CEL 5D+ Instructional Framework

Describe how the framework support culturally responsive and sustaining teacher practices.

SUBDIMENSION THE VISION GUIDING QUESTIONS

PURPOSE

Standards • The lesson is based on grade-level standards, is
meaningful and relevant beyond the task at hand (e.g.,
relates to a broader purpose or context such as problem-
solving, citizenship, etc.), and helps students learn and
apply transferable knowledge and skills.

• The lesson is intentionally linked to other lessons
(previous and future) in support of students meeting
standard(s).

• How do the standard and learning target relate to content knowledge, habits of thinking in the discipline,
transferable skills, and students’ assessed needs as learners (re: language, culture, academic background)?

• How do the standard and learning target relate to the ongoing work of this classroom? To the intellectual
lives of students beyond this classroom? To broader ideals such as problem-solving, citizenship, etc.?

• What is the learning target(s) of the lesson? How is it meaningful and relevant beyond the specific task/
activity?

• Is the task/activity aligned with the learning target? How does what students are actually engaged in doing
help them to achieve the desired outcome(s)?

• How are the standard(s) and learning target communicated and made accessible to all students?

• How do students communicate their understanding about what they are learning and why they are
learning it?

• How does the learning target clearly communicate what students will know and be able to do as a result of
the lesson? What will be acceptable evidence of student learning?

• How do teaching point(s) support the learning needs of individual students in meeting the learning
target(s)?

Learning
Target

and

Teaching
Points

• The learning target is clearly articulated, linked to
standards, embedded in instruction, and understood by
students.

• The learning target is measurable. The criteria for
success are clear to students and the performance tasks
provide evidence that students are able to understand
and apply learning in context.

• The teaching points are based on knowledge of students’
learning needs (academic background, life experiences,
culture and language) in relation to the learning target(s).

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Intellectual
Work

• Students’ classroom work embodies substantive
intellectual engagement (reading, thinking, writing,
problem-solving and meaning-making).

• Students take ownership of their learning to develop, test
and refine their thinking.

• What is the frequency of teacher talk, teacher-initiated questions, student-initiated questions, student-to-
student interaction, student presentation of work, etc.?

• What does student talk reveal about the nature of students’ thinking?

• Where is the locus of control over learning in the classroom?

• What evidence do you observe of student engagement in intellectual, academic work? What is the nature
of that work? In what ways is work designed to promote sustained interest (e.g. creates value for students,
generates student questions, promotes student ownership of material, etc.)?

• What is the level and quality of the intellectual work in which students are engaged (e.g. factual recall,
procedure, inference, analysis, meta-cognition)?

• How are student identities and experiences surfaced and valued in the classroom to provide multiple ways
of understanding and experiencing academic content?

• What specific strategies and structures are in place to facilitate participation and meaning-making by all
students (e.g. small group work, partner talk, writing, etc.)?

• Do all students have access to participation in the work of the group? Why/why not? How is participation
distributed?

• What questions, statements, and actions does the teacher use to encourage students to share their
thinking with one another, to build on one another’s ideas, and to assess their understanding of one
another’s ideas?

Engagement
Strategies

• Engagement strategies capitalize on and build upon
students’ academic background, life experiences, culture
and language to support rigorous and culturally relevant
learning.

• Engagement strategies encourage equitable and
purposeful student participation and ensure that all
students have access to, and are expected to participate
in, learning.

Talk • Student talk reflects discipline-specific habits of thinking
and ways of communicating.

• Student talk embodies substantive and intellectual
thinking.

5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning™

INSTRUCTIONAL FRAMEWORK VERSION 4.5

Copyright ©2012 University of Washington, Center for Educational Leadership.

SUBDIMENSION THE VISION GUIDING QUESTIONS

CURRICULUM & PEDAGOGY

Curriculum • Instructional materials (e.g., texts, resources, etc.) and tasks are appropriately
challenging and supportive for all students, are aligned with the learning target
and content area standards, and are culturally and academically relevant.

• The lesson materials and tasks are related to a larger unit and to the sequence
and development of conceptual understanding over time.

• How does the learning in the classroom reflect authentic ways of reading, writing,
thinking and reasoning in the discipline under study? (e.g., How does the work
reflect what mathematicians do and how they think?)

• How does the content of the lesson (e.g., text or task) influence the intellectual
demand (e.g. the thinking and reasoning required)? How does it align to grade-
level standards?

• How does the teacher scaffold the learning to provide all students with access to
the intellectual work and to participation in meaning-making?

• What does the instruction reveal about the teacher’s understanding of how
students learn, of disciplinary habits of thinking, and of content knowledge?

• How is students’ learning of content and transferable skills supported through
the teacher’s intentional use of instructional strategies and materials?

• How does the teacher differentiate instruction for students with different
learning needs—academic background, life experiences, culture and language?

Teaching
Approaches
and/or
Strategies

• The teacher makes decisions and utilizes instructional approaches in ways that
intentionally support his/her instructional purposes.

• Instruction reflects and is consistent with pedagogical content knowledge and is
culturally responsive, in order to engage students in disciplinary habits of thinking.

• The teacher uses different instructional strategies, based on planned and/or in-
the-moment decisions, to address individual learning needs.

Scaffolds for
Learning

• The teacher provides scaffolds for the learning task that support the development
of the targeted concepts and skills and gradually releases responsibility, leading to
student independence.

ASSESSMENT FOR STUDENT LEARNING

Assessment • Students assess their own learning in relation to the learning target.

• The teacher creates multiple assessment opportunities and expects all students to
demonstrate progress towards their learning goals.

• Assessment methods include a variety of tools and approaches to gather
comprehensive and quality information about the learning styles and needs of
each student (e.g., anecdotal notes, conferring, student work samples, etc.).

• The teacher uses systems and routines for recording and using student
assessment data (e.g., individual charts, conferring records, portfolios, rubrics) and
emphasizes this data as evidence of student progress towards learning goals.

• Assessment criteria, methods and purposes are transparent and match the
learning target.

• How does the instruction provide opportunities for all students to demonstrate
learning? How does the teacher capitalize on those opportunities for the
purposes of assessment?

• What opportunities are provided for students to revise their work based on
teacher and peer feedback?

• How does the teacher gather information about student learning? How
comprehensive are the sources of data from which he/she draws?

• How does the teacher’s understanding of each student as a learner inform how
the teacher pushes for depth and stretches boundaries of student thinking?

• How do students use assessment data to set learning goals and gauge progress
to increase ownership in their learning?

• How does the teacher’s instruction reflect planning for assessment?

• How does the teacher use multiple forms of assessment to inform instruction
and decision-making?

• How does the teacher adjust instruction based on in-the-moment assessment of
student understanding?

Adjustments • The teacher uses formative assessment data to make in-the-moment instructional
adjustments, modify future lessons, and give targeted feedback to students.

• The teacher provides feedback that fosters students’ meta-cognition to promote
their role as editors of their work and that of their peers.

5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning™
INSTRUCTIONAL FRAMEWORK VERSION 4.5

Copyright ©2012 University of Washington, Center for Educational Leadership.

5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning™
INSTRUCTIONAL FRAMEWORK VERSION 4.5

Copyright ©2012 University of Washington, Center for Educational Leadership.

SUBDIMENSION THE VISION GUIDING QUESTIONS

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT & CULTURE

Use of
Physical

Environment

• The physical arrangement of the room (e.g., meeting area, resources, student
seating, etc.) is conducive to student learning.

• The teacher uses the physical space of the classroom to assess student
understanding and support learning (e.g., teacher moves around the room to
observe and confer with students).

• Students have access to resources in the physical environment to support learning
and independence (e.g., libraries, materials, charts, technology, etc.).

• How does the physical arrangement of the classroom, as well as the availability
of resources and space to both the teacher and students, purposefully support
and scaffold student learning?

• How and to what extent do the systems and routines of the classroom facilitate
student ownership and independence?

• How and to what extent do the systems and routines of the classroom reflect
values of community, inclusivity, equity and accountability for learning?

• What is the climate for learning in this classroom? How do relationships
(teacher-student, student-student) support or hinder student learning?

• What do discourse and interactions reveal about what is valued in this class-
room?

• What are sources of status and authority in this classroom (e.g., reasoning
and justification, intellectual risk-taking, popularity, aggressiveness, etc.)?

Classroom
Routines and
Rituals

• Students show responsibility for and ownership of classroom systems and rou-
tines that further independence, learning, and a culture of respect.

• Available time is maximized in service of learning.

Classroom
Culture

• Classroom discourse and interactions reflect high expectations and beliefs about
all students’ intellectual capabilities and create a culture of belonging, equity and
accountability for learning.

• Classroom norms encourage risk-taking, collaboration and respect for thinking.

• The classroom culture fosters the exchange of constructive feedback and celebra-
tion of growth.

Copyright ©2012 University of Washington, Center for Educational Leadership. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, email edlead@u.washington.edu, call the Center for Educational Leadership at
206-221-6881, or go to www.k-12leadership.org. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise—without permission of the Center for Educational Leadership. 5D, “5 DIMENSIONS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING” AND OTHER LOGOS/IDENTIFIERS ARE TRADEMARKS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP.

5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning™

PURPOSE
• Standards

• Learning Target and
Teaching Points

STUDENT
ENGAGEMENT
• Intellectual Work

• Engagement Strategies

• Talk

CURRICULUM &
PEDAGOGY
• Curriculum

• Teaching Approaches
and/or Strategies

• Scaffolds for Learning

CLASSROOM
ENVIRONMENT &
CULTURE
• Use of Physical

Environment

• Classroom Routines
and Rituals

• Classroom Culture

ASSESSMENT
FOR STUDENT
LEARNING
• Assessment

• Adjustments