Lesson Study

A systematic inquiry into teaching practice

What do you know about Lesson Study?

Take two minutes to record what you know (or think you know) about Lesson Study.

Then take a few minutes to talk with your table group.

Lesson Study – an Introduction

From “teaching as telling” to “teaching for understanding”

“Being here with you Felicia, with the stars twinkling high above, and the moon shining down upon us, I realize more than I ever did before, how little I know about astronomy.”

Lesson study is an ongoing practice used in schools throughout Japan in which teachers collaborate to plan, observe, and refine a lesson.

The cycles of lesson study form the core of teachers’ professional development, and it is cited by both researchers and teachers as one of the key reasons for Japanese students’ high achievement in mathematics and science.

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Lesson Study involves “backward design” which starts with the clarification of the goal or endpoint of the learning process and then the design of instructional experiences that lead to the goal.

During the lesson design phase teachers try to anticipate how students will interpret the subject matter, what kinds of difficulties they may experience and what kinds of experiences are likely to support their learning.

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The pervasive concern with student learning throughout lesson study distinguishes it from other types of teaching improvement activities. In lesson study, teachers:

base the lesson design on their ideas about how students learn

observe student learning when the lesson is taught

analyze observations of student learning after the lesson is taught, and

use information about student learning to revise the lesson.

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Lesson Study is not the same as

Lesson Planning

Curriculum Writing

Coaching/Mentoring

Demonstration Lessons

Basic Research

“Lesson study is not a vehicle for creating a library of tried-and-tested lessons for teachers to

borrow from a shelf and import into their own classrooms. It is a process for creating deep and grounded reflection about the complex activities

of teaching that can then be shared and discussed with other members of the

profession.”

- Clea Fernandez and Sonal Chokshi, Columbia University

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Teachers’ Activities to Improve InstructionU.S. vs. Japan

Choose curriculum,write curriculum, align curriculum, write local standards

U.S. Japan

Plan lessons individually

Plan lessons collaboratively

Watch and discuss each other’s classroom lessons

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Begins with answer

Driven by expert

Communicationtrainer teachers

Relationships hierarchical

Research informs practice

Begins with question

Driven by participants

Communication among teachers

Relationship reciprocal

Practice is research

TRADITIONAL LESSON STUDY

By Lynn Liptak, Paterson School #2, New Jersey

Professional Development

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The lesson study process is guided by a broad, school wide goal identified by the teachers. The goal often comes from looking at assessment data or defining qualities they want students to develop.

The Lesson Study Process

Adapted from the Spokane School District1.Defining the goal

For example,

“Students will think mathematically”

“Students will enjoy science”

“Students will become independent thinkers”

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Choosing a Lesson Study Theme

Think about the students you serve.

Your Ideals: What qualities would you like these students to have 5 years from now?

The Actual: List their qualities now.

The Gap: Compare the ideal and the actual. What are the gaps that you would most like to work on?

The Research Theme: (long-term goal) State positively the ideal student qualities you choose to work on. For example:

Fundamental academic skills that will ensure students’

progress and a rich sense of human rights.

Your research theme:8

A grade level team of science teachers works cooperatively on the design and development of the lesson. They begin by looking at a whole unit or sub-section of a unit and then narrow their focus to a specific cluster of lessons addressing a specific learning target. A specific lesson is then identified from the cluster as the “research lesson” that will be studied, and the key concepts for the lesson are described.

2.Focusing the Lesson

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The teachers research the topic of the study, reading books and articles about the problem they are working on. They review and discuss the nature of the concept to be learned by the students, and examine any research related to teaching the concepts that might be available, such as misconceptions research that addresses the difficulties students have in learning this particular idea.

2.Planning the Lesson

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They then come to consensus about what approach to use based on their own experiences or based on approaches they have read about or seen other teachers use successfully. It is important to keep in mind during the planning process that their purpose is to design and develop a lesson that enables all students in their classes to successfully attain the intended learning goal. They also keep in mind that they are “researchers” and are studying the effectiveness with which the lesson approach they have designed is in having students attain the intended learning goal.

2.Planning the Lesson (cont.)

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How is lesson study different from the planning that my colleagues and I already do?

While planning units and activities is part of lesson study, it is only one aspect of the process. It also encompasses observing teachers and students, testing new ideas, discussing beliefs about learning and reflecting on specific episodes of teaching. Lesson study enables teachers to learn from their practice and to share professional knowledge.

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Do Lesson Study groups have to invent a new lesson?

Whenever possible, groups should build on the best available lessons rather than writing a lesson from scratch.

A library of lessons is a by-product of Lesson Study – not the goal.

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Just checking to see if you’re still with me…

Teachers from the team present the lesson in their classrooms. The other teachers may observe the lesson closely, taking notes on what the teacher and the students are doing and noting evidence of their thinking. The lesson may be documented through video, photographs and student work.

3.Teaching the Lesson

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“Can You Lift 100 Kilograms” video segment

Discussion questions:

What did you see in this video that might have implications for your own lesson planning/teaching?

How does the planning for a research lesson differ from how you normally plan a lesson?

How do you judge what your students are getting out of your lesson?

Do you ever have the opportunity to debrief a lesson with your colleagues?

What questions will the teacher ask?

A research lesson does not have to include a formal script of everything the teachers will do and say. However, planning the lesson is an opportunity to develop higher order questions that require students to think and to explain what they know.

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During a research lesson, each team member has a data collection assignment. For example, to document how a particular student or group's thinking about pendulums changed over the course of the lesson what experiences provoked or blocked change. Data is also gathered on student motivation, persistence, and students’ treatment of one another.

What is the role of the observers?

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Sample Data Collected During a Research Lesson

Academic Learning

• How did images of heated air change?• Did students shift from simple counting to more flexible

method?• Did dramatic role-play spark higher quality and quantity of

writing?• In their journals, what did students write as their learnings?

Motivation

• Percent of children who raised hands• Body language, “aha” comments, shining eyes

Social Behavior

• How many times do students refer to and build on classmates’ comments?

• How often do the five quietist students speak up?• Are students friendly and respectful?

Student Attitudes Toward Lesson

• What did you like and dislike about the lesson?17

The group meets outside of school to discuss the lesson and their observations of each others’ lessons. This is an engaging interaction of ideas and suggestions, with the focus always on the students.

4.Reflecting and Evaluating

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Based on the problems and student misunderstandings identified in the first presentation, the study group modifies the lesson. The group may meet several times to improve the lesson and prepare to teach it again, though sometimes the teachers decide not to re-teach it.

5.Revising the Lesson

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We have a long skinny room and triangle tables that we need to arrange in a row with their edges touching, as

shown. Assuming each side can hold one seat, how many seats will 1 table, 2 tables, 3 tables hold? Is there a pattern

that helps you figure out how many seats 10 tables will hold?

“How Many Seats” video segments

“How Many Seats” video

Discussion Questions:

How did the lesson study process look different from the first video?

What types of learning opportunities did the teachers have? (formula vs. equation, effectiveness of worksheet, only as good as our content)

What are the implications for how you plan lessons and teach lessons?

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How will we know if the lesson is successful?

As the research lesson takes shape, an important consideration will be defining evidence of student understanding. This will help to improve the observation data, and it is a check that the task is a good match for the lesson goals.

While the model used in Japan and the experiences of US lesson study teams provide some guidance, there is no formula to follow. Teachers learn how to do lesson study by doing lesson study. In addition to reflecting on what they have learned about their students and their work, teachers need to also reflect on the practice of lesson study itself. This will help teams identify ways to maintain and enhance their work.

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The lesson is presented again to a different group of students.

6.Teaching the Revised Lesson

Teachers share the lessons they develop through this process, creating a collection of well-crafted lessons to draw upon. The teachers will often publish a report about their study, including the teachers’ reflections and a summary of group discussions.

7.Sharing Results

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1. Form a Team 2. Develop Student Learning Goals

3. Research best

practices

4. Plan the Research Lesson5. Teach

the Lesson

6. Gather Evidence of Student Learning

7. Analyze Evidence of Student Learning

8. Reflect and

Evaluate

9. Revise the

Lesson

10.Teach the revised lesson

Share results!

Lesson Study Cycle

Lesson Study Provides Opportunities to

Think deeply about long-term goals for students

Carefully consider the goals of a particular content area, unit, and lesson

Study the best available lessons

Plan lessons that bring to life both short-term and long-term goals

Increase knowledge of subject matter

Deepen pedagogical content knowledge

Develop the “eyes to see students”

See lessons from the students’ point of view.

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What immediate results can we expect from Lesson Study?

One of the key components of developing a successful lesson study program is adopting a long-term perspective. Realistically, lesson study teams are not likely to create overnight improvements in student test scores. Identifying and celebratiing small changes, such as more substantial collaboration among teachers or more effective use of specific teacher strategies, will help lesson study teams to maintain their momentum.

“What’s a successful research lesson? It’s not so much what happens in the research

lesson itself that makes it successful or unsuccessful. It is what you learned

working with your colleagues on the way there.”

- A Japanese teacher

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“Japanese teachers say that the most powerful part of lesson study is that you develop the vision to see children. So you’re watching how children are learning, and learning to see things that you didn’t see before: their thinking and their reactions.”

- Catherine Lewis

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What Next?

Suggested Steps

1. Form a Team

Groups of three to six people from the same discipline form a team – anyone interested, even if the person doesn’t teach the course.

Documenting progress:

Who will be on your team? Record each participant’s name, department, and e-mail.

Briefly describe the course, its place in the curriculum, and the student population.

2. Develop Student Learning Goals

Team members discuss what they would like students to learn as a result of the lesson.

The learning goal is the backbone of a lesson and provides the “reason” for teaching and observing it.

Documenting progress:

What topic will your lesson focus on?

Why did you choose this topic?

What specific learning goals will the lesson address?

Write these in terms of what students will know and be able to do as a result of the lesson.

What long-term qualities will the lesson support? These are abilities, skills, dispositions, inclinations, sensibilities, values, etc. that you would like students to develop in your program.

3. Plan the Research Lesson

Teachers design a lesson to achieve the learning goals, anticipating how students will respond.

Documenting progress:

What are the steps of the lesson? Include descriptions of main activities, prompts, and estimated times for each part of the lesson.

In what ways was the lesson designed to help students achieve the learning goal?

Predict how students will respond to the lesson

4. Figure out logistics

Decide when to meet to plan, teach and observe the lesson.

Documenting progress:

When will the lesson be planned and taught?

Who will teach the lesson and who will observe?

Will more than one teacher be teaching the research lesson to different groups of students?

Are there any outside observers you would like to invite to the research lesson?

When will you schedule debriefings?

5. Gather Evidence of Student Learning

One team member teaches the lesson while others observe, collecting evidence of student learning.

Documenting progress:

What kinds of evidence will be collected (e.g., student work and performance related to the learning goal)?

What aspects of teacher and student activity should observers focus on?

6. Analyze Evidence of Student Learning

The team discusses the results and assesses progress made toward learning goals.

Documenting progress:

Summarize the evidence, identifying major patterns and tendencies in student performance.

Describe major findings and conclusions about what, how and why students met or did not meet learning goals.

Discuss any interesting or unexpected results.

7. Revise the Process

The group revises the lesson, repeating steps 2-5 as necessary, and shares findings.

Documenting progress:

As you repeat the lesson study process, describe changes in the lesson and the results of your study.

• how you changed your goals;

• how you redesigned the lesson;

• what additional evidence you collected;

• what your new findings and conclusions are for the revised lesson.

Post changes to each step as “Comments” to your previous log entries.

8. Repeat the Process

Lesson study involves a second research cycle in which the group revises and tests the lesson once again. At least one external observer attends the lesson and participates in the subsequent debriefing session.

Lesson Study Resources

Lesson Study: A Handbook of Teacher-Led Instructional Change Catherine Lewis (2002) www.lessonresearch.net

Teacher to Teacher: Reshaping Instruction Through Lesson Study Jan Gahala, Ruth O’Brien and Linda Schuch, Eds. (2002)

Lesson Study: Teachers Learning Together, Northwest Teacher, Spring 2001 www.nwrel.org/msec/nwteacher/

The Lesson Study Research Group at Teachers College/Columbia University in New York www.tc.edu/centers/lessonstudy/

Global Education Resources www.globaledresources.com

Lesson Study for College Teachershttp://www.uwlax.edu/sotl/lsp/index2.htm

You go first and I’ll watch.

Sissy

“Seeing something once is more important than discussing it one hundred times.”

- Confucius

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

-Alvin Toffler

“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.”

-Eugene Ionesco Decouvertes, 1969

“Successful teachers are effective in spite of the psychological theories they suffer under.”

-Educational Proverb

“You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.”

-Galileo Galilei

“When I hear somebody sigh, Life is Hard, I am always tempted to ask, Compared to what?”

-Sydney J. Harris

“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.”

- Jack Handey