Starting Lesson Study at Your School: Latest Resources and Experience from the Field. Jane Gorman Education Development Center, Inc. EDC © 2009 Education Development Center, Inc. Do not copy or distribute without permission. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (ESI ).

EDC Lesson Study Center Lesson 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 Project Lesson Study Course – Introduction for New Teams Guide 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 1 4

Focus, Study Set Goals Focus, Study Set Goals Teach, Observe, & Discuss Reflect and Record Develop the Lesson The Lesson Study Cycle

Focus, Study Set Goals Focus, Study Set Goals Teach, Observe, & Discuss Reflect and Record 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, 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 9 th 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 Reflect and Record 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 Reflect and Record 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 Reflect and Record 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 colleagues Set goals for students and discuss your common teaching challenges Learn a bit about the goals and process of lesson study (readings) Follow the cycle outline or brief guide Take time to do the mathematics, study texts, and summarize learning Introductory Workshop

web sites EDC Lesson Study Center Lesson Study Group at Mills College Global Education Resources Chicago Lesson Study Group APEC wiki

courses, readings, and video EDC 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. “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 materials 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?