Using Danielson’s Framework for Teaching to Strengthen Practice and Improve Learning

The PEN system uses a reliable, research-based tool to assess how teachers develop in their individual practice while refining their methodology to meet learner needs. That tool is Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching (FFT) — one of the most tried and tested evaluation frameworks in education today. It provides a clear structure for professional reflection and a common language for discussing teaching across grade levels and subject areas. It is one of the pillars of the PEN system.

 Within the PEN system, the FFT becomes more than an instrument for appraisal; it is a guide for growth. Teachers conduct self-evaluations across all four FFT domains:

Domain 1 - Planning and Preparation

Domain 2 - The Classroom Environment

Domain 3 -  Instruction

Domain 4 -  Professional Responsibilities

 These four areas cover everything from lesson design and classroom management to student engagement and professional ethics, offering a complete picture of effective teaching.

 Self-evaluation across all four domains helps teachers see the connections between how they plan, how they teach, and how their decisions affect learning. From there, they design  experimental lessons and action research projects focused on specific learner needs, turning reflection into classroom improvement.

 Peer and supervisory evaluations add a second perspective. Classroom observations under the PEN system concentrate on Domains 2 and 3 — The Classroom Environment and Instruction — where teaching and learning are most visible. These domains examine how the classroom functions as a community of learning and how instruction engages students, uses questioning, and checks for understanding.

 Supervisors may choose to conduct a full four-domain evaluation or focus on these two domains when the purpose is specifically classroom growth. This flexibility keeps evaluation meaningful, fair, and time-efficient.

 Because the FFT is comprehensive and transparent, it helps schools sustain consistent expectations while supporting professional autonomy. Teachers and evaluators work from the same evidence base, keeping the process focused on improving student learning rather than completing forms.

 Schools adopting the PEN system are able to access to the FFT both in its traditional format and through a secure online version provided by an external provider who works closely with the Danielson’s Group. (Contact us for more information.) This allows teams to document evidence, monitor progress, and track growth over time — an efficient way to support a culture of continuous professional learning.

 The FFT remains one of the most reliable tools available to educators, and within the PEN system it anchors a balanced process of reflection, collaboration, and measurable improvement in teaching.

 Part of the Transforming Teaching Through Shared Practice series by Professional Educators Network (PEN).

以教學框架強化教學實踐與學習成效

PEN 系統運用一個可靠且以研究為基礎的工具，評估教師在個人教學實踐中的成長，同時精進其教學方法以符合學生的學習需求。這個工具就是 夏洛特・丹尼爾森（Charlotte Danielson）的《教學框架》（Framework for Teaching，簡稱 FFT）——當今教育界最經得起時間考驗且最受信任的教師評鑑架構之一。它為專業省思提供清晰的結構，也建立了一種跨年級、跨學科的共同語言，用以探討教學。

在 PEN 系統中，FFT 不僅僅是一個評鑑工具，更是一個成長導引。教師會依據 FFT 的四個領域進行自我評估：
第一領域 — 教學計畫與準備
第二領域 — 課室環境
第三領域 — 教學實施
第四領域 — 專業責任

這四個範疇涵蓋了從課程設計與課堂管理，到學生參與與專業倫理的一切，提供了對有效教學的完整視角。

在四個領域的自我評估能幫助教師看清「如何計畫」、「如何教學」以及「這些決策如何影響學習」之間的關聯。接著，教師會設計實驗性課程與行動研究，針對特定的學習需求進行探究，將省思轉化為課堂上的具體改進。

同儕與主管的評估則提供第二個觀點。在 PEN 系統中，課堂觀察著重於 第二與第三領域——「課室環境」與「教學實施」，也就是教與學最具體呈現的地方。這些領域觀察課堂如何作為一個學習社群運作，以及教學如何吸引學生、運用提問並檢核理解。

主管可以選擇進行涵蓋四個領域的完整評估，或僅聚焦於這兩個課室相關領域，當評鑑目標特別針對課堂成長時。這樣的彈性讓評鑑更具意義、公平且節省時間。

由於 FFT 架構完整且透明，它能幫助學校維持一致的期望，同時支持教師的專業自主。教師與評鑑者以相同的依據進行對話，使整個過程專注於提升學生學習，而非僅僅填寫表格。

採用 PEN 系統的學校可同時使用 FFT 的傳統紙本形式，或透過與 **丹尼爾森集團（Danielson Group）**密切合作的外部提供者所提供的安全線上版本。這讓團隊能記錄證據、追蹤進展並觀察長期成長——是一種有效支持持續專業學習文化的方式。

FFT 仍是教育工作者最可靠的工具之一，而在 PEN 系統中，它穩固地奠定了省思、協作與可衡量的教學改進之間的平衡。

出自 專業教育者網絡（Professional Educators Network）《透過共享實踐轉化教學》（Transforming Teaching Through Shared Practice）系列。

由 Chat GPT 翻譯

PLC Leadership Lessons

Every school has teachers who quietly bring people together. They are the ones who keep discussions focused, who notice when someone’s struggling and offer to assist, they often turn a good idea into a shared one. Those are your PLC leaders, though they don’t always wear a title. The PEN system recognizes those teachers and put them where these people skills can be used and honed.

 A Professional Learning Community doesn’t run on enthusiasm alone. It needs leadership — someone who can turn conversation into collaboration and collaboration into growth.

When I designed the PEN System, I saw how much the quality of a PLC depends on how its leader shapes the space: how they listen, frame questions, and help their peers connect learning goals to what’s actually happening in their classrooms.

Good PLC leaders do far more than arrange meetings or fill out forms. They keep the group anchored on student learning, not administration. They encourage every voice, especially the quiet ones. They notice patterns in classroom data and help the team decide what to do next. Most importantly, they lead their colleagues to bring the ideas teachers collect from books, conferences, webinars, or workshops back to the group and turn them into something practical — something that can be tried the following week, not shelved and forgotten.

They provide the framework for using those ideas when teachers do action research and share their results in their PLC.

 When a teachers do experimental lessons to improve methodology, the PLC leader is there to encourage them. When teachers examine the work of struggling students, the PLC leader directs the meeting and makes sure that everyone participates.

 When this happens, the whole school changes. Knowledge stops belonging to individuals and starts circulating. A teacher who attended a workshop on reading fluency, for example, can share what worked, others adapt it, and within a few weeks the impact reaches dozens of classrooms. That’s how best practice becomes shared practice — the heartbeat of the PEN System.

 A good PLC leader doesn’t control the conversation; they guide it. They understand that professional growth is both personal and collective. They model reflection, honesty, and curiosity, and they create a space where teachers feel safe to take small risks — to try something new, share what happened, and learn from both success and struggle.

 Schools thrive when professional learning is led by teachers, not imposed on them. PLC leaders are the quiet architects of that change — building bridges between ideas and action, between professional development and classroom reality. In every great school, you’ll find them: the people who make shared practice possible, but in the PEN system they get recognized for it.

PLC領導的啟示

在每一所學校裡，總有一些老師默默地把人聚在一起。他們讓討論保持焦點，留意到有人遇到困難時主動伸出援手，也常常能把一個好點子變成集體的行動。這些人就是PLC的領導者，雖然他們未必有正式的頭銜。PEN系統認可這些老師，並讓他們的溝通與協調能力得到充分發揮與磨練。

專業學習社群（PLC）並非僅靠熱情就能運作。它需要領導力——需要有人能把對話轉化為合作，並把合作轉化為成長。
當我設計PEN系統時，我看見一個PLC的品質，很大程度取決於其領導者如何營造空間：他們如何傾聽、如何提出問題，並如何協助同儕將學習目標與實際教學情境連結起來。

優秀的PLC領導者遠不只是安排會議或填寫表格。他們讓團隊始終以學生的學習為核心，而非行政事務。他們鼓勵每一個聲音被聽見，尤其是那些平時較安靜的老師。他們觀察學生學習數據中的模式，引導團隊決定下一步行動。最重要的是，他們帶領同事把從書籍、研討會、網路講座或工作坊中獲得的想法帶回團隊，並轉化為可實踐的策略——那些可以在下週就嘗試的點子，而不是被擱置或遺忘的資料。
他們為教師行動研究提供架構，讓這些想法能被應用、被測試，並在PLC中分享成果。

當老師們為改進教學方法而進行實驗課時，PLC領導者會在旁鼓勵他們；當老師們檢視學習困難學生的作品時，PLC領導者主持會議，確保每個人都參與討論。

當這樣的文化形成時，整所學校都會改變。知識不再屬於個別教師，而是流動共享的。一位參加閱讀流暢度研習的老師，能分享有效的策略，其他人再加以調整與應用，短短幾週後，影響力已擴散至數十個教室。這就是如何讓最佳實踐變成共享實踐——PEN系統的核心精神。

優秀的PLC領導者不主導對話，而是引導它。他們明白專業成長既是個人的，也是集體的。他們以反思、誠實與好奇作為榜樣，並營造一個讓老師敢於嘗試新事物、分享經驗、從成功與挑戰中學習的安全環境。

當專業學習由老師主導而非被外力推動時，學校才能真正茁壯。PLC領導者正是這種改變的靜默建築師——他們在理念與行動之間、在專業發展與教學實踐之間搭起橋樑。在每一所優秀的學校裡，你都會找到他們——那些讓共享實踐成為可能的人，而在PEN系統中，他們的努力也會被看見與肯定。

由ChatGPT翻譯

Action Research to Enhance Student Learning

Have you ever had one of those moments when you look around your classroom and think, something’s not quite clicking here? The students are trying, you’re trying, but the learning just isn’t landing the way you hoped. That’s usually where the magic of curiosity begins—and in the PEN system, that curiosity has a name: action research.

Action research is really just a structured way of doing what good teachers already do. It starts with a question. Not a grand academic question, but an honest one: What am I seeing in my classroom, and how can I make it better? From there, it’s all about testing ideas, trying new approaches, collecting evidence, and reflecting on what happens. No jargon, no over-complication—just inquiry with purpose and keeping a record of it for later discussion.

In the PEN model, this isn’t an extra task squeezed in between grading and report cards. It’s part of the rhythm of teaching. It’s how growth happens—from the inside out. Teachers become researchers in their own classrooms, not because someone told them to, but because the school has a culture of teachers curious about improving learning.

The best part is that no one does it alone. Within Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) those regular, scheduled PLC meetings - teachers share what they’ve tried. Sometimes it’s a short reflection, sometimes it’s a video clip, sometimes it’s just a “this didn’t work as planned” story. These conversations are where the real learning happens. You hear someone else’s idea, it sparks a new thought, and suddenly you’re trying something different with your own students.

These sessions aren’t about judging or showing off—they’re about professional honesty. Teachers give feedback, ask questions, and help each other look at things from new angles. Student needs are not unique, there are trends and often shared concerns. Maybe someone notices that a certain strategy worked better with younger learners. Maybe another teacher sees how to adapt it for students who need more support. Slowly, the room fills with collective expertise, built from real classrooms and real students. It’s not information from someone in an ivory tower who never teaches students older than graduate level.

Sometimes, study groups emerge naturally from this kind of collaboration. A few teachers decide to dig deeper into a problem - say, reading comprehension or student engagement - and before long, they’re running their own mini research project. It’s professional development that’s alive, not locked away in a conference handout or hidden in a forgotten USB file.

And when teachers start looking closely at student work, the discoveries multiply. Instead of just checking answers, they begin to notice patterns - where thinking breaks down, which questions confuse students, what really captures their attention. It’s not about assigning grades anymore; it’s about understanding how students learn.

In the bigger picture, action research connects to the school’s goals. Teachers use data, often from their own testing, or from standardized tests, to focus on the real learner needs that matter most. One of those, across almost every school worldwide, is literacy. Reading and writing challenges don’t just belong to language teachers. They spill over into Science, Social Studies, even Math. Through action research, teachers across subjects can work together to address these gaps and strengthen learning for everyone.

Action research is not some academic add-on. It’s the heart of professional growth in the PEN model. It’s teachers saying, “Let’s figure this out together,” and then doing it with purpose, curiosity, and sometimes courage. It’s about testing, reflecting, sharing, and, most importantly, improving learning for the students right in front of you.

In the end, that’s what makes it powerful: it keeps teachers learning just as much as the students do and that takes us to the next discussion – self-evaluation and action research to improve one’s own teaching.

Contact us for a free PEN Handbook.

Professional Development that Benefits Everyone

Have you ever been sent to a conference where you experienced one of the following?

Conference A is packed with session after session of information. Keynote speakers talk about their research and their great new ideas. Among all those breakaway sessions, you can’t find enough that relates directly to your teaching or your students’ learning needs to keep you interested for three days. Still, you feel it’s your duty to attend as many sessions as possible, hoping to pass on something useful to a colleague. So, you sit through workshops that don’t really connect with your daily experience in the classroom.

Conference B is packed with useful information. There are so many breakaway sessions to choose from that it takes some fine-tuning to select those most appropriate to your teaching. The keynote speakers are inspiring, and delegates are basking in new ideas. The networking is meaningful. You leave the conference after three days bursting with enthusiasm and a renewed sense of purpose.

Then back to school. If colleagues ask about the conference, they’re seldom truly interested in hearing about the inspiring keynote address or looking at the slides released to delegates. Even if you attended a workshop you thought might benefit them, finding time to talk becomes difficult. They have papers to grade, exams to set, and lessons to plan. Classroom management strategies for that difficult class often take second place to simply coping at the coalface.

Both scenarios leave conference delegates with dwindling inspiration. The initial enthusiasm soon disappears under piles of student books and presentations, test papers, and behaviour issues—until the next conference comes around. This is how formal professional development usually works. Do you also find the forgotten conference materials from four or five years ago at the back of the cupboard or on and old USB somewhere?

Is there a way to share and retain, even expand, the knowledge delegates gain?
That question bothered the designer of the PEN System. How could a school make sure that everyone benefits from new ideas and knowledge when there is usually no budget for sending everyone to an international conference with first-class speakers.  The answer became part of the multi-pronged PEN system that eventually translates this new knowledge into addressing student needs, not only for the conference delegate’s students, but  to bring about transformation through shared practice.

Both Job-Embedded Professional Development (JEPD) and Formal Professional Development, such as conferences, seminars, webinars, short courses and workshops, have their rightful place within the PEN Framework. Each is planned and purposeful, designed to meet the evolving needs of educators. While JEPD supports ongoing growth through daily practice and collaboration, formal PD offers structured opportunities to deepen knowledge and expand instructional repertoire. One should enhance the other.

JEPD happens where teaching happens — in the moment, in the classroom, among peers. It is contextual, reflective, and owned by the teacher. It invites experimentation, celebrates curiosity, and builds a culture where learning and sharing that knowledge is part of the work, not an interruption to it.

Formal professional development. These experiences introduce teachers to new perspectives, new research, and innovative approaches that may not emerge naturally in the day-to-day rhythm of school life. The challenge is ensuring that this knowledge doesn’t vanish into forgotten folders, unshared notes, or unvisited slides once the excitement fades.

This is where the PEN framework bridges the two. It provides a clear process: teachers begin with honest self-reflection, examine data from their own students, and connect their goals to the broader vision of the school. From that point forward, their professional development becomes a living plan — dynamic, tailored, and continuously shaped by their practice. Formal PD becomes fuel for ongoing inquiry, feeding into the conversations and actions that define JEPD.

How? It is a plan that lives in dialogue — between educators, between individual aspirations and school-wide goals. When do busy teachers make the time for this? This is where knowledge sharing in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) comes in. The time for sharing is scheduled, and participation is compulsory.

A PLC is more than a group of teachers working together. Collaboration must be structured and purposeful, focused on improving student learning through continuous educator development. This is where those great lessons from formal PD sessions find their next life — not forgotten at the back of a cupboard or on an unused hard drive, but brought into discussion, adapted, and applied to bring about transformation through shared practice.

At its core, a PLC must bring educators together in a cycle of inquiry: they collectively identify learning goals, examine student data, discuss and implement new strategies, and reflect on their impact.

The strength of a PLC lies in shared responsibility. Teachers no longer work in isolation but as part of a team that grows together through dialogue, feedback, and mutual support. Regular meetings give space to talk about student progress, teaching ideas, and what’s actually working in the classroom.

PLCs aren’t divided by subject, but by teachers working with the same age group — keeping every conversation relevant, practical, and immediately useful to everyone.

In our next blog post, we’ll talk about action research and how it fits in with the teacher’s personal growth as well as the learning needs of the students.

For our handbook describing the PEN Framework in detail, contact us, it’s free of charge.