Module 1: TESS

Define each domain of TESS in my own words

Domain 1: Planning and Preparation

Planning is what you will do, how you will do it and why you will do it.  In order to do these things well, you need to know your content area so that changes and extensions are easily made -- you have a full breadth of knowledge so that you can incorporate that into each lesson.

Knowledge of students is key, too.  This can include where they are from culturally, any special needs, learning disabilities, where they are on a topic (their knowledge), and how they learn, including child development.

Assessment is ensuring that you have met your standards and that the students are able to perform at those standards.  You are making sure you have done what you set out to do.  Outcomes are intentional and keep all students in mind.  A teacher wants to ensure that high students are challenged and lower students are met at their level so they all can grow toward their goals.

Domain 2: The Classroom Environment

Creating a classroom environment is key to being a successful teacher.  Your environment includes the actual space and its organization, but it also includes intangible things like respect, procedures, managing behavior, and establishing a culture for learning.  Without procedures, student behavior can spiral out of control.  Without expectations, students won't know what you will require from them.  Without mutual respect, students are unlikely to perform at the level you want (and need) them to perform.

Domain 3:  Instruction

This domain involves setting expectations for learning and how the students will gain knowledge of the content.  Quality instruction combined with high level questioning techniques is important for students to grasp the full content of the instruction.  Student participation and discussion is key to their understanding.

Feedback is a big part of instruction - teachers are constantly monitoring learning and offering feedback to students.  Flexibility is important because sometimes things do not go as planned, but sometimes real learning can be taking place that was unexpected in a certain area (maybe due to a discussion)...you want to be able to adapt and guide.

Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

Teaching is a unique profession in the amount of feedback required - feedback to kids, administrators, families.  Many people have a stake in the education of our children.  A good teacher reflects on how things went (each day...each hour!) and is willing to make changes and to critically look at his or her technique.  Documenting how things were done or situations with individual kids is imperative.  If you have a child who is struggling, documentation will allow you to get necessary help for that child.  If you have a child with behavior problems, specific accounts will be very important when talking with that child's parents.  Professional development includes being a part of your professional teaching community and making intelligent and helpful contributions.  (Instead of gossiping about a problem child....asking what can we do to really help this child this year?)  It also means developing professionally by constantly expanding content knowledge and skill level through professional development.  And finally, teachers need to represent their profession with professionalism, intelligence, and a desire to serve kids and families.


Overlap

As I get to know these domains better, there is overlap in almost every aspect - as none of these domains can operate successfully in a vacuum.  Here are some overlap observations:

• Student participation and discussion is important (domain 3), but that cannot happen if they class is not managed and behvior is a problem (domain 2).
• Much planning and preparation can get you to a certain point (domain 1), but if your actual instruction falls short, students may not learn (domain 3). 
• If there is a deficit in content knowledge (domain 1), actual instruction will suffer (domain 3) because thinking creatively and employing high level instruction techniques cannot happen if your content knowledge is inadequate.
• The classroom environment (domain 2), to me, is critical to the success of all domains.  If your class is out of control or you do not require mutual respect, your content will suffer (domain 1) and your instruction is likely to fall apart (domain 3).  It might also result in more negative parent communication (domain 4) which might not be necessary if the environment were controlled.  Creating a culture of learning informs so much of what teachers do.
• I think success and a desire to do well in domains 1, 2, and 3 feed into a high performance in domain 4.  If you do not care and are not doing a very good job in the first 3 domains, chances are high that you will not be contributing to the profession in a meaningful way.  You may not care to seek out meaningful development opportunities or, even worse, you may act in a way that does not represent your school in a professional way or harms students.

Teacher Performance of the domains

Domain 1

1. Teacher is an expert in his or her content.
2. Teacher knows the learning process and understands how 2nd graders develop.  She is aware of each student's skill level and knowledge base and she works to  incorporate their interests into her lessons.
3. He or she brings in additional resources to enhance given lessons.
4. Students are frequently divided into groups for activities or for groups that are on similar levels.
5. He or she has assessments built in and has an eye on growth of all students.  The teacher scaffolds learning for kids and returns to content again and again.  Learning builds as the year continues.

Domain 2

1. Teacher treats all students with respect and students respect Teacher.
2. Teacher does not scream or belittle students yet he or she has a very firm presence in the room.
3. Routines and procedures are set.  Students know how to line up for lunch without chaos.  Students know where to put things to avoid wasting time.  Students know when to ask a question. Students have a signal for needing to use the restroom so it isn't a disruption.
4. The classroom is organized and clean.  Things have a place and students know to put things back.  Each member of the class has a responsibility for keeping the class ready for work.

Domain 3

1. Teacher communicates simply and effectively with students.  A lot of repeating is not needed because explanations are clear and students have a good grasp on procedures.
2. Teacher employs high level questioning techniques.  If a student struggles, she scaffolds their answer and provides supports (does not just skip on to the next kid.)
3. Instruction is meaningful, creative, non-repetitive, and the structure and pace of lessons is adequate. 
4. Teacher monitors instruction as it is happening, ready to adjust to responses from students, to getting off track, or to getting off track in a meaningful way.

Domain 4

1. Teacher is a happy, helpful part of his or her school building.  She supports other teachers, she has high expectations of kids, she addresses problems when she sees them, and she is a strong contributor to a positive school culture.
2. Teacher participates willingly in professional development that is meaningful and challenging.  She seeks out opportunities to grow.
3. Teacher represents the profession and her school well.  She advocates for kids and has a high degree of professionalism.  
4. Teacher talks to parents regularly - not just for complaints, but for positive feedback.  Teacher provides windows into her classroom for parents and families (pictures, newsletters, feedback).

This was an extension activity I did this week based on the book What the dinosaurs did at school.  Fourth grade was divided into groups and each group had a room in the school (lunch room, kindergarten classroom, janitor's closet, library, art room).  Domain 2 was my #1 priority (respect, expectations, transitions, behavior).  My fingers were crossed that it wouldn't flop this early in the school year!  One class was not great due to an instruction error on my part (domain 3) but the other 4 classes were better than I expected...and they loved it.

Testify: examples from my educational background (or my son's)

• In my son's education, I have been VERY disappointed with feedback and communication from the teacher (Domain 4), particularly at one school.  It seemed like because he was a good student, I was told "he's great, no worries" and that was it.  I felt like he was flying under the radar because he was a great reader with no behavior problems.   At his current school, even in 4th grade, weekly processes are set up to provide parents with feedback from teacher about child's behavior, grades, etc.  Grades will not be a surprise at the 9 weeks because we get weekly feedback from his current teacher (also his 3rd grade teacher at the same school.)  Clearly, this school values feedback.
• While I still find it surprising, I was actually part of a college class where the professor seemed to legitimately struggle with content (Domain 1).  In this math class, content knowledge was truly lacking.  It was a mess for the students because we were not math majors.  It was a summer course, so perhaps the university had a crisis, but "winging it" is not the best idea when it comes to content!
• As a Rotation Teacher (Librarian) now, I have been on the receiving end of a chaotic classroom environment (Domain 2).  Every-single-week this class rolled into library in utter chaos.  While I tried SO HARD to set library expectations of respect and learning, because of the chaos of their classroom, this was practically impossible.  It became a game of "get through this 40 minute block."  I visited their class a few times and it was just as chaotic in there....apparently her classes are always like this!  Bad behavior's effect on learning, procedures, respect....it all unravels so very quickly.  
• My favorite college class was because of the professor.  He had a way of asking just the right question (Domain 3) about the reading and it had us all on the edge of our seats to try and find the answer.  Asking the right questions is an area I want to improve in; I do not feel like I do this very well.  The quality and depth of his instruction (clearly a result of his content knowledge!) was just amazing.  He also had a way of letting us get uneasy about things.  He wouldn't fill in the silence.  His instructions or question was clear and he was comfortable letting us squirm and try to figure out the text.  To this day I'd pay $100 for a day in his class.  That would be a very meaningful professional development for me!