4D: Participating in a Professional Community

4D: Participating in a Professional Community

Colleagues are an amazing resource and professional educators know that their students benefit when they take advantage of the wealth of expertise colleagues carry.  Danielson’s component 4D: Participating in a Professional Community looks at four different ways teachers connect with the professional community that surrounds them.

The first element is Relationships with Colleagues.  During the school year, we often spend more time with our colleagues than we do our own families!  Establishing and growing positive relationships with the members of your team enhances all of the work you do together.  Relationships are built on mutual support and a willingness to share.  On the other hand, competition has been shown to be a factor that degrades relationships with colleagues.  We are all in this together!  Adhering to established group norms builds trust between team members and nurtures these relationships.  

The second element, Involvement in a Culture of Professional Inquiry, ties directly to our PLC work. Much like we provide opportunities for inquiry for our students, teachers must engage in collaborative inquiry as we develop our practice.  By answering the PLC questions related to content, assessment and student learning, teachers design instruction that moves students forward...and then they also have the student data to prove it!

Service to the School, the third element in this component, is how teachers commit to building-wide work outside of their own classrooms.  Through participation on the Vanguard Team, PBIS or Student Engagement Teams, Building Leadership and School Improvement Teams, teachers impact all of the learners in the building and contribute their expertise and leadership.  There are so many additional opportunities that teachers jump at making happen for students and families outside of the classroom walls,  it would be impossible to list them all here.  Hawthorne and STEM both are blessed with incredibly committed teachers who step up to make our buildings amazing places for students to THRIVE!  We are fortunate to have you ALL.

Finally, Participation in School and District Projects, is another realm where teachers connect to a greater professional Community.   If you have ever worked on a summer curriculum committee, taught or taken a PSI or TDP course, joined a collegial study or district committee you know how that work adds to the greater needs of SDW but also provides new insights to bring back to your classroom.  

The Danielson rubric states the following for teacher who is proficient in 4D:

-Relationships with colleagues are characterized by mutual support and cooperation.  The teacher actively participates in a culture of professional inquiry and volunteers to participate in school events, making a substantial contribution.

A distinguished teacher is one who takes a leadership role in the activities he/she participates in.

A sincere thank you for your participation in the school and district community.  Your work keeps moving us all forward!

Today’s reflective question for the comment section below:

*What has one of your colleagues done that helped nurture relationships with the people around them?  Appreciation shout-out time!