1. The uses of lesson study relevant to EPs: recent research and developments Brahm Norwich University of Exeter, Graduate School of Education, UK
 Lesson study is a collaborative professional development approach with its history in Japan and Far East going back to the 1880s. It also has a strong affinity to historic and current Deweyan ideas about reflective practice coming to international prominence in last decade. This session will present ideas and practices about how lesson study has been adapted in two ways relevant to EP practice. This is first, about its use as a mode of collaboration between EPs and teachers over the specific review and planning of lessons relevant to children with additional needs (inter-professional lesson study) and second, as a means of dynamic or response to teaching approach to assessing learning needs (lesson study for assessment).

2. Aims:
To present ideas and practices about how lesson study has been adapted in two ways relevant to EP practice.
1. as a mode of collaboration between EPs and teachers for the specific review and planning of lessons relevant to children with additional needs (inter-professional lesson study)
2. As a means of dynamic or response to teaching approach to assessing learning needs (lesson study for assessment).

3. How organised? Introduction: background principles and practices (10)
Activity 1: what you do that resembles LS (7)
More details of series of trials (13)
Activity 2: what is involved in and how to start planning a LS? (10)
How to follow up approach (5)

4. Lesson Study (LS), originally developed in Japan over a century ago,
a collaborative form of professional development involving a plan-do-review model of practice
used internationally in different variations including the UK and other European countries.
despite variations in LS practice, the basic principle involves:
teacher collaboration to develop a series of research lessons in which
different approaches to teaching are tried to improve specific forms of pupil learning.

5. Typical Lesson Study in the UK
(LS) is a highly specified form of classroom action research focusing on the development of teacher practice knowledge (Dudley, 2014).
1 cycle consists of 3 research lessons that are jointly planned and directly observed and reviewed
Lesson planning is informed:
by evaluation of the previous lesson
and ideas and strategies that can derive from professional and research-informed knowledge
The LS team typically consists of teachers only
1 or 2 case pupils are identified as the focus for the planning and evaluation (of the pupil and lesson goals)
case pupils’ views on the lessons and their learning is an important part of the process (in the form of reflective interviews)

6. WHOLE SCHOOL CONDITIONS SUPPORTING LESSON STUDY
PLAN
TEACH
REVIEW
KNOWLEDGE BASE:
professional and research informed to study learning and teaching in LS
1st research lesson
Observe learning; pupil interview
1st research lesson (2)
Observe learning; pupil interview
1st research lesson (3)
Observe learning; pupil interview
Review and planning meeting (1)
Review & planning meeting (2)
Review & planning meeting (3)
Review & planning meeting (4)
Share learning
WHOLE SCHOOL CONDITIONS SUPPORTING LESSON STUDY
(time for meetings, senior leader support)

7. ACTIVITY 1: how LS relates to other EP professional activities
With the person next to you
discuss whether you have undertaken in your EP role anything that is similar to lesson study as just presented. Take one and compare with LS
Identify for this one activity how similar and how different?
If time, select another and complete analysis again.
similar
different
Purposes (to improve T. knowledge, skills and/or attitudes)
Planning focus (teaching, pupil learning, both)
Group (size, prof role membership, relationships etc)
Number of review/action cycles
How formative assessment done (direct observation, use of video, pupil interview etc.)

8. LS in relation to EP practices
Lesson study resembles various problem solving approaches used by educational psychologists to support teachers.
Bennett and Monsen (EPIP 2011) review Circles of Adults; Teacher Coaching; Collaborative Problem-solving Groups and the Staff Sharing Scheme.
Teacher Support Teams collaborative problem solving (education)
All involve a problem-solving sequence
but differ according to their person-centredness,
the role of an external coach / facilitator,
the number of meetings and
who is involved.

9. Differences from LS
LS approach: for teachers run by teachers and does not have an external facilitator or coach, though it may have some knowledgeable other and perhaps an external LS team member,
LS primarily focused on improving teaching academic curriculum - not primarily focussed on dealing with challenging behaviour, as some of the above scheme are.
But, LS can have goals that combine academic and social-behavioural goals.
 LS involves lesson planning sequence rather than a problem-solving sequence
adds a study stage to the typical plan-do-review sequence
professional knowledge, knowledge of various curricula and research- informed concepts and approaches to understand what is going on and to develop the plans for the next research lesson  

10. Outside professional led
Video Interactive Guidance
Teacher coaching
Design Based Research
Collaborative problem solving
Lesson Study
Circle of adults
Research approaches
Action Research
Teacher support teams
Co-teaching
Teacher support

11. LS trials (GSE, UoE)
Trial 1: Teaching pupils with moderate learning difficulties
Trial 2: Assessing learning needs of pupils with learning difficulties
Trial 3: Inter-professional collaboration with University specialists
Trial 4: Inter-professional collaboration with local practitioner educational psychologists

12. DEVELOPMENTS OF LESSON STUDY FOR SEN
LS TEAM MEMBERS
LS PURPOSES
TEACHERS
TEACHERS AND OUTSIDE SPECIALIST
LS TO ENHANCE TEACHING
Trial 1: MLD project
Trial 3 & 4: Inter-professional LS
DYNAMIC ASSESSMENT
Trial 2: LS for assessment

13. Trial 1: Teaching pupils with moderate learning difficulties in secondary school
What pedagogic / teaching strategies do teachers report as having developed for pupils with MLD from using Lesson Study?
How specialised are these pedagogic strategies: is there an MLD specialist pedagogy?
30 schools over 2 phase with about 100 subject teachers and SENCos
Method
Design based methodology
Questionnaire about the teaching strategies used/developed & analysis of LS case reports for reported strategies used
Realist evaluation of L programme theory: through observations and interview.

14. Model of pedagogic strategies
Broad pedagogic approach:
Pedagogic methods/assumptions
Activity based learning
Assessment for learning
Input (multi-modal/sensory approaches)
Cognitive demand:
Level/style (differentiation)
Memory/consolidation
Motivational approaches
Learning relationships
Grouping and peer support
Adult-pupil communication
Working with additional adults

15. Summary of theory of LS arising from project
Context:
School interest in professional learning communities
Advance timetabling/ cover available, senior teacher support
Processes:
Team work, no blame climate, consult case pupils as part research lesson review, team observation focus on learning, risk taking about lesson planning
Outcomes:
Enhanced lesson planning; tailored pedagogic strategies, with wider benefits, broaden focus onto wider learning, not just external criteria; challenge conceptions about what pupils can do; wide range of pupils gains (cognitive, affective and learning approaches)

16. Trial 2: Assessing learning needs of pupils with learning difficulties
Typical lesson study
Trial 2: Assessing learning needs
of pupils with learning difficulties
Lesson study for assessment

17. Context of assessment static Assessment method dynamic
Individual withdrawal
Classroom teaching
Assessment method
static
Assessment of individual attainments
Assessment of attainments in class context
dynamic
Response to teaching assessment – non-curriculum tasks
e.g. Feuerstein’s LPAD
Response to teaching in classroom context
Lesson Study for Assessment strategy

18. Lesson Study for Assessment :
Aim: to use the trial to refine assessment strategy and extend to larger funded project
3 primary and 3 secondary schools;
LS teams
primary – KS1 and KS2 teachers and SENCo
secondary – KS3 English and Maths teacher and SENCo
Focus on LS assessment for 2 pupils with difficulties in learning: with identified SEN or in lowest quartile of achievement e.g. CIC

20. Bar chart showing change in mean frequency of child and learning environment pre to post-LSfA (11 assessment summaries)

21. Trial 3: Inter-professional collaboration with University specialists
Previous LS model modified in two key ways:
by extending LS teams to include cognitive psychologists and mathematics tutors to bridge between psychological knowledge and mathematics education
by using video-conferencing between the school-based teachers in the LS teams review/planning meetings
Research questions: 
What knowledge base was used by the psychologist and mathematics educator in the LS review and planning meetings?
How was this knowledge used in the LS team’ s review of the case pupils’  characteristics and their responses to the research lesson and to the goals and methods used in planning the three research lessons?

22. Primary and secondary LS teams:
2 maths teachers, maths educator, psychologist
Adaptations:
Videoed RLs – transmitted by Vimeo to maths educators/psychologists
Use for skype/ adobe connect for R&P meetings
Evaluation data collection:
audio recordings of R&P meetings
Thematic analysis

23. KNOWLEDGE FROM PSYCHOLOGIST Learning processes and strategies
Learning processes and strategies
Analysing learning process
Balancing concrete and abstract representations
Kinds of psychological knowledge
Cognitive and developmental psychology is relevant
Sharing paper with key points with the team
Psychology and education
Psychological knowledge not always relevant to teaching
Links between education research and psychology
THEORY AND PRACTICE
Building connections both ways (interactively)
The different language of theory and practice
KINDS OF KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge from the maths lecturer
Contributing maths knowledge
Suggesting maths strategies 
Research-based knowledge
Drawing on research based knowledge and papers
Using research-based knowledge to justify teaching decisions
Teachers’ practical knowledge
Having expert knowledge of their pupils
Offering a practical perspective
Other knowledge sources
Knowledge from the training day
Teachers employ web knowledge

25. Trial 4: Inter-professional collaboration with local practitioner educational psychologists.
LS purpose was to develop adapted teaching approaches informed by working memory theory and practices.
LS team members were class teachers and the schools’ practitioner educational psychologists.
Some of the evaluation questions:
What processes and contexts were identified by team members as influencing LS outcomes?
To what extent and how was working memory knowledge translated into teaching practice?
How did the LS team interact with each other?

26. Participants:
primary, secondary and special schools
2 maths teachers, SENCo and school’s EP
Working memory:
Participants introduced to working memory, theory research and associated teaching practices
Automated Working Memory Assessment system (AWMA; Alloway, 2007): used to provide each LS team with a functional WM assessment of their case pupils
short term and working memory for verbal and visuo-spatial areas

27. Communication between EP and school based teachers in LS team
EP and teacher meet face to face
R&P meeting 1
RL 1
EP observes RL2 in person and attends R&P meeting 3
R&P meeting 2
RL1 videoed / photographed for EP:
EP uses skype for R&P meeting 2
RL 2
R&P meeting 3
RL 3
Communication between EP and school based teachers in LS team
RL3 videoed / photographed for EP:
EP uses skype for R&P meeting 4
R&P meeting 4

28. Secondary school LS cycle: case students, teaching focus & outcomes
14-15 year old; in lower maths attainment class with negative maths attitude
Male: difficulties retaining maths concepts/ procedures (ASD diagnosis)
Female: fear of failure, poor self concept
LS aim: to enable to add/subtract positive / negative numbers (for male to solve problems without support; for female raise maths self concept)
visual concrete methods: blue/red counters for +/-ve numbers), group work and concrete rewards
Learned from LS:
pupils gained confidence and more understanding
initial negative attitude to materials, by students kept using them
Materials useful for other classes
Teacher felt more confident to be creative in teaching & take risks

29. Timetable inflexibility
secondary
primary
special
CONTEXT factors
Negative . lowest
Timetable inflexibility
School little experience of teacher-centred CPD
none
Most positive
Participants committed to LS &
prepared and supported for trial
PROCESS factors
LOWEST
WM ideas used constructively
HIGHEST
Constructive and supportive team relationships
LS engaged team in meetings
Contributions by LS team members of equal value

31. Clarke and Hollingworth: INTERCONNECTED MODEL OF TEACHER GROWTH

32. ACTIVITY 2: what is involved in and how to start planning a LS?
With the person next to you
Discuss how you would envisage how to start planning a LS
Here are some questions to consider
Type of LS: LS purpose?
To enhance teaching / learning – to develop a dynamic TRI assessment of case pupils
How introduce?
A response to referral – as INSET or other
Select school?
Phase; ordinary – special school,
How identify case pupils?
Type of difficulties in learning
Scale of LS?
2 or 3 research lessons (RL))
Direct involvement – distance technology?
Attend al R&P meetings or some by skype; observe all RLs or some by video/pictures
Psychological knowledge to use?
Emergent – identify area in advance.

33. TEACHERS AND OUTSIDE SPECIALIST
DEVELOPMENTS OF LESSON STUDY RELEVANT TO SEN / ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
LS TEAM MEMBERS
LS PURPOSES
TEACHERS
TEACHERS AND OUTSIDE SPECIALIST
TO ENHANCE TEACHING
Trial 1: MLD
project
Trials 3 & 4:
Inter-professional LS
DYNAMIC ASSESSMENT
Trial 2: LS for assessment
Trainee EPs
use LSfA

34. REFERENCES:
Trial1:
Norwich, B and Jones J. (2013/4) Lesson Study: making a difference to teaching pupils with learning difficulties. London: Continuum Publishers.
Trial 2:
Norwich, B. & Ylonen, A. (2015): A design-based trial of Lesson Study for assessment purposes: evaluating a new classroom based dynamic assessment approach, European Journal of Special Needs Education, DOI: /
Trial 3:
Norwich,B., Koutsouris, G., Fujita, T., Ralph, T., Adlam, A. and Milton, F. (2016) Exploring knowledge bridging and translation in lesson study using an inter-professional team International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies Vol. 5 No. 3, 2016 pp
Trial 4:
Norwich, B. Fujita,T., Adlam, A., Milton, F. and Edwards-Jones, A. (2017) Using lesson study as an innovative form of inter-professional collaboration for EPs: how to contribute to the improvement of teaching pupils with learning difficulties. (submitted to Educational Psychology In Practice).
RESOURCES
LS for Assessment: (Guidance document)
Department for Education, Advanced training materials for SEN, Lesson Study, available at: