Lesson Study What is it? What are the challenges? What should we see if it’s working? Miami, January 8, 2008 Catherine Lewis & Rebecca Perry Mills College, Oakland, CA

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

What are the Important Features of Lesson Study? Please jot down a list…..

Can patterns help us find an easy way to answer the question: How many seats fit around any number of triangles, arranged in a row as shown?

Research Lesson 1 All students filled out chart correctly but few could verbalize meaning of +2 pattern Research Lesson 2 Chart eliminated, students solved individual problems, shared findings Students showed their counting methods Most students could verbalize meaning of +2 pattern

Students

1. Study Consider long-term goals Study curriculum, standards, research

1. Study (Ex. from “Seats”) What can we do in elementary school to help students succeed in algebra? Looked at lessons from several curricula, studied recursive/functional patterns

2. Planning the Research Lesson Do task Anticipate student responses Plan data collection Prepare instructional plan, including unit overview, lesson rationale

2. Plan. Example: “Seats” Surfaced misunderstandings and different solution methods when they did the task Surfaced different understandings of “equation,” and different goals when they prepared instructional plan

3. Research Lesson One member teaches lesson Others observe and collect data

3. Research Lesson Example “Seats” Discover students can fill out the worksheet correctly but not be able to verbalize the pattern Discover counting methods reveal student thinking

4. Reflect Share data collected during lesson, draw implications for the lesson and teaching-learning more broadly Protocols foster participation & analysis Comments from knowledgeable other Redesign & reteach (optional) Report, share, incorporate learning

4. Reflect. Ex: “Seats” “Just because it’s in the textbook doesn’t mean it’s the best way” “Students need to do the work, not the teacher” “In all this math…we’re only as good as our own level of understanding, so we have to keep pushing ourselves..” Teachers continued to study the impact of worksheets

? Instructional Improvement Visible Features of Lesson Study Planning Curriculum Study Research Lesson Data Collection Discussion Revision Etc. How does lesson study improve instruction?

Visible Features of Lesson Study  Plan  Teach  Observe  Discuss  Etc. Key Pathway  Lesson Plans Improve Instructional Improvement A Common (Mis) Conception of Lesson Study

Lesson Study: It’s not about just doing the surface features of lesson study…. It’s about doing them in a way that builds 3 types of learning from practice

Students Teachers Curriculum Based on NRC, 2001 & Cohen & Ball, 2000 Learning From and In Practice

How Teachers Get Better At Learning From Students Observe and take notes during research lessons-- lots of practice over time Teachers try student task themselves before lesson-- get insights from colleagues’ solutions Multiple observers on same students--hear what your colleagues, outside specialists see Over LS cycles, choose more “thought-revealing” tasks

Counting

Students Teachers Curriculum Based on NRC, 2001 & Cohen & Ball, 2000 Learning From and In Practice

Lesson Study Develops Capacity to Learn From Colleagues Build collaborative norms that enable effective work, e.g. “sticking to the process” Make beliefs “visible” and thereby amenable to change Create a culture where it’s safe to ask for help Agree on important goals, concepts, definitions and what they actually mean in instruction, so students experience coherence over years

Learning From Colleagues, cont’d Build collective efficacy--see that changes in instruction can result in changes in student learning Increase aspirations- “I want my students to be as eager as the students in that lesson” Increase connection and sense of accountability to colleagues - Everyone cares about everyone’s teaching

Plus Two

Rule, formula, equation

Students Teachers Curriculum Based on NRC, 2001 & Cohen & Ball, 2000 Learning From and In Practice

Lesson Study Develops Capacity to Learn From Curriculum (Including Research and Outside Specialists) Seeing strengths and weaknesses in textbook Seeing how any mathematics unit connects to prior and subsequent learning Strengthening motivation and identity as learner of mathematics (or whatever subject) Building learning communities that include specialists and researchers

Lesson Study Come of Age in North America Phi Delta Kappan, Dec. 2006

Highlands School (K-5) volunteer LS group Most faculty join LS groups School-wide LS; continues through present Kappan, Dec. 2006

School-wide Lesson Study School

California Standards Test in Mathematics: Mean Scale Scores, Grades 2-5

3-year net math increase for students in lesson-study school more than triple that for district (F=.309, 845 df p<.001)

Common U.S. Challenges 1. Poor curriculum that doesn’t make learning visible 2. Difficulties in collaboration 3. Poor data collection 4. Mindset: It’s just about the lesson 5. Failure to access expertise 6. Bossy experts

Asian Curriculum Ratio of rectangle width to length using 1-, 5- or 10- cm square units, 2:3, 4:6, 20:30 (Lo, Watanabe, & Cai, 2004)

US Curriculum These methods differ from the standard cross-multiply and divide algorithm (McDougall Littell, 2004)

Begins with answer Driven by expert Communication trainer -> teachers Relationships hierarchical Research informs practice Begins with question Driven by participants Communication among teachers Relationship reciprocal Practice is research TRADITIONAL RESEARCH LESSONS By Lynn Liptak, Paterson School #2, New Jersey. Professional Development

Revisit Your List of Lesson Study Features What Features are Missing? What’s the Evidence of Teachers’ Increased Capacity to Learn From Students, Colleagues & Curriculum?

Instructional Improvement Visible Features of Lesson Study Planning Curriculum Study Research Lesson Data Collection Discussion Revision Etc. How does lesson study improve instruction? Increased Capacity to Learn from Colleagues, Students, Curriculum

Resources: Live Lesson Study Opportunities Wayne, New Jersey (William Paterson University) March 5-7, Chicago (DePaul University) May 8- 10,2008 & August 4-8,

Further Information Lesson Study: A Handbook...(Lewis) Building Our Understanding of Lesson Study (Wang- Iverson & Yoshida; Mills College Lesson Study Group Lesson Study Communities Project in Secondary Mathematics Global Education Resources Univ. of Wisc.

If we had to use one word to describe our work for the past two years, it would be COURAGE.... to maintain this philosophy and pedagogical thinking as we struggled with our deficient MCAS scores … overcrowded classrooms… Lesson Study Communities Team Reflection, Massachusetts

I feel the biggest mistake we can make when pitching lesson study to US teachers is to tell them it is easy and painless. It is hard and possibly painful and they should prepare for it. The rewards, however, are fantastic. Real, concrete, observable improvement occurs in teaching. Middle School Math Teacher, Paterson School #2, New Jersey

lessonresearch. net address: Website address:

Disclaimer The instructional practices and assessments discussed or shown in these presentations are not intended as an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education.