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LESSON STUDY as a Professional Development Model
Arlene P. de la CruzAmelia E. PunzalanMarcelita C. MagnoChemistry WorkgroupUP NISMED
This is UP NISMED’s first research on lesson study.
2004
Statement of the Problem
This study aimed to find out whether lesson study will be accepted, practiced, and result to improvement of teachers’ effectiveness in High School Chemistry. Will it work for Filipino teachers considering our culture, teacher’s attitude and relevant interpersonal skills, and school and classroom realities?
This study proposed to answer the following questions:
What is the significant difference between traditional lesson planning as practiced by Filipino chemistry teachers and collaborative lesson planning?
Will the lesson study practice improve teachers’ effectiveness in High School Chemistry as indicated by the teacher’s:1) mastery of the subject matter,2) strategies adopted in teaching,3) reactions and response to students’ queries and
problems,communication skills,4) classroom management style, 5) relationships with colleagues in collaborative planning,
and6) confidence.
Description of Study
This study focuses on the effectiveness of Lesson Study as a school-based approach to professional development of Chemistry teachers in a typical Philippine public high school.
A group of six (6) chemistry teachers and three (3) science education specialists jointly discussed, developed lesson plans and observed classroom implementation of study lessons to examine the teachers’ teaching practice.
Description of Study
The learning cycle consisted of writing and revising lesson plan, brainstorming/discussing with other teachers, objective-oriented teaching, and receiving comments for improvement was repeated six times and produced six well-developed lessons plans as outputs.
This activity requires voluntary efforts coming from teachers to develop and improve instructional practices.
Distribution of tasks of lesson study group
LearningCycle
Lesson Topic
Teacher 1
Teacher 2
Section taught
and observers
1 Unit 2 classifying matter
A E SEC 2
E & C
SEC 13
A,B,D,F
2 Unit 3 concentration ofsolutions
B D SEC 1D F
SEC 6B, F
3 Unit 4 preparation of colloids
C B SEC 14B, F
SEC 1C
4 Unit 5 diffusion of gases
D F SEC 6F
SEC 5E, D
5 Unit 6 atomic properties
E C SEC 10C, A
SEC 1E
6 Unit 7 chemical symbols
F A SEC 25A
SEC 32F
Measures of Teachers’ EffectivenessLesson Plan
Appropriateness of materials for the classAppropriateness of strategy to subject
matterConsistent achievement of stated objectivesCareful planning and organization of the
lesson around one or more basic concepts, processes, or attitudes &
Logical organization of the lesson
Classroom management fair and equal concern for all students, encouragement and facilitation of quality
interaction among students, time and resource management for maximum
learning, keeping students attentive all the time, management of inappropriate and disruptive
behavior of students, and adeptness in handling of unexpected classroom
situations.
accurate knowledge of subject matter,
stimulating and meaningful introduction of the lesson to the students,
asking questions that require students to express their prior experiences, knowledge, & thoughts,
Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
Knowledge of Content and Pedagogyasking questions that lead
students to analyze, synthesize & think critically,
checking students’ comprehension effectively,
effective reviews of the major points of the lesson.
encouraging students to ask questions,
using student’s questions to encourage or to bring others to ask questions,
Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
answering student’s questions in straightforward and understandable manner,
altering the pace and content of teaching to meet students’ needs,
using varied transitions and sequences in instruction
Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
Communication skills
Appropriateness of vocabulary used for the grade level
Use of acceptable written and oral expressions Giving clear directions and explanations
Effective eye contact with the students
Effective pitch and tone of the that voice
Effective gestures, pauses, & silence
Demonstrating proper listening skills
Communication skills
Measures of Teachers’ Confidence
Enthusiasm & commitmentPositive attitude to studentsFairness, acceptance, respect, & flexibility
Data and Results
Use of Instructional Devices The data given in Figure 1 summarized
the preferred instructional devices by all teachers of the lesson study group. Before the study, four such devices were used. Arranged in decreasing order of usage, these were:
blackboard > laboratory equipment > poster ~ chart ~ textbooks ~ pictures.
Figure 1. Use of Instructional Devices
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
P oster s/
i l lustr ations
Char ts Blackboar d Over head pr ojector &
tr anspar encies
Concr ete objects T extbooks P r inted or
mimeogr aphed
mater ials
P ictur es Labor ator y
equipment
Instructional Device
Sco
re
Prior to LSG
T1
T2
Post LSG
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Group dynamics Group work Questions and answers Experimentation Games
Score
Classroom Activities
Figure 2. Classroom Activities Observed
Prior to LSG
T1
T2
Post LSG
Teaching Methods and Techniques The teaching methods and techniques observed
prior to lesson study support the findings in the previous section. The teachers prior to Lesson Study employed four varieties of teaching techniques:
questions and answers ~ discussion > lecture > games During Lesson Study, demonstration and laboratory
techniques were added to the teachers’ strategies. There was also a noted increase in the number of
teachers employing varied kinds of teaching methods.
Teaching Methods & Techniques Observed
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Lecture Discussion Questions andanswers
Demonstration Laboratorytechnique
Others (Games)
Methods & Techniques
Score
Prior to LSG
T1
T2
Post LSG
Assessment Methods Used
Prior to Lesson Study, the teachers employed only three methods of assessment – paper test, laboratory report, and answers to questions asked.
During Lesson Study, two teachers added oral report by students.
After Lesson Study, there was a noted increase in the kinds of assessment methods and the number of teachers using varied kinds of assessment.
Concept mapping and oral report/demonstration were added to the teachers’ assessment methods.
Assessment Methods Used
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
P aper Test Laboratory report Answers to questionsasked
Concept map Oral report /Demonstration
Assessment Methods
Score
Prior to LSG
T1
T2
Post LSG
Lesson Plan CharacteristicsThere were five aspects of lesson planning that were looked into: appropriateness of materials for the class, appropriateness of strategy to subject
matter, consistent achievement of stated objectives, careful planning and organization of the
lesson around one or more basic concepts, processes, or attitudes, and
logical organization of the lesson.
Lesson Plan Characteristics
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
A B C D E F
Teacher
Mea
sure
of E
ffec
tive
ness
Pre
T1
T2
Post
Classroom Management Skills
Six aspects of classroom management were evaluated. These were: fair and equal concern for all students, encouragement and facilitation of quality interaction
among students, time and resource management for maximum
learning, keeping students attentive all the time, management of inappropriate and disruptive
behavior of students, and adeptness in handling of unexpected classroom
situations.
Classroom Management Skills
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
A
B
C
D
E
F
Tea
cher
Measure of Effectiveness
Post
T2
T1
Pre
Knowledge of Content and PedagogyThis element of teacher’s effectiveness had the most items covered. These were: accurate knowledge of subject matter, stimulating and meaningful introduction of the
lesson to the students, asking questions that require students to express
their prior experiences, knowledge, and thoughts, asking questions that lead students to analyze,
synthesize and think critically, checking students’ comprehension effectively,
encouraging students to ask questions, using student’s questions to encourage or to
bring others to ask questions, answering student’s questions in straightforward
and understandable manner, altering the pace and content of teaching to meet
students’ needs, using varied transitions and sequences in
instruction, and effective reviews of the major points of the
lesson.
Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
Knowledge of Content & Pedagogy
0 1 2 3 4 5
A
B
C
D
E
FTea
cher
Measure of Effectiveness
Post
T2
T1
Pre
Communications Skills
The teacher’s communication skills were evaluated using the following criteria:
appropriateness of vocabulary used for the grade level,
use of acceptable written and oral expressions, giving clear directions and explanations, effective eye contact with the students, effective pitch and tone of voice, effective gestures, pauses, and silence, and demonstrating proper listening skills.
Teacher's Communication Skills
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
A
B
C
D
E
F
Teac
her
Measure of Effectiveness
Post
T2
T1
Pre
Teachers’ Confidence
The teachers’ confidence was evaluated using the following criteria: Enthusiasm and commitment Positive attitude to students Fairness, acceptance, respect, and
flexibility
Teacher's Confidence
0 1 2 3 4 5
A
B
C
D
E
F
Tea
cher
Measure of Effectiveness
Post
T2
T1
Pre
Type of Questions Asked
PRE LSG T1 T2 POST LSG
Basic recall of facts
13.2 11 13.7 11.8
Clarification of procedure
3.8 3.8 5.8 4.7
Applying facts & daily
experience
1.7 2 3.3 4.2
Requiring analysis
0.5 2 2.2 1.5
Requiring synthesis
0.5 2.2 1 0.3
Requiring evaluation
0.33 2.2 1.3 0.67
Asking opinion
1.3 1.7 4.5 4.2
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
CONCLUSIONS The brainstorming session prior to
teaching a lesson plan was found beneficial by most teachers.
Some misconceptions & concerns expressed about the study lesson were corrected during brainstorming. Thus, the teacher became more competent and confident while teaching the class even for the first time.
The Lesson Study practice has made the teachers more aware of the importance of paying attention to every aspect of instructions and examining their teaching practice in a collegial atmosphere.
They become more cognizant of their own capabilities to question & modify prescribed instructional materials to achieve their teaching objectives.
After Lesson Study, the teachers became more aware of laboratory skills, kind of assessment questions they asked
(usually at the knowledge and comprehension level),
their overemphasis on functional literacy (appropriate use of terms, knowledge of conventions) instead of building conceptual literacy (establishing connections between isolated concepts and fitting them in a
conceptual framework), and the variety of teaching strategies and assessment methods
that they can use in teaching chemistry.
Lesson Study has proved to be a practical, economical, & effective school-based method for continuous professional development of teachers done in a collegial atmosphere for teachers in this study.
RECOMMENDATIONSLesson Study must be done
continuously & regularly throughout the school year until it becomes a well-entrenched practice for professional development of chemistry teachers (and other group of teachers) in a given school.
Lesson Study group should include a subject expert or a teacher who is a major in the subject. In case certain questions about content are not resolved, the group should look up resources to find the correct concepts.
Teachers must be aware of their responsibility to their students, to teach them correctly.
A similar study design using the Lesson Study as the intervention tool should be replicated to a bigger population to make the conclusions more substantive & to underline the advantage of using Lesson Study as a tool for professional development of teachers.
Lesson Study as adopted in this study could serve as a mentoring model for those who are involved in teacher’s preparation, both pre-service and in-service.
The mentor could sit in all the study sessions and do class observations.
School administrators must support the science teacher with physical resources such as laboratory room, running water, laboratory equipment, and needed materials to implement any innovation.
They should also provide a supportive school environment and management systems for implementation of innovations.
Supervisors and principals should encourage their teachers to express their views about curriculum matters e.g., assessment and to examine and critique the instructional materials prescribed by DepEd without fear of rebuke or reprisals.
It is only in such environments that teachers could grow professionally.
Curriculum developers who want to involve the teachers in curriculum development activity could adopt the Lesson Study model in this study.
Instructional materials are tested in actual classroom environments and continuous improvement of the lesson takes effect immediately.
