School-wide Lesson Study in a Dual Language School

Dr. Cathy Kinzer, Math Education

Dr. Karin Wiburg, Associate Dean for Research,

New Mexico State University

Purpose of this PresentationTo share what we learned from implementing a school-

wide model of lesson study in a dual language border school

To share our model of lesson study

The Context

San Miguel Elementary has 375 students and 100% free and reduced lunch, rural area, 20 teachers, most students ride the bus

San Miguel’s Dual Language Model

• The school uses a fifty-fifty model in which paired teachers (Spanish/English) do one day of English and one day of Spanish of continuous content.

• The model requires collaboration between teachers

• Currently, students in grades K-4 are in the dual language model.

Theoretical Framework • Changes in Teaching and

Learning Mathematics

• Learning Mathematics and English

• Calls for new kinds of professional development  

• Lesson study as a model for improving teaching and learning

Changes in Mathematics Teaching and Learning

• Standards-based teaching and assessment in New Mexico

• Teaching for understanding

• New demands for teaching in terms of pedagogy and content

Learning mathematics and English

• Valuing thinking and both languages• Building from students’ prior experiences• Scaffolding and support for thinking with

limited English proficiency• Focusing on academic English and

mathematics language• Rich opportunities for oral language

development and communication of thinking

Calls for New Kinds of Professional Development

• Sustained, practice-based, collaborative and including content learning

• Teaching as a Cultural Activity• Lesson Study provides the first time

teachers have had professional development grounded in their classrooms

• Teachers need situated learning to develop a professional knowledge base for teaching

The New Mexico Learning Collaborative for Lesson Study

• Why we started

• How we got teachers involved

• Help from Catherine Lewis and Asihiko Takahashi

• State-wide collaborative

• Lesson study as a school-wide model

• A short overview of lesson study

Developing an Overarching Goal

Forming Lesson Study Groups

Designing a Research Lesson

Observing and Debriefing

Reflecting and Revising

Sharing Findings

Research Design

Qualitative and Quantitative

Qualitative data included participatory research involving participant observation, focus groups, observations, video taping, and interviews

Quantitative- asked if there were any changes in teacher practice – observational protocols used pre and post

The research questions

1. What are teacher perceptions of Lesson study as a form of professional development in mathematics

2. In what ways do teachers reflect on their mathematics teaching practice?

3. What do students report about students’ mathematical thinking?

4. Where there any changes in practice?

Findings- Teachers’ perceptions

• Challenges of doing lesson study

Sometimes, it was hard to coordinate- to make the time. It was great work, but it was challenging to schedule Lesson Study when your day is already packed.

• Tension caused by lack of content knowledge as teachers began to teach for understanding

• High value on doing lesson study and appreciation of students and teaching focus

Findings - Reflecting on Practice

• That standards-based teaching is very different from the way they had been taught

• Teaching is complex and requires deep thought in planning lessons

• Teaching for understanding requires pedagogical content knowledge

• Teachers found power in learning together

Findings - What did they learn about student thinking?

• That they had made assumptions about student understanding that weren’t true

• That they can get to understanding student thinking in a variety of ways including looking at their work, listening to their conversations, having students present

• Student thinking was the key to improvement

Quantitative Findings

• Classroom snapshot - roles and learning processes showed no significant change

• Levels of use - key indicators showed changes in planning, student-directed activities, and questioning

• Classroom Lesson Observation – changes in all areas except culture(culture may have already been inclusive)

Most Powerful Findings• Prior to this work the principal reported

that teachers had never shared their practice

• After this program teachers began to have deep conversations about student learning

• Dual language teachers practice included collaboration

• Teachers reported they would teach in different ways as they began to focus on students’ thinking and learning

Lesson study must be embedded in a whole school change process

Teachers need support in collaborative inquiry

Teachers need support in content learning of mathematics (pedagogically appropriate)

Outside experts like university mentors are helpful

Public sharing of learning is essential

  Recommendations

Acknowledgements

• This project could not have happened without strong administrative support including providing teachers with time to collaborate and time for public sharing

• Thanks to Principal Sharon Duncan and the Gadsden Independent School District

Dr. Cathy Kinzer cakinzer@nmsu.edu

Dr. Karin Wiburg

kwiburg@nmsu.edu