What is it? Domain 1 of the Danielson Framework targets all aspects of planning and preparation. A superior teacher is one who makes sure that lessons are well planned based on knowledge of content, students, and resources. An impact teacher prepares these lessons in advance as well as the instruction and assessments required for learning. Having a clear outcome in mind when planning and preparing is essential. Domain 1 encompasses all of these areas of the planning and preparing process by providing detailed and descriptive guidelines for educators to align themselves with.
Why do we need it? Teachers need Domain 1 for many reasons but one of the more important ones is because it keeps us educators focused on our goals. Having a deep understanding of our content and being able to properly teach our students is a crucial part of our job but it is not all of it. It is also our job to know who our students are, to help to better them in every way possible. We must use every resource we can in order to help them discover who they are. Domain 1 has vast importance because it reminds educators of their purpose and the best ways in which to make an impact.
The perspective of a working teacher: After conferring with an educator who is currently in their fifteenth year of teaching I felt it necessary to include some of the information I gathered. This teacher works in an oral deaf, preschool classroom where the students use cochlear implants and hearing aids to access sound. She told me that content knowledge, knowledge of students and the knowledge of available resources are all critical for creating an effective learning environment in her classroom. She also stated that without goals/objectives in mind for student learning, it is rare that they will happen. She was quick to add, however, that even if you plan lessons with an excellent knowledge of the topic, that you will not be able to reach your students if you don't understand who they are and the extent of their needs. What I took away from my discussion with her was that all the components of Domain 1 build upon one another and as a result of this it is essential that they are given the attention they deserve.
Sources: Danielson Group » The Framework. (2017). Danielsongroup.org. Retrieved 21 September 2017, from http://www.danielsongroup.org/framework/