starting lesson study at your school: latest resources and experience from the field. jane gorman...

Starting Lesson Study at Your School:

Latest Resources and Experience from the Field.

Jane GormanEducation Development Center, Inc. EDC

jgorman@edc.org

© 2009 Education Development Center, Inc. Do not copy or distribute without permission.

This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (ESI-0554527).

EDC Lesson Study CenterLesson Study Communities in Secondary Mathematics

Supported middle and high school teams through two years of lesson study. and studied benefits. Research on nature of benefits for teachers.

Lesson Study Resource Development ProjectLesson Study Course – Introduction for New TeamsGuide to Deepening Lesson Study in Mathematics

Ongoing Lesson Study Coaching, Implementation Support for Schools, Research.

Session Goals Learn about lesson study and its

potential benefits.

Learn how teachers developed one research lesson in algebra.

Think about how to start lesson study in your school.

Learn about lesson study resources.

What is lesson study?

A simple idea…• Teachers come together• Talk about student learning• Develop a lesson• Observe and discuss the lesson• Improve the lesson • Share what they learned • Make this part of their regular practice

Session 14

Focus,Study Set

Goals

Focus,Study Set

Goals

Teach, Observe, & Discuss

Teach, Observe, & Discuss

Reflect and

Record

Reflect and

Record

Develop the

Lesson

Develop the

Lesson

The Lesson Study Cycle

Focus,Study Set

Goals

Focus,Study Set

Goals

Teach, Observe, & Discuss

Teach, Observe, & Discuss

Reflect and

Record

Reflect and

Record

Develop the

Lesson

Develop the

Lesson

The Lesson Study Cycle

Forming a lesson study team.

Teachers start lesson study by forming a small group of teachers and spending some time talking about common teaching challenges and getting to know each other.

“The students’ actual situation right now is the starting point for your journey and the students’ ideal qualities are your destination. Lesson study is the road that links the two.”

Yokinobu Okada, Comments at Greenwich Japanese School Open House, November 13, 2000. Quoted in Lewis, C. (2002). Lesson Study: A Handbook

of Teacher-Led Instructional Change. Philadelphia, PA: Research for Better Schools. P.56.

8

Introduce yourself and your students

What are your students’ current qualities as mathematics learners, as students, as people?

What is one quality that you would like your students to have to improve their learning?

Focus, Study and Set Goals

10

• Deepen knowledge about lesson study.• Plan how your team will work together. • Set long term goals for student learning.• Select a topic to focus on.• Topic research: study textbooks, curriculum,

standards to develop theories about how students learn about the topic.

• Determine your content understanding goals.

A saying…

To teach one, you have to study ten. Once you’ve studied ten, you need to focus on one.

•Dr. Akihiko Takahashi, DePaul University, in a presentation on kyouzai-kenkyuu

Introductory Workshop

Doing the Mathematics• What is the important

mathematics in this problem? • Imagine how you might adapt this

problem for your students. • What understanding goal would

you choose?• How would the problem support

students improvement on your broad goal?

12

The Salary Choice Plan A: The Boss will pay you $100 for your first day of work, and give you a $100 raise every day after that. Plan B: The Boss will pay you $1 on day one, and every day thereafter your pay doubles .  

Which is a better plan, and why?Describe patterns of growth you see.What rules predict pay and earnings under each plan?

Introductory Workshop

Given team goals, what are the advantages and disadvantages of comparing on the basis

of daily pay, versus comparing total earnings.

Understanding: learn how linear and exponential growth patterns differ, (constant additive growth versus multiplicative growth, see that the different growth patterns have major implications in “real-world” applications (exponential increase has “wow” factor)

Skills: recognize and communicate differences in growth, based on graphs, tables of values, and equations.

Broad goals: learn effectively in inclusion classroom.

Introductory Workshop

Doing the Mathematics• What is the important

mathematics in this problem? • Imagine how you might adapt this

problem for your students. • What understanding goal would

you choose?• How would the problem support

students improvement on your broad goal?

15

The Rumor Problem

Tara wants to ask Billy to the dance. Today, she tells her 3 best friends her plans. The next day these friends each tell 3 of their friends. The rumor continues to spread in this manner. How fast is the rumor spreading – in terms of the number of new people who hear it each day?

Model how the rumor spreads for 5 days.

How many new people will hear the rumor during the 9th day? But, you must predict day 9 without calculating days 6, 7, and 8!

Focus,Study Set

Goals

Focus,Study Set

Goals

Teach, Observe, & Discuss

Teach, Observe, & Discuss

Reflect and

Record

Reflect and

Record

Develop the

Lesson

Develop the

Lesson

The Lesson Study Cycle

Develop the Research Lesson

18

• Explore the mathematics.• Study best available lessons and texts.• Make a detailed plan for the lesson.• Anticipate student responses.• Articulate how the lesson addresses your

understanding goals and broad goals for students.

• Prepare for the observation.

“The goal is not only to produce an effective

lesson but also to understand why and how

the lesson works to promote understanding

among students.”

The Teaching Gap, Hiebert and Stigler

The Research Lesson Plan

Introductory Workshop

Anticipating student thinking

How would your students think about the math or respond to the problem?•Solution methods they might use?•Common errors or misconceptions to expect?•Unusual or advanced approaches students might pursue?•Engagement levels you’d expect?

Introductory Workshop

Focus,Study Set

Goals

Focus,Study Set

Goals

Teach, Observe, & Discuss

Teach, Observe, & Discuss

Reflect and

Record

Reflect and

Record

Develop the

Lesson

Develop the

Lesson

The Lesson Study Cycle

23

Teach, Observe, and Discuss the Research Lesson

• Collect concrete data of students’ learning. • Discuss the data with your colleagues.• Revise the lesson based on the observation

and post-lesson discussion.• Consider how lesson supported team goals.• Plan for second teaching of the lesson.

Focus,Study Set

Goals

Focus,Study Set

Goals

Teach, Observe, & Discuss

Teach, Observe, & Discuss

Reflect and

Record

Reflect and

Record

Develop the

Lesson

Develop the

Lesson

The Lesson Study Cycle

Articulate and Share Findings

25

• Analyze changes made in the lesson and reasons for those changes.

• Review open questions that you will want to investigate in the future.

• Reflect on what you learned: about mathematics, student thinking, team goals.

• Determine how the research lesson contributed to your learning.

• Reflect on and plan for your next lesson study cycle.

“impact of research lessons… like rings of water on a pond….”

Lewis, Swiftly Flowing River

Redefining teacher work to include collaborative learning and

research• Discussion of student thinking and learning• Exploration of content with colleagues• Practical research on teaching• Discussing craft of teaching, lesson details• Rethinking what it means to understand• Inviting expertise from peers and beyond• Building knowledge of teaching, through

open evidence-based discussion.

Power

• Experimenting with new ideas• The live lesson• Revealing the culture of classroom

and opening it for discussion• Publicness – use of evidence• Depth of discussion• Teacher ownership of ideas and

research focus

Introductory Workshop

Starting Out Simply

Recruit two or three colleaguesSet goals for students and discuss

your common teaching challengesLearn a bit about the goals and

process of lesson study (readings)Follow the cycle outline or brief guideTake time to do the mathematics,

study texts, and summarize learning

Introductory Workshop

web sites

EDC Lesson Study Center• http://www.edc.org/lessonstudy

Lesson Study Group at Mills College• http://www.lessonresearch.net

Global Education Resources• http://www.globaledresources.com

Chicago Lesson Study Group• http://www.lessonstudygroup.net

APEC wiki• http://hrd.apecwiki.org/index.php/Lesson_Study

courses, readings, and videoEDC Course Materials and Leadership Guide

Introduction to Lesson Study in Mathematics Course (materials, facilitator guide)Guide to Deepening Lesson Study Practice in Mathematics

Catherine Lewis, Lesson Study: A Handbook of Teacher-Led Instructional Change. www.lessonresearch.net “A Lesson is like a Swiftly Flowing River”“A Deeper Look at Lesson Study”Videos – How Many Seats? Can You Lift 100 kg?

Akihiko Takahashi, Chicago Lesson Study Group and Makoto Yoshida - Global Education Resources. lesson videos, lesson plans, articles, translation of Japanese curriculum materialswww.lessonstudygroup.net www.globaledresources.net

Stigler and Hiebert, The Teaching Gap

NCTM: The Open Lesson, Standards, Lessons, Journal articles

1) What impact would you most hope to achieve or work towards as a teacher?

2) Based on your experience in U.S. schools, what impact might be most difficult to achieve?