How to use it to improve classroom teaching Lesson Study How to use it to improve classroom teaching

What is Lesson Study? Lesson Study is a type of professional development that originated in Japan Collaborative Teachers plan lessons, observe each other, and give feedback based on the observation Changes are made to the lesson based on the feedback Lesson Study is used to hone lessons and teaching technique Entirely teacher driven, based on what teachers want to improve or see a need for improvement The focus is on student learning and improving student learning Focus is on growth over time In Japan, teachers may be part of many lesson studies at the same time and at different level (school site, district wide) Teachers can work on the same lesson or concept for years Once teacher is satisfied that goal is achieved, he or she picks a new goal

How is this different than other types of professional development? Teacher driven Can be about specific content or abstract concepts i.e. teaching how to factor or facilitating group work Can be done in any class, with any teacher, at any stage in teaching career Not specific to current standards Individualized in that goals can be different for different teachers Ongoing and can be done anywhere (not limited to school site) Instant feedback

How are the observations different from other types of observations? NOT an evaluation of the teacher Lesson Study observations are based on the lesson itself The focus is on how students react to the lesson, not the teacher Observers can move around the room, should be listening to students, not watching the teacher as much (depending on the goal)

How to Implement Collaboratively Planned Lesson Ideal groups of 3 or 4 Can be done in pairs, but that is not ideal or true to the original concept More observers means more feedback Teachers pick a goal Ex graphing line, factoring polynomials, etc Facilitating group work, checking for understanding, asking good questions Lesson is planned Can be from scratch or already existing

How to Implement Collaboratively Planned Lesson (continued) After lesson is planned, observation schedule is determined Teacher 1 teaches the lesson Team observes Debriefing meeting to discuss observations and give feedback, lesson is modified based on feedback Teacher 2 teaches modified lesson and team observes Second debriefing, more modifications made Teacher 3 teaches lesson Etc

How to Implement “Individual” Lesson Teams are assembled Teachers pick a goal (or goals) Lessons are planned and then submitted to team for feedback Teacher teaches the lesson Team observes Debriefing meeting, modifications made Teacher teaches again Team observes, gives feedback, modifications made Etc, until teacher is satisfied that goal has been met

Possible Timeline (with goal of 3-4 observations) Summer before school starts: Teachers meet to plan lesson (or share lessons and receive feedback) First quarter (September/October): First round of teaching and feedback If the lesson is on a specific topic taught mostly at this time, the second round of observations might need to happen the following year If the goal is a concept or teaching technique, it is possible to create other lessons for the rest of the year Second quarter: *Second round of teaching and observation *Possible to skip this quarter due to holidays and finals week Third quarter: Round 2 or 3 of teaching and observation Fourth quarter: 4th round

Lesson Study at Pacifica High School Fall 2012 Team assembled: 2 males, 2 females, Algebra 1 and Algebra 1.5 Topic picked Articles read Winter 2013 Topic revised Lesson planned Spring 2013 Lesson finalized Lesson taught and revised

Teaching and Observation Schedule Two INTENSE days Day 1: Teacher 1 Period 1 Debrief during 4th period Teacher 2 Period 5 Debrief after school Day 2: Teacher 3 Period 1 Debrief 4th period Teacher 4 Period 6 Debrief after school and through email

Comments In math, it is easy to debrief quickly because many of our “goals” are content specific or lesson specific All teachers had a minimum 7 years teaching experience Lesson was modified back and forth to accommodate different levels (Algebra 1 vs Algebra 1.5) Modifications were mostly to what the teacher said/emphasized vs the actual content of the lesson In reality, this should have remained ongoing, but two teachers left the school and the other two did not teach the same classes the following year, so it was impossible to continue.

This can be ongoing and not limited to one school year! Ideally, 3-4 observations a year Realistically, 2? Teams can be across sites, not limited to just one school Growth mindset means expect it to take a long time

Drawbacks Very time consuming, especially initially and with collaboratively planned lessons Our schedules do not allow for daily collaboration for most teachers Multiple preps mean collaboration time is limited Observations must take place either during prep period (thus sacrificing planning and down time) or need to be subbed out Shortage of subs and losing a day (or multiple days throughout the year) For collaboratively planned lessons – observations can become monotonous (boring) Need training in how to observe and give feedback Instant gratification culture

Let’s Get Planning! You will need Administration’s cooperation to pay for subs Time commitment from all members of team