FEBRUARY/MARCH 2004 INSIDE THIS ISSUE TM 3 Lesson Study Cycle 4 Preparing for Observation of the Study Lesson 5 Observing the Study Lesson NATIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL 6 Debriefing the Study Lesson www.nsdc.org 7 Resources 8 Dr. Developer LESSON STUDY Teachers learn how to improve instruction

BY JOAN RICHARDSON

hen Becky LaChapelle and Nancy Lesson study is as much a culture as a profes- Sundberg joined a lesson study sional development activity, said Tad Watanabe, a W team in Rochester, N.Y., two years professor of mathematics education at Pennsylva- ago, they were expecting to learn nia State University who worked with the Roches- how to improve their ability to teach mathematics. ter lesson study group. Being successful at lesson What they didn’t expect was how much they would study requires teachers to feel comfortable sharing learn about improving student learning. with each other and observing each other teaching. “It has totally changed my practice. I don’t look Having a collabo- at a lesson the same way. Every lesson I do, whether rative culture in the it’s a study lesson or a day-to-day lesson, I always first place benefits think ‘What is the student response going to be?’, a group’s ability to Page 2: ‘What do I want students to show so I will know engage in lesson 7 steps they have learned this?’,” said LaChapelle, math spe- study, he said. But of cialist at Kodak Park School in Rochester. lesson study may lesson The process of lesson study — a practice im- also show teachers study ported to the U.S. from Japan — stands apart from the value of work- many professional development practices because ing together more

Tools For Schools Tools it focuses on “our children in our classrooms,” said closely. Sundberg, a 4th-grade teacher at the Children’s Developing School of Rochester. the lesson as a team signals that the lesson is owned In the words of Catherine Lewis, one of the by all participants. It is the lesson and the learning leading U.S. researchers on lesson study, “tests and that it generates that is being evaluated during the student work may offer information about what to observation, not the teacher. Observers are told to A bi-monthly improve, (but) lesson study also sheds light on how watch for evidence of student thinking, student publication to improve.” learning, and student confusion. They make notes “Lesson study” is different from “lesson plan- on what students say, whether they are collaborat- supporting student ning” because it focuses on what teachers want stu- ing, whether they are engaged during the lesson, and staff learning dents to learn rather than on what teachers plan to and the work they produce as a result of the lesson. teach. In lesson study, a group of teachers devel- Lesson study is one of those professional de- through school ops a lesson together and ultimately one of them velopment strategies that is deceptively simple on improvement teaches the lesson while the others observe the stu- the surface and remarkable complex as you begin dent learning. The entire group comes together to to probe beneath the surface. What follows is an debrief the lesson and often revises and re-teaches overview of the steps involved in lesson study, each the lesson to incorporate what has been learned. of which can be expanded greatly. Tools For Schools February/March 2004

1. Form a lesson study team. Begin by recruiting teachers inter- ested in the concept of lesson study and who work with a similar group of students or a similar topic. For example, lesson study teams might be composed of 4th- grade teachers who work in three differ- ent schools, teachers of 8th-grade Ameri- 7 can history in one middle school, or spe- cialists who help other teachers integrate technology into their instruction. In Rochester, 15 teachers from sev- steps eral schools worked on two different les- son studies for two years. All of the par- ticipants were elementary school teachers of who had been part of a summer Thinking Math institute offered by the American lesson Federation of Teachers. Facilitator Alice Gill, associate director in AFT’s educa- tional issues department, suggested lesson study study as a way to follow-up and transfer what teachers had learned in the institute. Because Gill works in Washington, D.C., much of the team discussion about the les- sons occurred online, but the team did re- assemble in order to observe and debrief the completed lesson. One of the teachers can facilitate the team or, as in Rochester’s case, an out- 2. Focus the lesson study. 3. Plan the study lesson. side person may be facilitator. The lesson study team selects a re- The bulk of the lesson study team’s Each lesson study team also needs a search theme that captures schoolwide work occurs in the planning of the lesson. “knowledgeable other” to provide per- goals as well as the academic content goals This may require between three and six spective and a broader view of the issues. for students. If the teachers in the group face-to-face meetings or several months These individuals may also be known as are from a single grade level, they will of online discussion. outside commentator, evaluator, or outside choose a subject area in which to focus As they begin, teachers share and dis- advisor. Typically, knowledgeable others their work. cuss their existing lessons related to the are university professors who bring a Then, the team identifies a unit or les- topic, explaining what they believe has depth of expertise in the given content area son on which to focus. They thoroughly been successful and where they believe but they could be districtwide curriculum discuss the unit and agree about what they the lessons could be improved. specialists or specialists from a regional are trying to achieve with the lesson. The The facilitator keeps the conversation education agency. crucial question is: What do we want stu- moving by focusing the discussion on the Watanabe was Rochester’s knowl- dents to know and be able to do when this lesson that these teachers will develop to- edgeable other. He cautions that anyone lesson is concluded? In order to answer this gether. who is selected for that role should come question, teachers also must understand Developing the lesson as a group sig- in with the mindset of being a learner. how this lesson links to others in the sub- nals that the lesson is owned by all partici- “You have something to share but you ject, both in this grade and future grades. pants. This is key because it sets the stage have to have this notion that you are also One of Rochester’s study lessons was for the observation in which the lesson — there so you can learn from it,” he said. “What happens to area when you double the product of the entire team — and the When knowledgeable others have that the sides of a square?” The second was learning that it generates is being evaluated learning mindset, he said, it sends a mes- “What is the value of 25 in 2,500?” and not the teacher who is presenting the sage that lesson study is a process for pro- This part of the work could take from lesson as a representative of the team. fessional learning. one to four meetings. continued on next page

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5. Teaching and observing the continued from previous page Lesson Study Cycle A crucial piece of planning the les- lesson. son includes anticipating student re- On the day of the study lesson, all of sponses to various aspects of the lesson the observers gather in one area in ad- 1. Goal-setting and planning and preparing appropriate teacher re- vance and everyone goes to the room to- • Select planning team. sponses: If the student does or asks X, gether. The teacher probably will intro- • Identify goals for student learn- then the teacher does Y. The group also duce the observers as a group before be- ing and long-term development. identifies what students will say and do ginning the lesson. • Collaboratively plan instruction that will signal that they have learned Having observers in the room is what designed to bring these goals to life, what the teacher intends to have them enables the team to learn so much about including a “research” or “study” learn. the lesson being taught. As Rochester fa- lesson that will be observed. In assisting the planning, the facili- cilitator Alice Gill said, “it’s 14 pairs of tator and the knowledgeable other walk eyes observing in the classroom and see- a fine line when guiding teachers, Gill ing what one teacher simply cannot pick said. In her Rochester experience, for ex- up if she’s the only one person in front U ample, she realized teachers were mak- of that classroom.” 2. Research or study lesson ing an inaccurate assumption. Gill re- “A teacher could not possibly have frained from pointing out their error, be- walked around and written down the • One planning team member lieving that they would learn by discov- comments of all 25 students. But the teaches classroom lesson while ering the error on their own. other adults who were observing were other team members collect data “These are adults. You have to re- writing down the conversations they on student thinking, learning, en- spect what wonderful experiences they overheard,” said LaChapelle. gagement, behavior, etc. have and all of that. You can’t leave it “Even though it’s a study lesson, all so wide open that they wander off and we’re still managing the classroom. over a cliff. But you do have to allow Someone has to go to the bathroom or them to make the decisions,” Gill said. somebody doesn’t have a glue stick and the teacher has to handle that. But every- U 4. Prepare for the observation. one else was free to just observe. They The lesson study team may want to could really hone in on the conversation 3. Lesson debriefing invite additional observers — such as the and what students were thinking and do- • Share and analyze data collected superintendent, union president, and lead ing,” Sundberg said. at research or study lesson. teachers — to the study lesson. The team • What is the evidence that goals ensures that each person at the observa- 6. Debriefing the lesson. for student learning and develop- tion knows the expectations of the les- Rochester teacher Nancy Sundberg ment were fostered? son study and the ground rules for ob- calls the debriefing “the meat of lesson • What improvements to the les- serving the lesson. (See Page 5.) All ob- study” because this is the time when the son and to instruction more gener- servers will collect data that will be lesson study teams share their learning ally should be considered? shared in the debriefing. The “data” are from the observation. the comments of students and the work The entire lesson study team plus any students produce during the lesson. additional observers gather following the U In some situations, the team assigns lesson to begin the debriefing. Some 4. Consolidation of learning certain observers to closely watch the groups may choose to continue the de- work and comments of particular stu- briefing in later meetings as well. See • If desired, refine and re-teach the dents. (See Page 4.) Page 6 for a more detailed structure for lesson and study it again. The lesson study team prepares cop- the debriefing. • Write report that includes the ies of the lesson plan, seating chart, and lesson plan, student data, and re- any worksheets that students will be using. 7. Reflect and plan the next steps. flections about what was learned. The lesson study team prepares the Depending on what teachers learn in • Share the lesson with all mem- classroom so observers can circulate the debriefing, the team may decide to bers of the team and other inter- freely among students or stand comfort- revise and re-teach the lesson. Calendar ested persons. ably around the periphery during whole- issues and other circumstances may make class instruction. that difficult in some schools.

NATIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL PAGE 3 Tools For Schools February/March 2004

Preparing for observation of the study lesson

Assign observers key tasks.

• Are there particular students who should be observed? • Do you want someone to keep time? Collect student work at the end of the lesson? Make notes on anything written on the blackboard? Record any disruptions that occur during the lesson?

If you are going to videotape the lesson:

• Determine who will be the videographer. • Determine where you will station the camera(s) to record both the teacher and students. • Ensure that you secure permission slips from students in advance. (Familiarize yourself with your district’s policy regarding videotaping of students.)

Prepare materials for observers.

• The lesson plan. Include the goal of the lesson, where the lesson fits in a unit, where the lesson fits across grades in the entire curriculum, how it relates to school goals, anticipated student responses, and progression of the lesson. Leave plenty of space so observers can record their notes. • Copies of student work sheets. • Seating chart including names of students and space to write notes.

Determine where observers will be stationed in the room as the teacher presents the lesson.

Arrange the classroom so observers can circulate around students as they work without disrupting their learning.

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Observing the study lesson

Respect the natural Observers should take these actions while observing: atmosphere of the classroom S Make notes on individual student comments and conversations, noting the names of students. • Minimize side conversations S Note situations in which students are collaborating or choosing not to collaborate. during the lesson. S Look for examples of how students construct their understanding through their • Remain in the classroom discussions and activities. during the entire lesson to S Document the variety of methods that individual students use to solve problems, capture how the lesson is set up, including errors. its flow, and its conclusion. • Do not block the students’ Observers should consider these questions while observing: view of the blackboard or any area where the teacher is writing 1. Was the goal clear? Did the supporting activities contribute effectively to and posting materials or demon- achieving the goal? strating an activity. P Yes P No • Do not block the video 2. Was the flow of the lesson coherent, and did it support students’ learning of the concept? camera. P Yes P No • Circulate freely when 3. Were the problems and the materials helpful in achieving the goal of the lesson? students are working individually P Yes P No or in groups but move to the side or back of the room during whole 4. Did the classroom discussions help promote student understanding? class discussions. P Yes P No • Minimize interactions with 5. Was the content of the lesson appropriate for students’ level of understanding? students. Refrain from teaching or P Yes P No assisting the students. Occasional 6. Did students apply their prior knowledge to understand the content of the lesson? interaction is permissible if done P Yes P No discreetly and with the purpose of understanding student thinking. 7. Did the teacher’s questions engage and facilitate student thinking? P Yes P No 8. Were student ideas valued and incorporated into the lesson? Did the lesson summary refer to student theories or ideas? P Yes P No Source

9. Was the lesson summary consistent with the lesson goal? “Guidelines for Lesson P Yes P No Study Observations and 10. How could the teacher reinforce what the students learned during the lesson? Debriefings,” RBS Currents, Spring/Summer 2002 (Vol. 5, No. 2). Available online at www.rbs.org/currents/ 0502/guidelines.shtml

NATIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL PAGE 5 Tools For Schools February/March 2004

Debriefing the study lesson

Preparation Maintain a respectful atmosphere Even if you are doing some of the lesson study preparation in an online format, the initial debriefing should be done face-to-face on the same day as the observed • Observers should begin their lesson. comments by identifying the In advance of the debriefing, members of the group that designed the lesson positive aspects of the lesson. should assign themselves the following roles: facilitator who keeps the conversation • Ensure that the teacher who moving, a recorder who take notes and will provide a written summary of the taught the lesson is not made to debriefing, a time keeper, and a commentator. feel like he or she is being Determine in advance how much time you will devote to the debriefing. personally criticized. Members of the group that designed the lesson should arrange themselves at the front of the room in panel-style. This set-up emphasizes that it is the entire group • Do not focus on the success and not just the teacher who taught the lesson who will be receiving the feedback or failure of the lesson or on the from the observers. teaching style. • Select key, relevant observa- Directions tions. Avoid producing a “laundry list.” 1. Facilitator introduces everyone in the room and reminds participants of each • Be an active participant. Try person’s role during the observation. to contribute to the debriefing without repeating what has 2. Facilitator reviews the agenda for the debriefing. 2 minutes. already been stated. 3. Facilitator briefly introduces the goals of the lesson study. 5 minutes. 4. Facilitator describes the norms or expectations for how the group will provide feedback. There are three key norms for the debriefing: 1) During this discussion, only one person speaks at a time. Sources 2) Everyone will be allowed an opportunity to speak. “Lesson Study Protocol” developed by the Lesson 3) Observers should provide specific evidence for their observations and Study Research Group at not merely offer opinions about the lesson. Teachers College, Columbia 5. The teacher who presented the lesson speaks first, commenting on his or her University. The protocol is reactions to the lesson. The teacher should address what actually occurred during regularly updated. To see the the lesson — what worked, what did not work, what could be changed. 15 to 20 latest version, please go to minutes. www.tc.columbia.edu/ lessonstudy/tools.html. 6. Each planning group member speaks. “Guidelines for Lesson 7. In a round-robin fashion, the facilitator calls upon observers to offer his or her Study Observations and feedback, ensuring that each person has an equal opportunity to share their Debriefings,” RBS Currents, observations. Spring/Summer 2002 (Vol. 8. The knowledgeable other summarizes the discussion. 5,No. 2). Available online at www.rbs.org/currents/0502/ 9. The facilitator thanks the participants and ends the meeting with an announce- guidelines.shtml ment of the next step.

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Tools For Schools

ISSN 0276-928X Resources for lesson study Tools For Schools is published five times a year (August, October, December, February and April) by the National Staff Development Council, P.O. Box 240, Oxford, OH 45056, for $49 of standard “Everywhere I Looked — Levers and Pendulums” and comprehensive membership fees. Periodicals Catherine Lewis, Journal of Staff Development, Summer 2002 (Vol. postage paid at Wheelersburg, OH 45694. 23, No. 3). MAIN BUSINESS OFFICE Describes the process of lesson study in Japan and explores differences between U.S. and Japanese sup- P.O. Box 240, Oxford, OH 45056 (513) 523-6029 ports for such activity. Available online at (800) 727-7288 www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/lewis233.cfm (513) 523-0638 (fax) E-mail: [email protected] Lesson Study: A Handbook for Teacher-Led Web site: www.nsdc.org Instructional Change Editor: Joan Richardson Catherine Lewis. Philadelphia: Research for Better Schools, 2002. Designer: Sue Chevalier This handbook illuminates both the key ideas un- NSDC STAFF

derlying lesson study and the practical support needed Executive director to make it succeed in any subject area. Provides practical resources including sched- Dennis Sparks ([email protected]) ules, data collection examples, protocols for lesson discussion and observation, and Deputy executive director Stephanie Hirsh ([email protected]) instructional plans for mathematics, science, and language arts. Includes contributions Director of publications by U.S. lesson study pioneers Lynn Liptak, Tad Watanabe, and Makoto Yoshida. Joan Richardson ([email protected]) Order from Publications Department, Research for Better Schools, 112 N. Broad St., Director of special projects Joellen Killion ([email protected]) Philadelphia, PA 19102-1510, (215) 568-6150 or online at www.rbs.org. Distinguished senior fellow Hayes Mizell ([email protected]) Lesson Study group at Mills College Business manager Lessonresearch.net Leslie Miller ([email protected]) Catherine Lewis, one of the pioneers of using lesson study in the United States, BOARD OF TRUSTEES is a professor at Mills College and uses this web site as a repository for information Cindy Harrison, president (2005) Mark Bower (2005) on the topic. The web site includes documents and lesson plans and access to video- Deborah Childs-Bowen, president-elect (2003) tapes and handouts for lesson study workshops. Science is the primary interest of Karen Hayes (2005) this group. Gale Hulme (2006) Sharon Jackson (2007) Sue McAdamis (2007) “Lesson Study: Japanese Method Has Benefit for All Students” Marti Richardson, past president (2004) Joan Richardson, Results, December/January 2001. Bill Sommers (2006)

Describes Paterson (N.J.) School No. 2’s experiences with lesson study and the COPYING/REPRINT POLICY potential for lesson study to work in U.S. schools. Available online at www.nsdc.org/ NSDC members may make up to 30 copies of individual library/publications/results/res12-00rich.cfm Tools For Schools articles. Each copy must include a full citation of the source. For information regarding other Lesson Study Research Group web site requests to copy or reprint articles from NSDC www.tc.edu/centers/lessonstudy publications, please see www.nsdc.org/library/ publications/permpolicy.cfm for more details as well as Clea Fernandez, a researcher at Teachers College, maintains this web site for a form that can be used to submit a request. All requests sharing her work regarding lesson study. This site provides access to a listserv and should be faxed to Joan Richardson, (313) 824-5062. Please allow two weeks for a response. No e-mail discussion forum to connect educators who are using lesson study. Maintains a data- requests will be accepted. base of schools and districts across the United States that have worked with lesson BACK COPIES study. Members may order back copies of Tools For Schools Research for Better Schools web site at the following rates. Non-member rates are higher. www.rbs.org/lesson_study/ 1-25 copies: $2 each. 26-49 copies: $1.40 each. Contains extensive background information on developing lesson studies and links 50-100 copies: $1.25 each. to numerous citations for lesson study. Includes a page on Frequently Asked Ques- 100+ copies: $1each.

tions about Lesson Study and the Spring/Summer 2002 issue of RBS Currents news- To order, contact NSDC’s main business office. letter on lesson study which is available at www.rbs.org/currents/0502/index.shtml. Postmaster: Send address changes to the National Staff Development Council, P.O. Box 240, Oxford, OH 45056.

NATIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL PAGE 7 Tools For Schools February/March 2004

Going online for lesson study Ask There are not enough interested the group and set deadlines for each response teachers in my school to do lesson to keep the discussion moving along. Dr. Q study effectively. I’m intrigued by As with any meeting, the facilitator the possibility of doing a lesson study online. must be sensitive to the group’s needs to What’s the best way to structure that? keep the conversation going or to pause Developer and assess the group’s discussion. Gill said Doing lesson study online may not she periodically paused the conversation be as easy as face-to-face work but and assembled ideas into documents that A it offers a great deal of potential could be shared with all participants. That Dr. Developer has for motivated educators. also made it possible to check that all par- all the answers to The Rochester, N.Y., group refer- ticipants shared the same understanding enced in the main article in this issue of the work to that point. questions that staff worked together for two years and had As the lesson plan is created, docu- developers ask. only a handful of face-to-face meetings. ments generated by the group can either Most group members had participated in be posted on a web site or sent to all par- a summer Thinking Math institute to- ticipants as attachments. (At least he thinks gether. But the “knowledgeable other” If you decide to pursue an online les- he does!) who joined the group did not meet the oth- son study, Gill recommends that the group ers until the observation lesson. meets face-to-face after the observed les- The Rochester facilitator was Alice Gill, son. This should work out well since all associate director for educational issues at of the participants will be together to ob- the American Federation of Teachers. serve the lesson anyway. Gill said the optimal number of par- After the final debriefing, Gill recom- ticipants for an online discussion is prob- mends posting the group’s final report on ably 10 to 12, including the facilitator and a web site. This provides ready access for the “knowledgeable other.” group members as well as enabling other Using a listserv, Gill sent questions to educators to view the work.

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