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Leadership in Lesson Study
National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics
April 10, 2008
Jane Gorman and Johannah NikulaEducation Development Center (EDC)[email protected]
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants 0138814 and 0554527. 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.
Study curriculum & content.
Set goals for students and
research questions.
Develop lesson. Focus on student
thinking. Anticipate student responses.
Observe lesson. Discuss evidence.
Revise (and re-teach) lesson.
Consolidate, record, and share learning about research Q’s,
content and pedagogy.
Teachers Students
Other EducatorsColleagues
Administrators
Knowledgeable Others
Research LessonResearch Lesson
Lesson StudyLesson StudyPost-Lesson
ActivitiesResearch
LessonPlanning
Phase
RESEARCH LESSON
Actual classroom lesson; attending teachers study
student thinking, learning,
engagement, behavior, etc.
Discuss Long Term Goals for Students’
Academic, Social and Ethical Development
Choose Content Area and Unit Discuss Learning Goals for Content Area, Unit and Lesson
Plan Lessons(s) that Foster Long-Term Goals and Lesson/Unit Goals
Discussion of Lesson Discuss research lesson. Focus on
evidence of whether the lesson promoted the long-term goals and
lesson/unit goals
Consolidate LearningWrite report that includes
lesson plan, data, and summary of discussion. Refine and re-teach the
lesson if desired. Or select a new focus of
study.
Figure 1
Catherine Lewis - Resource from www.lessonresearch. net
SINGLE TEAM - 3-6 teachers
WHOLE SCHOOL - multiple teams in school, all teachers have some access to program, support of knowledgeable others. Cross grade, cross subject area collaborations.
DISTRICT PROGRAM - teachers share across schools - public events - may invite national lesson study experts and university faculty - program institutionalized - integrated with system initiatives - training of new members and leaders ongoing.
Lesson study thrives on a shared leadership
model….• Teacher leadership • Coaching• Administrative involvement and support
• “Knowledgeable others” from within and outside the school district.
• Expertise in content and pedagogy at every level.
• The national lesson study community.
Leaders are presented with complex challenges
• Lesson study is very new.• Many participants - goals - activities. • Building new culture, learning community.
• Needs of novice and experienced teams differ.
• Teams are addressing difficult questions about student learning, requiring.
• The research base on how learning occurs within lesson study is just emerging.
How would one describe leadership in this
setting?• Training? Mentoring? Coaching? Peer coaching? Content coaching? Professional development? Professional learning community? Professionalism?
• Teachers lead their meetings, set goals, etc.
• Expertise from within team is as important as expertise from without.
• The teachers are conducting their own research.
Our experience: leadership and support
fall into 4 main areas.
• Envisioning and Communicating about LS
• Fostering Effective Lesson Study Practice
• Building Content Expertise• Providing Organizational Leadership and Administrative Support
Envisioning and Communicating about
Lesson Study • The visionary• The starter• The bulldog or “plugger”• The outreach person• The lesson study guru
We will describe the roles leaders play in each category, BUT
• This does NOT mean that teams need a leader to fill every role. NOR that all of these roles are needed at all times.
• ANY one leader will probably be moving from role to role within this general territory.
• ALL teams should consider providing SOME support in each category.
• And TEACHERS can be LEADERS.
Fostering Effective Lesson Study Practice
moving towards “robustness”
• The facilitator - team meeting leader
• The writer• The questioner/hypothesizer• The believer in evidence based discussion and decision making
• The teacher advocate
Building Content Expertise
•The teacher
•The mathematician
•The pedagogical specialist
•The curriculum specialist
Providing Administrative Support
and Organizing•The organizer
•The liaison with administration
•The administrator
•The magician/technician
Fundamentals for all teams and
leaders• This is basically a teacher-driven process
• All who participate come as learners - including “leaders” and “outside experts”
• Building sustainable learning community is a primary goal
• This is an “inquiry based” learning model• You can’t just explain it. You have to do it.
Many ways to get started:
with different leadership needs• Top-down, systematic implementation
• Organic growth from one group, to many• Sponsorship by outside funding or project
• Build foundation (DMI, student work, peer observation) then move to lesson study.
• Lesson study as a tool supporting another initiative - e.g. curriculum implementation
Team experience matters
• Lesson study is a new process - and includes new skills and new professional culture.
• Novice teams have particular needs - a basic “how-to” guidance that keeps big picture in sight.
• Experienced teams need support to go “deeper” - bringing in outside expertise is encouraged
A Vision of Strong Practice is Essential
Robustness of practice
•Key Element: Understanding lesson study.
•A cycle with purpose and intent
•Analytic lenses on lessons and teaching.
Robustness of practice
•Key Element: Creating knowledge for the profession
•“Publicness” visibility of practice, products, thinking
•Teacher learning is central goal
Robustness of practice
•Key Element: Effort focused on the core of instruction
•Focus on content in all aspects of the work
•Focus on student thinking and learning -
Looking more deeply into leadership in one
activity:
The Post-Lesson Discussion
• What do you need to do as a leader to support a lesson study team?
• What do you need to do to include other forms of leadership?
(and later we’ll give resources that can help you learn more about these questions)
Today we’re going to think together about…
Study curriculum & content.
Set goals for students and
research questions.
Develop lesson. Focus on
student thinking. Anticipate student
responses.
Observe lesson. Discuss
evidence. Revise (and re-
teach) the lesson.
Consolidate, record, and
share learning about research
Q’s, content and pedagogy.
Collect concrete data of students’ learning
Discuss the data with colleagues
Discuss if goals were met.
Revise lesson based on the observation and discussion.
Plan for second teaching.
Observe lesson.
Discuss evidence.
Revise (and re-teach) lesson.
Collect concrete data of students’ learning
Discuss the data with colleagues
Discuss if goals were met.
Revise lesson based on the observation and discussion.
Plan for second teaching.
Observe lesson.
Discuss evidence.
Revise (and re-teach) lesson.
Some background about the lesson study team:
One of the team’s goals was to help all students in inclusion classrooms explore mathematics.
The team’s research lesson focused on study of exponential growth and how it compares to linear growth.
Like all teams….before the teaching
• Teachers developed a set of focus questions for observers.
• Teachers developed protocols to provide a guide to all observers in appropriate norms and methods of participating.
• Teachers prepared a detailed lesson plan that embodies their theories about teaching this topic and progressing on their goals.
A thought experiment:Your school is about to
shift to a “full inclusion” model in math.
• What qualities do your students need improvement on if the full-inclusion model is to succeed?
• What qualities do your students already have that might support the full-inclusion model.
Some background about the lesson study team:
One of the team’s goals was to help all students in inclusion classrooms explore mathematics.
The team’s research lesson focused on study of exponential growth and how it compares to linear growth.
The team’s research lesson flow:
Complete a table of values, then graph:
y=3x+1 and y=3x
What kind of growth is it? – Tables of values for linear, exponential– Graphs: line, exponential curve, parabola– Equations: linear, exponential, neither
The money problem
The Money Problem
Plan A: The boss puts $1000 into your bank account every day that you work.
ORPlan B: On the 1st day the boss puts $1 in your account. After that your balance will double every day that you work. So, on the second day you have a total of $2, on the third day you have $4, etc.
Which plan would you choose and why?
Notes About the Video
• This is the second time the team observed and discussed their research lesson
• The team combined two classes of students (one special education class and one regular class) during this lesson.
• This lesson was taught to a group of 25 observers at a “lesson study open house.”
Reminders for Watching the Video
• We are very thankful to the educators in this video for sharing their work with us.
• Please discuss the video in a way that is respectful of these educators’ willingness to share their own learning – even pretend they are in the room with us!
With your lesson study coach hat on,
watch this video, looking for…
Examples that illustrate features of a post-lesson discussion that you would want to foster for a lesson study team.
Discuss at your tables…
• What features of this post-lesson discussion would you want to foster as a lesson study coach?
• What challenges does a post-lesson discussion present for a coach?
• How might a coach support a team in preparing for or conducting a discussion such as this one?
Share with the full group…
• What features of this post-lesson discussion would you want to foster as a lesson study coach?
• What challenges does a post-lesson discussion present for a coach?
• How might a coach support a team in preparing for or conducting a discussion such as this one?
COACHING FOCUSPromote Evidence Based Discussion and Support Team
in Open Lesson Event• Keep focus on students• Provide protocols • Participate as learner.• Help team prepare for the open lesson event.• Orient knowledgeable others who participate in
the observation/debrief.• Be prepared to moderate the debriefing and help
organize the open lesson event.
Here’s some of how we think about the role of the lesson study coach in the Observation and Debriefing phase…
Here’s some of how we think about the role of the lesson study coach in the Observation and Debriefing phase…
GUIDING QUESTIONS for the Coach and Team• What is our rationale for the lesson?• What do we want to learn from the observation?• Will student ideas and methods be visible
during the lesson? • What data should we collect to provide
evidence of student thinking and understanding?
• What evidence is there that lesson goals were met?
• What revisions to the lesson does the data suggest?
Now put on an administrator hat…
• What positive benefits would you, as an administrator, see in this discussion/event?– E.g., How might this kind of discussion support whole school initiatives or goals?
– E.g,, What might you learn, as an administrator, through your participation?
• What would be potential challenges for you or the team if you joined in the post-lesson discussion?
Thinking back on the video, individually
reflect on…
• What positive benefits would you, as an administrator, see in this discussion/event?– E.g., How might this kind of discussion support whole school initiatives or goals?
– E.g,, What might you learn, as an administrator, through your participation?
• What would be potential challenges for you or the team if you joined in the post-lesson discussion?
Now share with the full group…
Some potential roles for a principal or administrator…
Participating as learner & researcher
Academic leaderProviding logistical & administrative support
Sanctioning the eventsProviding the school contextActing as presenter or panel memberBuilding a working partnership with teachers around instruction.
Finally, consider what it means to wear a
“knowledgeable other” hat.
A “knowledgeable other”…• Is a visitor from outside the team
• Provides expertise in content, pedagogy, or the lesson study process
• Who might play this role?– Coach or math specialist– University mathematician – Lesson study researcher– Person with special expertise on team’s goals
– Teachers from other schools, SPED, practice teachers, paraprofessionals
– PRINCIPALS or other school administrators– School committee members, parents
Watch the next video clips (from the same post-lesson discussion) and look for…
Evidence of the role and goals of this particular “knowledgeable other.”
• What did this knowledgeable other contribute to this discussion? How?
• What potential challenges are there for integrating a knowledgeable other into a post-lesson discussion?
Discuss at your table…
• What did this knowledgeable other contribute to this discussion? How?
• What potential challenges are there for integrating a knowledgeable other into a post-lesson discussion?
Now share with the full group…
SOME ROLES WE HAVE SEEN FOR KNOWLEDGEABLE OTHERS:
• Welcome participants to school and orient them to the school goals, student population, etc.
• Special Commentator at end of post-lesson discussion
• Lead related workshop session on content.• Provide particular expertise related to team goals.
• Moderate the post-lesson discussion.• Participate in panel of observers that identify topics for discussion.
Broadening our Focus
The observation/debriefing phase of the lesson study cycle is not the only focus of leadership in lesson study.
Leadership and support can be viewed through
many lenses.
Prime Leadership Framework Type of
implementation.Team experience level.Phases of the cycle.
Study curriculum & content.
Set goals for students and
research questions.
Develop lesson. Focus on
student thinking. Anticipate student
responses.
Observe lesson. Discuss
evidence. Revise (and
re-teach) lesson.
Consolidate, record, and
share learning about research
Q’s, content and pedagogy.
For one phase, discuss with your group….. • What are the most important leadership needs of the team?
• What are leaders goals?• What do the leaders do?• What are the biggest challenges?
• How would leadership/support issues be different, in this phase, for new or experienced teams.
Lesson study doesn’t have to be
complicated…it’s a simple idea• Teachers meet in small groups
• Talk about their students greatest needs
• Study together• Develop a lesson to test their ideas• Observe, discuss, and improve the lesson
• Share their learning with other teachers
• Make this an ongoing practice….
Leadership in lesson study doesn’t have to
be complicated• One group of teachers can start on their own.
• One leader can provide the vision and support for a team.
• The team and leader can tell about their work within the school to obtain wider support for continuing.
Remembering a few things:
• It is all about building professional learning communities.
• It isn’t about creating perfect lessons, or demonstration lessons. It is about teachers learning and doing research so they can improve students’ opportunities to learn.
• Leaders may need to learn new practices to support lesson study - e.g. in observing a lesson the administrator is not an evaluator.
Resources for leaders• Lewis, Lesson Study: A Handbook of Teacher-led Instructional Change
• Stepanek, et al Leading Lesson Study• EDC Course and Guide - in development• GER and Listserve• Chicago Lesson Study Group Annual Conference
• www.lessonresearch.net• www2.edc.org/lessonstudy
Contact us! for more information
to share ideasto talk about a
project
EDC Lesson Study Centerwww2.edc.org/lessonstudy
Jane Gorman [email protected]
Johannah Nikula [email protected]
June Mark [email protected]
