What is it? Component B of Domain 1 targets the importance of having a knowledge of each individual student. A misconception that is often formed about education is that educators teach in the abstract. That is actually not the case at all. Educators teach content to the students which means that having background knowledge about students lives is just as important as knowing the content. In order to engage every student a teacher must first know some very important information about the student. Student's lives beyond school life play a major factor in how lessons should be planned and prepared.
Why do we need it? There are many educational psychology theorists that have emphasized the importance of positive student and teacher relationships. One such theorist by the name of Bronfenbrenner conducted research on the idea that teachers need to look at every student's mesosystem. A student's mesosystem consists of their relationships between family members, peers, the community, etc. and how it affects learning. Another theorist by the name of Davis conducted research regarding the importance of being an academic caring teacher as well as a personal caring teacher. This means that it is equally important for teachers to show an interest and a knowledge of student's personal lives as it is for them to care how they are progressing in their learning. Educators need component 1B because research shows that in order to be teachers of impact we must understand the environments from which all of our students come from. It is only after we gain a knowledge of the student that we are able to teach and shape them using our knowledge of content.
What are the elements? Component 1B contains five different elements. The first element is all about the knowledge of child and adolescent development. What this means is that children learn and progress differently at different stages throughout their lives. That is one reason why it is so important for teachers to stay up to date on the most recent research in cognitive psychology. The next element focuses on the teacher's knowledge of the learning process. Successful and productive learning requires a student to be actively and intellectually engaged. A teacher should know what signs suggest this engagement and what signs suggest disengagement. The third element centers around the teacher's knowledge of student's skills, knowledge, and language proficiency. This ties back into what I discussed earlier about how a student's life beyond school impacts their learning. This is why it is so important for teachers to take the time to understand their students circumstances. The focal point of the next element is having a knowledge of students' interest and cultural heritage. A child's background also effects the learning process. For example, a student whose first language is not English will need to be given extra attention or a modified lesson. Having a knowledge of these sorts of factors is important for the preparing and planning of classroom lessons. The last element is all about the importance of an educator having a knowledge of students' special needs. Not every child develops in the same way which means classrooms are full of student's who require teaching that is specific to them. It is extremely important for a teacher to have this knowledge so that every child is taught in the correct way that makes sense and works for them.
What does implementation look like? Implementation of component 1B could look like a number of different things.
A few of my own suggestions would be to find out information about all of the student's interests. If a couple student's are on the soccer team then attend a game. A teacher should also keep the student's interests in mind when creating lessons. For example, a teacher who is successfully implementing component 1B would use the children's interests in the creation of classroom problems. The next math test could include a question about calculating the difference in goals of two soccer teams.
Good implementation also requires a teacher to create every lesson plan using the universal design for learning. If this is done then every lesson that is prepared will have multiple means for learning making sure to meet all student's needs. This is necessary because every teacher must keep in mind that student's will be in varying Vygotsky, Piaget, Erikson, and Kohlberg stages and that as a result of this they will all learn differently. A teacher of impact would keep all the different educational psychologists theories in mind while creating lessons.
It is also very important, by law, to make sure that your teaching style matches with a student needs who has an IEP. Every teacher is likely to have a student with an IEP so making sure that you are understanding what the student's needs are and are properly addressing them is key. If a teacher does not do this then they could be subjected to a due process hearing which is not good. If a given IEP isn't working then the teacher needs to go to the IEP team leader and explain the situation. The teacher should highlight the fact that want the IEP to work and that they want the child to succeed. Implementing component 1B into a classroom environment makes it so that every student is cared for and looked after in the best way possible.
Sources: Danielson Group » The Framework. (2017). Danielsongroup.org. Retrieved 21 September 2017, from http://www.danielsongroup.org/framework/