying the teacher, or picking fights, they
cannot also engage deeply with content. Of course, the reverse is also true: When
students are engaged deeply with content, they are less likely to pick fights, defy a
teacher, or run around a classroom.
2e: Organizing Physical Space
Use of physical space is important in a total learning environment and varies
depending on context. Elementary teachers establish "reading corners" and spaces for

noisy and quiet activities, and teachers at all levels create furniture arrangements for
discussion sessions or group projects.
Domain 3: Instruction
Domain 3 contains the components that are at the fundamental heart of teaching -- the
actual engagement of students in content. It is impossible to overstate the importance of
Domain 3, which reflects the primary mission of schools: to enhance student learning.
3a: Communicating Clearly and Accurately
For students to become engaged in learning, they must be exposed to clear
directions and explanations. In addition, a teacher's use of vivid and expressive
language can enhance a learning experience.
3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
It is important that questioning and discussion be used as techniques to deepen
student understanding rather than serve as recitation, or a verbal quiz. Good teachers
use divergent as well as convergent questions, framed in such a way that they invite
students to formulate hypotheses, make connections, or challenge previously held
views.
3c: Engaging Students in Learning
If one component can claim to be the most important, this is the one. Engaging
students in learning is the raison d'tre of education. All other components are in the
service of student engagement, from planning and preparation, to establishing a
supportive environment, to reflecting on classroom events.
3d: Providing Feedback to Students
Feedback on learning is an essential element of a rich instructional environment;
without it, students are constantly guessing at how they are doing and at how their work
can be improved. Valuable feedback must be timely, constructive, and substantive and
must provide students the guidance they need to improve their performance.
3e: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness
Flexibility and responsiveness refer to a teachers skill in making adjustments in
a lesson to respond to changing conditions. When a lesson is well planned, there may
be no need for changes during the course of the lesson itself.

Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

The components in Domain 4 are associated with being a true professional educator:
they encompass the roles assumed outside of and in addition to those in the classroom
with students. Students rarely observe these activities; parents and the larger
community observe them intermittently. But the activities are critical to preserving and
enhancing the profession. Educators practice them primarily after their first few years of
teaching, after they have mastered, to some degree, the details of classroom
management and instruction
4a: Reflecting on Teaching
Many educators, as well as researchers, believe that the ability to reflect on
teaching is the mark of a true professional. Through reflection, real growth and therefore
excellence are possible. By trying to understand the consequences of actions and by
contemplating alternative courses of action, teachers expand their repertoire of practice.
4b: Maintaining Accurate Records
One reflection of the complexity of teaching is the need for teachers to keep
accurate records. Although not an inherent part of interaction with students, such
records inform those interactions and enable teachers to respond to individual needs.
4c: Communicating with Families
As the African proverb reminds us, "It takes a village to raise a child." Educators
have long recognized that when they can enlist the participation of students' families in
the educational process, student learning is enhanced. The relationship between
parents and teachers also depends on the age of the children; most kindergarten
teachers have far greater contact with the families of their students than do high school
teachers.
4d: Contributing to the School and District
Teachers contribute to and support larger school and district projects designed to
improve theprofessional community.
4e: Growing and Developing Professionally
As in other professions, the complexity of teaching requires continued growth
and development in order for teachers to remain current. Continuing to stay informed
and increasing their skills allows teachers to become ever more effective and to
exercise leadership among their colleagues.
4f: Showing Professionalism

Expert teachers demonstrate professionalism in service both to students and to

the profession. Teachers have a strong moral compass and are guided by what is in the
best interest of each student. They display professionalism in the ways they approach
problem solving and decision making. Teachers act with integrity and honesty, they put
students first in all considerations of their practice. They also support their students
best interests, even in the face of traditional practice or beliefs.

https://www.danielsongroup.org/framework/