Getting Started with Lesson Study

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Getting Started withLesson Study
A Training Module for Lesson Study Project
Participants
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About this Module
After providing background on lesson study, this
training module offers strategies and
opportunities to help you avoid potential
pitfalls and get more from the lesson study
process. If possible, work through this module
with your entire lesson study team. We recommend
viewing the module on a computer with a
high-speed Internet connection. If you have
questions, please contact Bill Cerbin and Bryan
Kopp, authors of this module. More information is
available at http//www.uwlax.edu/sotl/lsp
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Module Contents

• About this Module
• Introduction
• Learning Goals
• Lesson Design
• Gathering Evidence
• Analyzing Evidence
• Writing Your Report
• Acknowledgements

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Part I. Introduction

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What is Lesson Study?
Lesson study is a teaching improvement process in
which a group of teachers jointly
designs,
teaches,
observes,
analyzes
revises
a single class lesson, called a Research Lesson.
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Lesson study is a simple idea.

• If you want to improve instruction, what
  could be more obvious than collaborating with
  fellow teachers to plan, observe, and reflect on
  lessons? While it may be a simple idea, lesson
  study is a complex process, supported by
  collaborative goal setting, careful data
  collection on student learning, and protocols
  that enable productive discussion of difficult
  issues.

Catherine Lewis. Lesson study A handbook of
teacher-led instructional improvement.
Philadelphia Research for Better Schools, 2002.
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Can You Lift 100 Kg?

• If you have not already seen it and even if
  you have we recommend viewing this video by
  Catherine Lewis (read more). It walks you
  through the lesson study process as it occurs in
  an elementary science class in Japan. Even though
  the contexts of American higher education differ,
  we have found this video both inspiring and
  illuminating. (18 Minutes Total)

View online video clip now.Note Video may take
several minutes to download.
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Introduction to College Lesson Study
This homemade video defines lesson study,
provides background on the project, shares
purposes, and discusses key steps in the lesson
study process. Created in January 2006 at UW-La
Crosse, the video provides a glimpse into how
college teachers have been using lesson study to
build knowledge of teaching and learning. (15
Minutes)
View online video clip now.Note Video may take
several minutes to download.
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Key Steps
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Part II. Learning Goals

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Importance of Learning Goals
The lesson is intended to bring about certain
types of learning, thinking, actions, or feelings
in students.

• Student learning goals inform the design of the
  lesson and provide a rationale for teaching it
  one way versus another.
• Lessons may seem arbitrary or unfocused without
  clearly stated goals.

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Goals Too Big or Too Small

• PROBLEM If goals are too broad, it may be
  difficult to determine the extent to which
  students are achieving them. If goals are too
  narrow, it may limit the usefulness of the lesson
  for others in your field.
• SOLUTION Use and try to link lesson specific
  goals and developmental goals.

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Linking to Developmental Goals
Developmental goals of the course, academic
program, and undergraduate education are
important to consider even though a single lesson
will not fully achieve them.
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Examples of Developmental Goals

• History
• live with uncertainties and exasperating, even
  perilous, unfinished business, realizing that not
  all problems have solutions
• Psychology
• demonstrate reasonable skepticism and
  intellectual curiosity by asking questions about
  causes of behavior

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Example of a Lesson Specific Goal
DEVELOPMENTAL GOAL demonstrate reasonable
skepticism and intellectual curiosity by asking
questions about causes of behavior
LESSON SPECIFIC GOAL students are able to use
psychological theories to explain social behavior
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Framing Learning Goals

• State goals in terms of
• what students should know,
• what they should be able to do,
• how they should be affected or changed
• as a result of the lesson.

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Teaching vs. Learning Goals

• PROBLEM Student learning is not specified in the
  goals. Goals instead focus on what teachers do
  (e.g. cover topic X). As a result, the lesson
  design and observation may focus less on student
  learning (read more).
• SOLUTION Use the generic framework on the next
  slide to help draft your goals.

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Drafting Goals Statements
As a result of the lesson, students should be
able to

• analyze
• interpret
• evaluate
• explain
• hypothesize
• perform

• demonstrate
• empathize
• critique
• decide
• articulate
• etc.

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Stop and do this task Generate Possible
Learning Goals

1. What topics, issues, questions, capacities, etc.
   reside at the heart of the course or your
   discipline?
2. What problems, misconceptions and difficulties do
   students experience in learning your subject?
3. What are the habits of mind, personal qualities
   and intellectual capacities that typify a college
   education or students majoring in your field?

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Too Many Goals

• PROBLEM Disparate or unrelated goals may dilute
  the effect of a lesson and result in incoherence.
  Teachers and students may feel frustrated from
  trying to do too much in a single class session.
• SOLUTION Discuss what is most important for
  students to learn. Adopt a developmental goal
  worth addressing in subsequent lessons and
  throughout the course or program.

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Part III. Lesson Design

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Where to Begin
Team members share how they have taught or would
teach this topic, discussing and debating the
merits of different types of class activities,
assignments, exercises, etc. Some teams build on
existing lessons while others create new ones.
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Key Features of Lesson Design
Instructional activities and experiences ideally
provide occasions for students to articulate
their understandings and make progress toward
learning goals.

• The lesson design should make student thinking
  visible that is, open to observation and
  analysis.

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Stop and do this task Making Thinking Visible

• Identify possible learning goals for your lesson.
• What might students do during a lesson that would
  help them achieve one of the learning goals you
  identified?
• Think of an experience, exercise, assignment,
  activity, or lesson sequence that would make
  their thinking visible.

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One Sided Lessons

• PROBLEM The lesson design specifies only what
  the teacher is supposed to do or only what the
  students are supposed to do. Consequently, the
  lesson study team is unable to observe how
  teaching affects student learning and vice versa.
• SOLUTION Discuss both teacher and student roles.
  The lesson plan should describe what the teacher
  and what students do throughout the lesson. See
  examples on the next slides.

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Example Lesson Sequence 1Problem/Case Based

1. The instructor presents a problem (or case,
   question, task, issue, etc.) to the class.
2. Several students are asked to share their
   solutions and discuss how they arrived at them.
3. The instructor provides an overview of solution
   strategies.
4. Students attempt to solve a new problem alone or
   in groups and then discuss their solution
   strategies.
5. The instructor leads a summary discussion of
   solution strategies.

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Example Lesson Sequence 2Lecture Based

1. In a large class the teacher presents a 20-minute
   lecture and then asks groups of students to
   discuss possible solutions to a problem.
2. The instructor collects the responses and then
   projects 3-4 examples to the class.
3. The instructor leads a brief discussion in which
   students explain each solution.
4. The instructor uses students comments to
   highlight key aspects of the problem.
5. At the end of class each student writes a minute
   paper about the best ways to solve the problem.

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Example Lesson Sequence 3Writing/Discussion
Based

1. Students complete an assignment designed by the
   lesson study team.
2. Before or at the beginning of class, students
   write responses to questions related to the
   learning goal.
3. In class students debate their answers in pairs
   or small groups.
4. The teacher asks students to share responses. The
   instructor writes patterns on the board and asks
   strategic questions.
5. Students revise their written answers in light of
   group discussion.

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Example Lesson Sequence 4Online/Hybrid Based

1. Before class, students visit selected websites
   and participate in an online discussion forum.
2. The instructor responds to student discussions in
   an audio recording, which is then uploaded as a
   podcast.
3. Students listen to the instructors podcast and
   then post responses to several focused questions.
4. In an online or a traditional class meeting, the
   instructor responds to select student posts or
   highlights patterns in the posts.
5. The entire session is archived on the course
   website.

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A Japanese Approach

1. hatsumon provoking students deep thinking
   about a problem
2. jirikikaiketsu solving problems individually
3. neriage polishing learning through whole class
   discussion
4. matome summary

Recommended Reading Fernandez, C. Yoshida, M.
(2004). Lesson study A Japanese approach to
improving mathematics teaching and learning .
Mahwah, NJ Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,
Publishers.
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Design Seems Arbitrary

• PROBLEM The parts of the lesson do not seem to
  create a whole. The lesson does not (or portions
  of it do not) seem to support the learning goals.
• SOLUTION As a team, develop a rationale for the
  lesson design, discussing reasons for adopting
  one instructional strategy versus another.
  Discuss how lesson activities are intended
  support goals throughout the lesson.

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Additional Strategies
See more instructional techniques that make
student thinking visible
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Part IV. Gathering Evidence

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What constitutes evidence?
By designing a lesson that makes student thinking
visible, the lesson study team has already begun
thinking about how to gather evidence related to
learning goals.
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Two Kinds of Evidence

• Observations
• Live observer reports, video/audio recordings,
  etc.
• Student work
• in-class as well as pre- and post-class writing,
  exercises, exhibits, etc.

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Before and After

• PROBLEM For evidence of student learning the
  team looks only to pre- and post-test
  assessments. As a result, it is difficult to
  determine how students learned or did not learn
  from the lesson.
• SOLUTION Whether you use pre- and post-tests or
  not, make sure to focus on what happens during
  the lesson. Prepare a set of guidelines to
  structure in-class observations.

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Guidelines for Observers
Observation Guidelines include a copy of the
lesson plan as well as instructions to observers
about
Who to observe
What to observe
How to record data
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Who to Observe
On the day of the lesson, observers sit so they
can see students, not just the instructor.
Whether team members observe certain students,
groups or the whole class, they focus on how
students respond to the lesson.
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What to Observe
Observers may attempt to monitor everything
students do and say but they may find it more
feasible to focus on specific activities and
student responses. They might divide up labor to
gather information about different aspects of
learninge.g. group dynamics, use of key terms,
etc.
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Too Much to See

• PROBLEM On the day of the lesson observers get
  overwhelmed by how much is happening. They come
  away from the lesson with a vague feeling that
  something happened but are unable to articulate
  what. They do not know what a complex goal looks
  like in terms of student performance.
• SOLUTION Observers typically look at many
  aspects of student learning at once. To structure
  responses, however, they give special attention
  to indicators related to the learning goal. The
  next slide may help your team draft observer
  guidelines.

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What to Observe, cont.
If your goal is Then observers might look for
Engagement Continued effort in the face of difficulty or confusion. Requests to know more about the subject. Spontaneous expressions of interest or curiosity. Expressions of excitement.
Understanding The quality of students explanations of a concept. The ability to use a concept appropriately in a novel context. The ability to give an appropriate example of a concept.
Skilled Action The quality of performance as students carry out an activity or procedure.
Critical Reflection Types of metacognitive statements, e.g., I dont see how these two parts fit together We need more information before drawing any conclusions I still dont get how this works. The quality of reflective comments made in individual writing. The quality of reflective comments made in group discussion.
Judgment Use of explicit standards to evaluate alternative views. Integration of appropriate information as support for judgment.
Commitment Declarations to act in a specific way. Planning to follow a certain course of action. Following through with a certain course of action.
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How to Record Data

• Observers may record data in one or more of the
  following ways
• Field Notes detailed observations of students
  throughout the lesson
• Focal Questions descriptions of specific types
  of student responses
• Checklists numbers, ratings, rankings, etc. of
  kinds and qualities of student responses

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Excerpt from an Observer Checklist

• Student Interactions During Discussions
• Asked for/gave information
• Asked relevant questions
• Restated ideas of group members
• Asked for/gave examples
• Asked for/gave evidence for ideas
• Encouraged/supported others ideas
• Elaborated on others' ideas
• Asked for/gave summary
• Monopolized discussion
• Criticized others
• Frequent irrelevant comments
• Withdrawn, did not participate

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Sample Observation Guidelines
Read sample observation guidelines
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Doing Lesson Study Planning to Gather
Evidence

• How might you observe and keep track of student
  responses to the lesson?
• What types of student work might you collect
  before, during, and after the lesson?
• If possible, imagine how students might respond
  to the lesson. What might the desired learning
  might look like?

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Reminders

• Submit an IRB Proposal to your Institutional
  Review Board.
• Prior to the class period, tell students about
  the lesson as well as the presence of observers
  and video cameras.
• Brief observers about the lesson and their role
  in observing.
• Discuss the best ways to film the lesson with
  videographer. To the extent possible, try to
  capture student responses with quality video and
  audio.

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Part V. Analyzing Evidence

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Reviewing the Evidence
Teams analyze the evidence to understand more
about how students learn and how instruction
affects their learning. As they investigate how
the lesson fostered the intended forms of
learning, thinking and behavior, the team makes
decisions about how to revise the lesson.
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Key Research Questions
What and how did students learn or not learn
from the lesson?
How did instructional activities support or not
support the learning goal?
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An Approach to Analysis

• Look for
• patterns and tendencies in student performance
• representative examples, turning points, etc.
• gaps, shortcomings, etc. in student understanding
• how instruction affected student thinking

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Crystallizing Findings
The lesson study team describes qualitative
differences among student responses and any
changes that occurred over the course of the
lesson. They summarize the performance of the
entire class.
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Examples of Qualitative Differences 1

• Excerpt from a rubric on student explanations
• Well-developed
• response is coherent and informed by course
  material
• Underdeveloped
• response is unfocused or lacks connection to
  course material
• Non-explanation
• response describes but does not explain

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Examples of Qualitative Differences 2
Profound a powerful and illuminating interpretation and analysis of the importance/ meaning/ significance tells a rich and insightful story provides a rich history or context sees deeply and incisively any ironies in the different interpretations
Revealing a nuanced interpretation and analysis of the importance/meaning/ significance tells an insightful story provides a telling history of context sees subtle differences, levels, and ironies in diverse interpretations.
Perceptive a helpful interpretation or analysis of the importance/meaning/ significance tells a clear and instructive story provides a useful history or context sees different levels of interpretation.
Interpreted a plausible interpretation or analysis of the importance/meaning/ significance tells a clear and instructive story provides a history or context.
Literal a simplistic or superficial reading mechanical translation a decoding with little or now interpretation no sense of wider importance or significance a restatement of what was taught or read.
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Unexpected Findings
What else did you notice that seems important for
understanding how the lesson worked?

• Examples
• Students learned something important you did not
  explicitly intend for them to learn
• Students liked or disliked the experience
• Some small groups were dysfunctional

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Information Overload

• PROBLEM After reviewing the evidence, the team
  feels overwhelmed by how much can be said about
  it. The interactions that took place during the
  lesson seem too complex to summarize, analyze or
  interpret.
• SOLUTION Focus on what your team finds most
  interesting or important in the evidence, even if
  it is not directly related to your learning goal,
  lesson design, or observation method. Discuss
  insights into teaching and learning that you
  gained from the experience.

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Supplementary Reading
For more information, read How to Study a
Lesson
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Second Iteration
The first iteration is often exploratory and
teams may significantly change their goals, the
lesson plan, and their observation guidelines.
Whether or not they make such changes, they carry
out a second iteration in which they teach the
revised lesson, observe, gather and analyze
evidence, and describe how the lesson may be
further improved.
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Part VI. Writing Your Report

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Writing the Final Report
The final report is more than documentation
required at the end of a grant project.

• Final reports contain
• publishable research on teaching learning
• usable teaching materials lessons
• artifacts that may be used in conference
  presentations, teaching portfolios, faculty and
  graduate student mentoring, department and
  program assessment, etc.

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Building Knowledge
A final training module (available here) details
how to write and submit your teams lesson study
final report.
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To Complete this Module
Please let us know you have completed this module.
Click here to submit a quick online form.
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Acknowledgements

• Special thanks to the University of Wisconsin
  System Office of Professional Development (OPID)
  and the University of Wisconsin La Crosse Office
  of the Provost.
• More information at
• http//www.uwlax.edu/sotl/lsp