www.le.ac.uk

Introduction to Lesson Study

16 May 2013

HEA Research Seminar

Phil Wood Wasyl Cajkler

www.le.ac.uk

Part 1

What is lesson study?

What is lesson study?

Iterative cyclical process by a group of teachers who:

1. identify a learning challenge

2. collaboratively plan a ‘research lesson’

3. teach research lesson (one teacher)

4. observe with focus on case students

5. collaboratively evaluate

6. re-teach improved lesson (Trad. LS cycle)

Traditional LS: Dudley’s advice1. Analyse data and identify focus

2. Identify your ‘lesson study’ group

3. Connect with, and draw on, what is already known about your focus before you start work

4. Identify 3 case pupils (or multiples of 3)

5. Jointly plan a ‘research lesson’ based on needs of case pupils

6. Teach and jointly observe the ‘research lesson’

7. Interview the case pupils

8. Hold a post lesson discussion

9. Find ways of helping others to learn from your lesson study

Other models: variation

• http://www.lessonresearch.net/briefguide.pdf

• Lewis (2002) recommends 4 stages:

1. focus

2. plan

3. teach and observe

4. reflect and re-teach/plan next steps.

Characteristics of lesson study• ‘kenkyu jugyou’ (lesson study)

• classroom-based, collaborative, research orientation to professional learning and practice development

• focus on gradual building of ‘teaching’ (Stigler and Hiebert 1999);

• slow burn approach to development

• recursive and reflexive (Dudley, 2011)

• used extensively in Japan, increasingly in US

• UK since 2008 (Dudley, 2008)

Identifying learning challenge (Dudley, 2008)

References

Dudley, P. (2008) Improving practice and progression through Lesson Study. London: DCSF.

Dudley, P. (2011) Lesson Study: a handbook. Available: http://lessonstudy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Lesson_Study_Handbook_-_011011-1.pdf

Lewis, C. (2002) Lesson Study: A Handbook of Teacher Led Instructional Change. Philadelphia: Research for Better Schools. (brief guide at http://www.lessonresearch.net/briefguide.pdf)

Stigler, J., and Hiebert, J., (1999) The teaching gap: Best Ideas from the World’s Teachers for Improving Education in the Classroom. New York: The Free Press.

Part 2

Research on lesson study?

What, how, where, with what outcomes?

Research into lesson study

• Professional Development (200 +)

• ITE (55)

• Higher education (14)

• North America, Japan, China, Indonesia, Sweden

• 4 studies in the UK: none in HE

Extensive review of 200 papers Four principal benefits:

1. Greater teacher collaboration

2. Sharper focus among teachers on students’ learning and greater awareness

3. Development of teacher knowledge, practice and professionalism

4. Improved quality of classroom teaching and pupil learning outcomes.

teacher collaboration • willingness to participate in focused and in-depth discussions

about T & L (Rock and Wilson 2005; Dudley 2013)

• sharing know-how and resources (Lewis, Perry and Hurd 2009; Pang 2006; Sibbald 2009)

• multiple perspectives on making sense of successful pupil learning and supporting the development of strategies to promote this (Sibbald 2009)

• joint decision making and heightened sense of joint responsibility for T & L as key pre-condition for cultivation of professional learning communities (Andrew 2011; Lawrence and Chong 2010; West-Olatunji, Behar-Horenstein, Rant and Cohen-Phillips 2008)

sharper focus on student learning

• greater awareness about students and their needs (Andrew 2011; Lee 2008; Pang 2006; Pang and Ling 2012; Perry and Lewis 2009; Rock and Wilson 2005; Ylonen and Norwich 2012)

• more attentive to pupils’ prior knowledge (Dotger 2011)

• more analytical in making connections between a set of learning objectives and what pupils already know (Holmqvist 2011; Lawrence and Chong 2010; Yuk 2011).

• ‘unmasking hidden characteristics of pupils’ (Dudley 2013)

teacher knowledge, practice, and professionalism

• ‘reflective immediacy’ (Shulman 2003, cited in Fernandez 2005: 283)

• richly contextualised and concrete reference points for experimentation and refinement of practice (Fernandez 2005; Lewis et al. 2009)

• joint development of improved approaches (Dudley 2013)

• inquiry stance and reflection about practice (Andrew 2011; Fernandez 2005; Ricks 2011)

teacher knowledge

• improvements in teachers’ subject content knowledge (Fernandez 2005, Lewis 2009)

• knowledge about pupils (Fernandez 2005; Lee 2008; Lewis 2009)

• knowledge about technology for teaching (Meng and Sam 2011)

• pedagogic content knowledge (from Shulman 1986) reported by Fernandez 2005; Lawrence and Chong 2010; Lewis 2009; Lewis et al. 2009; Sibbald 2009).

practice and professionalism

• collegial support

• improvements in teachers’ confidence to work with new ideas (Meng and Sam 2011; Rock and Wilson 2005; Sibbald 2009)

• self-efficacy in making a positive impact on pupil learning (Puchner and Taylor 2006; Lawrence and Chong 2010; Sibbald 2009)

• professional self-concept as teachers whose work is significant and meaningful (Sibbald 2009).

improvements in teaching and learning

• developing teachers’ professional knowledge and beliefs leads to effective pupil learning (Fernandez 2005; Lewis 2009; Ylonen and Norwich 2012)

• developing teachers’ personal characteristics and dispositions (self-efficacy and professional identity) motivates more responsibility for pupil learning (Lewis et al. 2009; Sibbald 2009)

• lesson study changes dynamics of teachers’ communities of practice as safe, trustworthy yet challenging environments in which to share knowledge and resources but also experiment with new ideas (Lewis et al. 2009; Lieberman 2009).

Location of research

• lesson study research conducted in the Far East or North America

• primary schools

• few studies in other contexts

• hardly any in England (Dudley 2012a, 2012b; 2013; Ylonen and Norwich 2012; Davies & Dunnall 2008)

• promotion of lesson study in a small number of publications (Tall 2008; Galanouli 2010; Dudley 2011).

Challenges for research

• Under-theorisation of learning: learning not defined

• Conceptual frailty: reliance on Communities of Practice/social situated models of learning or models of continuing teacher development

• Modes of observation not clear

• Units of analysis: teacher? LS group? Lesson e.g. Robinson and Leikin (2012) (PTO)

• Lot of case studies; study of perceptions

• Act of faith? (limited empirical base)

Cases and units of analysis often unclear

• collective learning and practice development of particular groups of teachers working to develop an aspect of teaching? - the unit of analysis is the LS group.

• learning and practice development of individual teachers working in LS contexts? - the unit of analysis is individual teacher.

• if both these are of primary interest (i.e. a focus on the person/persons), both units of analysis can be focus of aspects of data analysis.

Seven pathways of improvement (Lewis 2004: 19)

Teachers in Japan have identified seven pathways of improvement resulting from lesson study:

1. ‘increased knowledge of subject matter,

2. increased knowledge of instruction,

3. increased ability to observe students,

4. stronger collegial networks,

5. stronger connection of daily practice to long-term goals,

6. stronger motivation and sense of efficacy,

7. and improved quality of available lesson plans.’

Summary

• Emerging and growing field: ‘this growing literature remains immature’ (Dudley 2013: 107)

• Methodological challenges

• Conceptual challenges

• Positive responses result from engagement

• Time: the key constraint

• Contextual quick-fix demands vs investment

References

• Numerous papers

• References for this presentation here

• Fuller list can be provided on request

Microsoft Office Word Document

Part 3

Our interests

University of Leicester Lesson Study Research Group

University of Leicester Lesson Study Research Group

2011-12

• Case study (CPD) in one secondary school (£1000): paper on perspectives

• Two pilot studies in teaching placements (ITE): paper

2012-13

• Society of Educational Studies: 14 secondary school ITE cases exploring lesson study in school placements (completion Sept 2013)

• HEA project: teaching and learning in a Masters module (completion July 2013)

Lesson Study Research Group Projects

• All levels

• Primary (phonics) in Year 3

• Secondary (maths and modern languages)

• Sixth form (design-based research and LS on critical thinking)

• HE: teaching international students (Masters)

• Study skills for HE

Emerging themes in our projects

• Impacts on beliefs and pedagogy

• Stronger focus on students’ learning (eye-opening observations)

• Less teacher-centred approaches

• Boosts to morale and confidence

• Students’ perspectives enriches teacher learning

• Teacher collaboration heightened and valued

• Importance of mentor participation in ITE

Emerging challenges• Slow burn vs quick-fix thinking

• Cultural transfer (Puchner and Taylor 2006)

• Time

• Challenge of observation

• Level of criticality (can be shallow)

• Context-related variation (no projects the same)

• What is learning and how we ‘observe’ it

• Data capture and analysis

Ways forward

• discourse analysis

• interaction level discourse analysis (Dudley, 2013 drawing on Mercer, 1995)

• analysis of students’ responses

• definition of learning

• use of lesson study in HE to explore what is the scholarship of teaching and learning in HE

Conclusion

• Lesson study gives us a key to opening up teaching and learning for greater understanding

• Building on initial experience of LS in ITE and in a local school

• HEA project to explore our teaching, our learning and the learning of our students

• Over to Phil