What is component 1A? Demonstrating knowledge of content and pedagogy is when the teacher knows what is going on in the class and where the class needs to be by a certain point. The teacher also understands how to teach and the importance of teaching the students in a way they will learn best. The three elements of this component are knowledge of the following; content and the structure of the discipline, prerequisite relationships, and content-related pedagogy. Teachers who implement this component well demonstrate knowledge of connections between content areas. They show students how different aspects of one content area connect to another that may seem completely disconnected from the students' point of view. Teachers also must have the skill to recognize when students have misconceptions about a topic and address those misconceptions before continuing on in the lessons. They know their students and can easily tell when they are following what is going on or struggling to do so. This element is incredibly important to engage students in the classroom and to make sure they are going along with the lessons. Students will be more engaged in the lessons if they know that what they are learning connects to other things outside of the four walls of that specific classroom. Connecting to other subjects or real life situations helps students to see how they can apply what they are learning in different settings. Making sure they are following the lesson is very important to keep track of the students' success in the classroom. If they do not understand the fundamentals of something, the teacher needs to work with them one on one or go over the topic in a different way so the student can understand.
How can it be implemented in the classroom? This component can be seen in the classroom in a multitude of ways. For example, if a high school science class is covering a unit on DNA, the teacher could include aspects of history in the U.S. at the time. The students would be able to connect what they are learning in science class to something that have learned or will learn in history. Giving the students historical context can help them to understand what led to the discovery of DNA. Another way to implement this component in the classroom is through the teacher knowing when students are not following the lesson. Checking on students' progress through the lesson can easily be done by formative assessment throughout the lesson. For example, the teacher could propose a question and give the students 4 different answer choices. Then the students could hold up the number of fingers that matches the answer choice that they think is correct. The teacher would then be able to see where the students are and decide if he/she needs to re-explain a topic to the class or if they are all okay to move on.
The Framework for Teaching Evaluation Instrument. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2017, from http://static.pdesas.org/content/documents/danielson_rubric_32.pdf (2017). Syntapa.com. Retrieved 4 October 2017, from http://www.syntapa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/connect1.jpg