A professional educator possesses the knowledge and skills to design both the instruction and the environment for enhanced learning by all students.
Pillars of educational practice include: 1) Curriculum design and knowledge; 2) Instructional technique and appreciation of student development and readiness; 3) Quality assessment and evaluation practices; and 4) Management of the learning environment while attending to Social and Emotional Learning and needs of students.
The mastery of these and of related skills requires a career-long developmental process that integrates technique with the practitioner’s own personality.
Within our school district, these Four Pillars are identified as: Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment and Social and Emotional Learning/Managing the Learning Environment.
Four Pillars
Curriculum
Curriculum outlines the core domains of knowledge and defines what students are expected to know, understand, and do during a particular course of study.
Instruction
Instruction includes proactively planning and carrying out varied approaches to content, process and product in response to student differences in readiness, interest and learning needs.
Assessment
Assessment is the systematic process of gathering information in order to make appropriate educational decisions that support student improvement. Assessment is progressive, ranging from informal to more standardized, formal assessments, which lead to evaluation.
Social Emotional Learning
Social Emotional Development promotes healthy social and emotional development for all students at the classroom, school-wide and district levels, intentionally teaching acceptance of responsibility, honesty, integrity, appreciation of individual differences and caring about others.