Salli A.

Stentzel
Danielson’s Framework for Teaching
Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

Domain 4a: Reflecting on Teaching

• Hall and Simeral, authors of numerous reflective practice books, state “The more
reflective you are, the more effective you are.”
• Even with a teacher’s busy schedule, it is important to take time out of each day to self-
reflect different aspects of the school day. These include asking myself questions such as
o Did I learn something new about my students today?
o Did I plan a lesson with a clear objective that is attainable for all students?
o Did I differentiate my lesson so that all students feel like they’ve met my
objective? (Note: this is critical for my reflection because it is not just the way I
teach something, but I must take into consideration how each student learns).
o Did I make sure that I provided clear instructions for activities or projects that the
students were able to understand?
o Based on the lesson assessment, could I have done something differently to be
more effective?
• Journaling is my way to answer these questions. I may not answer every question but
jotting down notes to improve my teaching skills is a way to self-assess my effectiveness
as a teacher.
• It is important for me to use self-reflection as a way to improve my teaching for the
betterment of my students as well as myself. Keeping an open mind will allow me to
grow as a teacher.

Domain 4b: Maintaining Accurate Records

• Maintaining accurate records is an essential responsibility of any teacher. There are a
number of records that are important to keep, including
o Attendance
o Grades, a separate page for each subject
o Handing in of homework or other class assignments
o Goal progress and attainment for each individual student. I want to try to set
small objectives for each student and celebrate each success along the way. Not
every student will reach the goals the same way. Not every student will achieve
the same goals. I must remember that this is acceptable.
o Behavior records
• I have made a goal for myself to continue to use Google Classroom even as schools and
districts work to get back into the classrooms on a full-time basis.
Domain 4c: Communication with Families
• Even though most of the communication with the families are posted within Google
Classroom and through emails sent to parents, I plan on creating a classroom newsletter.
This will go out weekly to inform students and families what the week ahead has
scheduled. This newsletter will also express what families can do to help provide
assistance in their child’s education.
• On a daily basis, students will log their homework in their planner. Any brief comments
about the student’s day will be written by myself in the planner. My expectation is that
the planner is shown to the family each night and a parent or guardian must sign to
acknowledge what is written in the planner. This is also a great way for families to
communicate daily with me, if they so wish.
• At the beginning of each year, I will send a ‘getting to know you’ survey home for the
family to complete for each student. A family’s input can be a help in understanding the
child. It can also be a way to communicate any cultural information that may be able to
be used during lessons.
• A ‘Friday folder’ will be sent home bi-weekly with student work. The folder must be
signed by a guardian and returned the following Monday.

Domain 4d: Participating in the Professional Community

• I understand the importance of the relationship that is developed between teacher and
teacher, teacher and principal, and teacher and district. I will work to contribute my fair
share of planning and participation in events happening on a grade level, within the
school and within the district.
• I will remain vigilant for community-wide events in which I can participate to remain a
presence in the community.
• With gained experience, my hope is to take on co-leadership roles and eventually work to
contribute my talents in a leadership role in school and community activities.

Domain 4e: Growing and Developing Professionally

• I am a current subscriber to ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development). This learning community offers many opportunities to advance my career
as an educator and connects me to other educators around the world.
• ASCD offers professional development online courses, webinars, videos, and literature in
valuable subjects for growth as a teacher.
• I can connect and follow ASCD through social media to stay up to date on the most
current topics within education.
Domain 4f: Showing Professionalism
• I have bonded with fellow teachers during my student teaching experience. I know that I
have formed professional and personal relationships with them. As a new teacher, I am
not afraid to seek out help from them. They are willing to make time to provide guidance
and advice in helping me reach my goals and to be a better educator.
• Understanding the student’s needs both educationally and personally if of utmost
importance to me. Recently I found out about a student whose family was unable to
provide clothing for warmer weather for the student. Our school does not have air
conditioning and temperatures could reach close to ninety degrees. This student was
wearing a winter jacket to school with a spaghetti strap tank top underneath. While I
didn’t have to, I wanted to make sure that this student was provided with appropriate
clothing. I was able to provide this student with the means to dress appropriately. This
way she was able to concentrate on her work and not have to worry about the outside
world while she was in class. The smile on her face was enough to make it all worth it!