Ashley Roomsburg

EDUC540

03/03/2018

Reflection: Domain 4

In the Danielson (2013) domains, domain four discusses the professional responsibilities

that educators need to fulfill. It is important to remember that an educators work is not only in

the classroom, but outside of the classroom developing as a professional and working with

families and the community. Educators also need to continue to grow professionally and stay in

touch with new teaching methods and ideas. Educators need to always try to improve their

methods, and a strong professional learning network can help this process. As a student teacher, I

have made sure to be professional, and participate in activities to improve my professionalism.

The first domain in the Danielson (2013) framework is reflecting on teaching, in which I

am proficient. I am always evaluating my teaching methods daily by journaling about how my

day and lesson plans worked in the classroom. I also talk with my cooperating teacher daily

about how the lessons went as she observes my teaching. I reflect by speaking with others in the

profession and finding ideas to improve upon my teaching methods.

The second domain in the Danielson (2013) framework is maintaining accurate records. I

am developing in this domain, as I work to continue to keep records of student progress that are

easily accessible and communicate these with the families. I would like to improve on my

practice by moving to a student-centered approach to grading and record keeping. I would like to

have the students curate their work into a portfolio which best represents their progress in the

classroom from their point of view. This will help to improve record keeping and make it

meaningful to the students as well.

 Communicating with families is the third subsection in Danielson (2013) domain four.

This domain involves communicating with parents in a professional manner and working with

families for the good of the students, while respecting cultural differences. I feel I am proficient

in this domain, as I continue to show respect for families and have improved with my

communication home to keep parents aware of what is occurring in the classroom. I also have

participated in parent teacher conferences while in my student teaching placement and was able

to help with any input and ideas. I will soon be creating report cards and writing detailed

comments on them to the parents as well, in order to keep positive communication between

myself and the families.

The fourth subsection in Danielson (2013) domain four is participating in the professional

community. I am proficient in this area as I have been participating in the professional

community both within the district activities as well as by developing my own professional

learning network. In the district that I am student teaching within, I have attended multiple

professional learning community meetings where I have worked with other first grade teachers

on curricular goals. I have also attended teacher in service training days and meetings to continue

to learn and improve my practices. Outside of district activities, I have developed my own

professional learning network through Twitter, where I am able to follow other educators and

innovators as well as community organizations and gain new ideas.

Growing and developing professionally is the fifth subsection in the Danielson (2013)

domain four, which I am proficient in as well. I have worked to take suggestion and ideas from

those who have observed my teaching. I constantly work towards improving my instruction in

the classroom, as well as classroom control and engagement. Over the course of my student

teaching, I have continued to improve and refine my methods to be more effective and to reach
all of my students. It is important for me to continue to try new methods to improve upon my

practice, and my goal will be to continue on this trajectory through my student teaching

placement and beyond.

The final subsection of Danielson (2013) domain four is showing professionalism. I am

distinguished in this area of practice, as I continue to be professional in my interactions with my

colleagues, families, and students. Although I am beginning teaching, I make sure my practices

are professional by consulting with colleagues or administration when I have questions. I take

confidentiality seriously and make professional practice with my students a high priority in the

classroom.

I have continued to improve in this domain while in my student teaching placement. I

have been able to observe and see what it means to be professional in the education field and

follow the lead to ensure my practice as an educator is professional as well. I have and will

continue to learn and improve upon my practice through using this domain as a guide. My

professional learning network and reflection strategies will ensure that I can always continue to

learn and improve each day in the classroom.

References
Danielson, Charlotte. The Framework for Teaching: Evaluation Instrument. Danielson Group,

2013.