Domain A
Organizing Content Knowledge for Student Learning
Knowledge of the content to be taught is very important if a teacher is to instruct effectively. This domain focuses on how I, as a teacher, think about the content to be taught. This thinking is evident in how I organize instruction for the benefit of each and every one of my students.
Criterion A-1: Becoming familiar with relevant aspects of students' background knowledge and experiences.
In this photograph I am giving Donnie assistance as he and the class fill out language arts assessments and interest inventories. These forms help me to learn where they are academically as well as who they are as people.
Criterion A-2: Articulating clear learning goals for the lesson that are appropriate to the students.
In this photograph I am writing the objectives on the board for the lesson I am planning to teach for that day. This is critical because it gives the students a frame of reference in terms of the continuity of the units. Also, it helps me to answer the commonly asked question, "Why are we doing this?"
Criterion A-3: Demonstrating an understanding of the connections between the content that was learned previously, the current content, and the content that remains to be learned in the future.
In this photograph two students are looking at their portfolios to compare the work they did on their creative writing unity in relation to some work I have asked them to do in our poetry unit. Saving thier work and reflecting on it later helps them to draw connections between units.
Criterion A-4: Creating or selecting teaching methods, learning activities, and instructional materials or other resources that are appropriate to the students and that are aligned with the goals of the lesson.
This photograph shows students using the computers for one portion of the lesson. I think that the computers are a very valuable asset to the learning process and help me to effectively teach a diverse group of learners.
Criterion A-5: Creating or selecting evaluation strategies that are appropriate for the students and that are aligned with the goals of the lesson.
This is a photograph of a student portfolio. Portfolios are a great evaluation tool because they can be individualized for each student. I use student portfolios in conjunction with student conferencing, another good evaluation tool. Evaluation does not always have to take the form of a test in order to be valid.
