education your child is receiving? Is it different from other years? If so, what is the difference? Parents relayed complete confidence in the type of education the students were receiving and this was directly related to the current classroom teacher who had been identified as excellent. One parent described her child’s teacher “as the best teacher in the district,” while another explained her perspective on the type of education her child was receiving by stating,
area, but for this grade compared to other grades even. It’s clicking in this classroom. And it is also going to make it hard because now that I see what she can be with the right teacher, it’s going to make it hard for the next teacher because I am going to expect it. Additionally a parent followed up with, “I’m finding teaching excellence in this community. I’m amazed at where my kids are right now because of the teaching.”
Question 9. Please tell me anything else about this teacher that you perceive as important
in influencing a level of excellence in teaching. One parent stated about her child’s teacher, In my opinion, she’s doing it better because for some reason she thought this was a better way to get the children to know this information and if she thought enough to find
something else. She enjoys being responsible for what they’re supposed to know that year. I think she takes that pretty seriously. I think she’s very lighthearted. She is very easy to talk to. She is very easy to like. But she’s very honest also. She always has the students’ best interest and she’s always striving for them to become higher order thinkers, not just to regurgitate information.
Another parent followed about her child’s teacher:
You can just tell he wants to be a teacher. This isn’t just a job. This is something he’s very passionate about. You can see it just by watching him, which makes you feel very hopeful. I just think you can tell he wants to be here.
Artifacts. Teacher artifacts included weekly newsletters, lesson plans, and varied parent communications, such as emails, and were collected as supporting documentation. I hoped to gain access to additional documents, but even after multiple attempts to gain access to additional documents, I was unsuccessful. The artifacts helped to further substantiate the data collected in the interviews and focus groups. Content analysis was used to generate codes from individual
documents based on evidence presented. The list of common codes was small due to the limited amount of artifacts provided by each teacher. I made a list of codes (See Appendix D) and then used categorical aggregation to identify which codes aligned with cognitive attributes, affective attributes, and professional dispositions.
Lesson plans. Four of the six teachers provided lesson plans. Two of the lesson plans
consistently showed examples of teaching excellence based on Danielson’s (2007) Domain 1: Planning and Preparation. All lesson plans included content standards and detailed explanations of lesson activities along with daily schedules. However, the content provided in two plans was more in-depth and could be easily implemented by someone other than the teacher. Two
teachers identified varied instructional strategies to include whole group and small group instruction, the use of technology, and opportunities for students to make choices in daily activities. The information presented was clearly organized and thorough.
When analyzing the lesson plans, it was noted that there was such inconsistency in the types of information and amount of information presented. This was evidenced with directions clearly showing differentiated instruction and opportunities for students to engage in small group and independent work. The inclusion of technology was also identified: “Students will rotate between math stations. Group 1 will be working with the teacher at the back table while Group 2 completes (computer program) activities. Group 3 will be working independently at their
desks.” Another example of directions provided on a lesson plan in the area of reading would read,
Student will do the round they pick (Listen to Reading, Writing, Working with Words or Read to Someone). Mark the round on the accountability sheet. Between 1-3rd rounds do mini lesson. See the next box for mini lessons. Explain Writing and Work with Words
before first round.
Additionally, all assessments and rubrics included multiple modalities and several aspects to measure mastery of identified skills. For example, one of the writing rubrics highlighted the major skills of writing a paragraph: “topic sentence, main body/supporting details, conclusion, and conventions.” The rubric was clearly organized and written in a grade-level appropriate tone. For example, “The conclusion wraps up the paragraph fairly well and refers to the main idea”
Parent communication. Multiple variations of parent communications were provided.
Three of the six teachers provided letters or emails representing direct communication with parents. The communications were mostly used to inform parents of changes to classroom procedures, expectations, or content, and to enhance the teaching and learning process with additional guidance and support being offered. One of the letters to parents described a new reading structure called the “Daily Five.” The letter provided parents with the background information necessary to understand a change in teaching reading, and encouraged parents to engage their child in conversations about this new strategy. Evidence of content knowledge and pedagogical expertise was present as the teacher described how the students may feel about the Daily Five. She stated,
Ask your child about Daily Five and see what he/she has to say. I anticipate your child will tell you about the class stamina, how we are working towards independence, and maybe you will even hear about some of the fantastic things your child has written, read, or listened to during our structured reading time.
Discipline policies from two teachers were also included as parent communication. One of the discipline policies was written out with clear expectations and both rewards and
consequences were listed. The other discipline policy consisted of smiley, straight, and sad faces which reflected students’ behaviors. The discipline policies reflected both cognitive and
affective attributes in that they were developmentally appropriate based on the age of the child and clear expectations were defined. Affective attributes were present in the wording of the policy.
Weekly newsletter. Four out of six teachers presented a weekly newsletter that
highlighted upcoming skills being addressed in class. One teacher provided a running record of what students were learning in class and how they would progress. The math section read:
We will continue to make progress in money and time and adding new coins. In groups we are working on all mixed amounts of coins. Independently kids are adding mixed amounts of dimes, nickels, and pennies. We are also working to tell time to the quarter hour and identifying the quarter hours.
As evidenced in this short sample, the teacher demonstrated differentiated instruction and varied instructional strategies by allowing students to work both independently and in groups. Another teacher sent home a weekly newsletter that highlighted the spring carnival and included pictures of carnival games and families. The message “families come join the fun” was
conveyed. Another newsletter included an email format that highlighted accomplishments and fun things happening in the classroom. This teacher also included real-time pictures of the students and a quick summary of the activity. The email stated,
We had the honor of having _________an official dance instructor come to our class today and teach the kids about her job and actually teach them some dance moves. It was so fun and it got our hearts racing in these days of indoor recess.
students. It stated, “Great job helping your child in March Reading Madness! I will be checking their charts again Friday. The more you read, the more they grow!”
Field notes. Field notes were taken during and after the recorded interviews and focus groups and allowed for additional reflection on the time and place of the interview, specific statements made, and the body language and facial expression of the participants. Field note forms were used to take notes and record observations (see Appendix C and Appendix D). The amount of field notes reflected the amount of significant statements, nonverbal communication cues, and observations of the classroom environment. Small words or phrases were written down to assist me in remembering important ideas within context of the discussion.
Teachers. Passion was frequently noted in the interviews with teachers. In three of the
teacher interviews, I noted “A strong emotion related to a story being told about a particular student. Two teachers teared up when discussing particular students or events which were very meaningful.” A sense of excitement was present in the same teachers’ voices when describing how all students can learn. One teacher even said, “Heck yeah, they can learn.” I noted the excitement in her voice and the squaring of her shoulders when she proclaimed all students could learn. Another one of the teachers became quite quiet when asked the same question, and it was noted that she seemed “reflective” when deciding exactly how to answer the questions, in which she stated, “Well, yeah, all students can learn. Can they learn the same amount? No.”
Teacher 1. I entered the school office at the beginning of a school day and was directed to