فرهنگ مدرسه                 

درسپژوهی    

what is lesson study

Lesson Study is an ongoing,

 collaborative, professional

development process that

 was developed in Japan.

 Many teachers in the

United States and Canada

are interested in this process,

 particularly in light of the

 TIMSS (Third International

 Mathematics and Science

Study) results,

which highlighted the

advanced performance and

 deeper thinking in

 mathematics by Japanese

students.

Many mathematics teachers

are looking closely at the

 strategies and techniques of

 Japanese teachers to help

them improve their teaching

 and their students'

 achievement in mathematics.

A key element of Japanese

 mathematics teachers'

success is their process of

 Lesson Study. Lesson Study

 involves a group of teachers

 working together on a broad

 goal and developing lesson

 plans that are observed,

 analyzed, and revised. Their

 focus throughout this

process is on improving

student thinking and making

 their lessons more effective.

The Lesson Study

 Process
The basic Lesson Study

process is as follows:

• Choose a research theme.
• A group of teachers works
•  together to come up with a
• research theme. This theme
• is school-wide and focuses
• on a broad research question regarding their students that involves
•  skills or attitudes they would like to foster. For example, a
• research theme may be to
• determine how to increase
• independent thinking in
• students in mathematics.
  
  
• Focus the research.
• The teachers select a goal
• and unit of study to focus on and research their students' abilities and
• needs within this unit of
•  study. For example, they
• may select a unit on
• transformational geometry,
•  and the goal of increasing
• students' abilities to
•  independently apply
• transformations to concepts
•  of congruence
•  and similarity.
  
  
• Create the lesson.
• The teachers then select a lesson within the unit to develop, and follow an established lesson plan template. This template focuses on how the lesson fits within the broader school curriculum, linking the lesson topic and skills to previously learned content, and to content that will be learned in future grades. This lesson plan template also focuses on ways to assess student thinking during the lesson.
  
  
• Teach and observe the
•  lesson.
• The lesson is taught by a
• member of the group and
• observed by the other
•  members. The focus of the
• observation is on student
•  thinking not on the teacher's
•  abilities.
  
  
• Discuss the lesson.
• The group then gets
•  together to discuss the
•  lesson and their observations. This is usually done on the same
•  day.
  
  
• Revise the lesson.
• Revisions are made to the
•  lesson, based on their
• observations and analysis,
•  and another member of the
•  group is selected to teach the lesson again. The process of
•  observation, discussion,
• and revision repeats.
  
  
• Document the findings:
•  At the end of this process,
• the group produces a report
• that outlines what they
•  learned in regards to their
• research theme and goal.

The length of this process varies, but it can take up to several years. The size of the group also varies, but typically involves four to six teachers, as well as an administrator and an outside expert. The group usually works on two or three lessons a year.

One of the best ways to think of Lesson Study is as a bridge. A bridge is formed by the teachers working together and collaborating, and a bridge is formed across the curriculum by looking at how lessons and skills interconnect across grades. The Lesson Study process thus helps to remove isolation—both in teachers working in isolation, and in skills

being taught in isolation.

Overcoming Obstacles
Lesson Study may seem like

 an overwhelming

process, one that requires

considerable time and effort

in an already overly busy

 schedule. However, those

 who undertake it find it

 to be an incredibly

 rewarding and beneficial

process, well worth the time

and effort.

With today's emphasis on

 improving student

 achievement and the

 growing awareness of the

 strong performance of

Japanese students in

mathematics, Lesson Study

 seems to be the right

process at the right time.

The collaborative nature of

 Lesson Study helps

 strengthen relationships

among teachers and

 improves teaching.

The research focus of

 Lesson Study helps to

 professionalize teaching.

And of course, the greatest

reward of Lesson Study is

the benefit that students

 gain by improving their

 mathematics performance

 and thinking.

Even with all the benefits,

the process can still seem

 threatening. However,

 teachers just need to keep

 in mind that they are

 working together to improve

 student learning. Sharing a

common goal can be quite

empowering. It is also

 helpful for teachers to remember that the focus of the observations is on student thinking, not on their abilities. This can help lessen some anxiety.

Getting Started
It is best to start the Lesson Study process with a small group of interested teachers who volunteer to participate. If it is easier to find a group of interested teachers across grades or from different schools, this also can be a good way to start. A beginning group may want to simply follow some of the broad elements of the process rather than undertaking the complete process. Just having a group of teachers collaborate on a student-focused goal can be quite beneficial.

Likewise, developing a lesson together that looks at how the lesson goals and objectives fit within the broader curriculum across grades, and how student thinking can be assessed during the lesson, can also be very valuable.

Observing the lesson (remember: the focus is on student thinking, not the teacher's abilities) and getting together to talk about the observations, is of course, a powerful exercise that can produce great insight and improved instruction.

If a beginning group has the time and interest, it is important to continue the process by revising the lesson and having another teacher teach it and be observed. (It can be interesting to have another teacher teach your students. This experience can lead to valuable insight into your students' thinking, their strengths, and their weaknesses.)

As a new Lesson Study group, you may find it more manageable to follow only some of these steps, but hopefully, your group will be able to complete the cycle.

By going through this process, you will reap great rewards and become closer to your colleagues.

Gain Administrative Support
Of course, administrative support for undertaking Lesson Study is needed, but in light of the current emphasis on student achievement, and the awareness of Japanese students' success in mathematics, administrative support should be easily obtained. One place to start may be by referencing some of the school districts who are following the Lesson Study process, such as schools in Illinois and Connecticut.

Set Realistic Expectations
And finally, remember to set realistic expectations. Do not try to take on too much at the beginning. Remember that one of the elements of Lesson Study is that it is an ongoing process.

You can keep the process simple by focusing on these key actions:

• Collaborating
• Planning
• Teaching
• Observing
• Reflecting
• Revising

For more information on Lesson Study, please reference the Columbia University's Teacher's College Lesson Study Research Group Web site at: http://www.tc.columbia.edu/lessonstudy/

This article was contributed by Heidi Janzen, a former classroom teacher and mathematics specialist. She now works as an educational consultant in the areas of professional development, curriculum, standards, and

assessment-.