Literature Review: Domain D

Literature Review: Planning Instruction and Designing

Learning Experiences for Students

By: Rachael Hubbard

National University
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Abstract:

In regards to the Teacher Performance Expectations, Domain D is Planning

Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for Students. This domain includes the

teacher Performance expectations (TPEs) 8 and 9. TPE 8 includes learning about

students. TPE 9 involves instructional planning. The artifacts I have chosen to include

under Domain D include a math lesson plan and photos of group work stations that are

differentiated. With reference to the article “Principles of Instruction: Research Based

Strategies That All Teachers Should Know”, I will show my reasons for choosing the

artifacts in this domain.

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Literature Review and Rationale for Artifacts: Domain D

The article, “Principles of Instruction: Research Based Strategies That All

Teachers Should Know” gives research based principles for instruction and also

provides suggestions for classroom practices. Domain D of the Teacher Performance

Expectations (TPEs) is Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for

Students. Within this domain, there are TPE 8: Learning about Students and TPE 9:

Instructional Planning. The artifacts I have included under this domain are ones I have

chosen because I feel they represent these teacher performance expecations.

The first artifact I included under Domain D is a math lesson plan. This

represents TPE 9: Instructional Planning. The California Commission on Teacher

Credentialing, California Teacher Performance Expectations states “Candidates plan

instruction that is comprehensive in relation to the subject matter to be taught and in

accordance with state-adopted academic content standards for students. They

understand the vertical alignment of curriculum within the state-adopted content

standards and how to plan instruction accordingly” (p. 16). I included the math lesson

plan because it is an instructional plan that aligned with state standards and the

standards are specifically listed. I feel it is important to be knowledgeable about the

standards and plan learning activities for students based on the standard you are trying

to meet.

This lesson plan also represents effective classroom practices as I read the

article, “Principles of Instruction: Research Based Strategies That All Teachers Should

Know”. In the article it states, “In one study, the more successful teachers of

mathematics spent more time presenting new material and guiding practice. The more
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successful teachers used this extra time to provide additional explanations, give many

examples, check for student understanding, and provide sufficient instruction so the

students can learn to work independently without difficulty” (Rosenshine, p. 16).

Looking at the lesson plan, there is time for instruction, guided practice, and individual

practice as well as partner and small group work. However, as the year progressed, I

feel like the guided practice became more effective and students were engaged. I used

white boards and the students loved working on them so I was able to see which steps

they might be missing or concepts they all understood. I was also able to see which

students needed more help for small group practice. This lesson plan shows

instructional planning and the reflection at the end gives ideas on improvement.

The second artifact I’ve included is photos of my group rotations, differentiated

groups, and charts of work station expectations. This artifact meets both TPE 8 and

TPE 9. In order to create the small groups and differentiate instruction, I had to learn

about the students in my class. There was a process to get to the point of doing small

group rotations and having students work independently and holding them accountable

that started with creating the charts of expectations for each work station. This was

completed as a whole group with student input so that students knew what was

expected of them. Then I needed to consider not only both formal and informal

assessments and where student’s needs were but also each individual student’s

personality and social interactions with other students when creating the groups. Once

the groups were created, I was able to differentiate instruction and plan activities for

each small group that met their educational needs.

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Overall, as the article states, “Teachers face a difficult problem when they need

to cover a lot of material and don’t feel they have the time for sufficient review. But the

research states (and we all know from personal experience) that material that is not

adequately practiced and reviewed is easily forgotten.” It is important in instructional

planning to teach new concepts, give accurate time for guided practice, and practice as

individuals, partners, and small groups. In order to plan instruction, we first need to

know our students. The artifacts I have chosen to include under Domain D represent

both TPE 8 and TPE 9 and as I further my years in teaching, I hope to add more

artifacts and learn more about planning instructions and teaching practices.
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Resources

Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies that

All Teachers Should Know. American Educator. Pgs 12-19. Retrieved June 23, 2019

from https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/Rosenshine.pdf

Commission on Teacher Credentialing (2013). California Teacher Performance

Expectations. Retrieved June June 22, 2019 from: https://www.ctc.ca.gov/docs/default-

source/educator-prep/standards/adopted-tpes-2013.pdf