Domain #1 - Planning and Preparation

Planning and Preparation is all about the components that go into preparing yourself, your lessons, and your classroom for class.  You must plan your lessons and time acknowledging your knowledge of the content, pedagogy, resources, and even your students (knowing them as people and their learning skill level).  This will ensure that your lessons convey the information you are teaching accurately.  Also, you must be aware that you may have to switch around lessons, slow down, or give thinking breaks at almost any moment to promote healthy learning.  

Components: 

• Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy 

• Demonstrating Knowledge of Students 

• Setting Instructional Outcomes 

• Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources 

• Designing Coherent Instruction 

• Designing Student Assessments 

5 ways I can demonstrate this domain in my classroom: 

• I can thoroughly learn every subject I teach so that if a lesson does not go as planned, I can fall back on what I know and create a new route for the lesson to take.  I could also plan two activities in the first place in case one falls through.  

• I can get to know my students by asking them their favorite things (like colors, songs, music, hobbies) and asking about their weekend plans or what they did over the weekend already.  I can keep a list of their favorite things to occasionally include within my lessons.  

• I can utilize many resources in my class - both digital and physical - to create diverse and memorable lessons.  For instance, I can use online games to solidify the lessons I have taught in class to mix the two worlds (digital and physical) into one.  I can also collaborate on activities with other teachers and exchange resources. 

• I can set clear goals for my students and myself on what I expect them to learn.  I can also encourage them to set their own learning goals as well.  

• When determining how I can assess my students, I can make sure I go over all of the material again as a review and push back tests if I feel my students are not ready and need more time to comprehend the information.