Transcript Getting Started with Lesson Study A Training Module for 2008 Lesson Study

Getting Started with
Lesson Study
A Training Module for
2008 Lesson Study
Project Participants
About this Module
This module introduces you to lesson study practices and
offers strategies and guidance to help you get started on your
lesson study project.
If possible, work through this module with your entire lesson
study team. I recommend viewing it on a computer with a
high-speed Internet connection.
If you have questions, please contact Bill Cerbin, Lesson Study
Project Director. More information is available at
http://www.uwlax.edu/sotl/lsp
Module Contents
About this Module
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Introduction
Learning Goals
Lesson Design
Gathering Evidence
Analyzing Evidence
Writing Your Report
Acknowledgements
Part I.
Introduction
What is Lesson Study?
Lesson study is a teaching improvement process in
which a group of teachers jointly
designs,
teaches,
observes,
analyzes,
revises &
documents
a single class lesson, called a Research Lesson.
“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.
The Lesson Study Cycle
6. Repeat the cycle &
document the lesson study
5. Revise the lesson
4. Analyze evidence
of student
learning
1. Select topic & develop
student learning goals
2. Design the lesson &
plan data collection
3. Teach & observe the lesson--gather
evidence of student learning
Can You Lift 100 Kg?
The best way to get a sense of
what takes place in lesson study
is to watch it in practice.
This video depicts excerpts of a
lesson study by Japanese
teachers in an elementary
science class. (read more).
Despite cultural and educational
differences this video is both
inspiring and illuminating.
(~18 Minutes Total)
View online video clip now.
Note: Video may take several
minutes to download.
Introduction to College Lesson Study
Our “homemade” video defines
lesson study and discusses key
steps in the lesson study process.
Created in January 2006 at UWLa Crosse, it 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.
Learning to do lesson study
The remainder of the module explores
how to do lesson study, focusing on lesson
goals, lesson design, gathering evidence,
analyzing evidence, and documenting your
lesson study.
Part II.
Learning Goals
Importance of learning goals in
lesson study
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.
Liberal learning in introductory level
courses
• 2008 grant projects focus on liberal education
outcomes in introductory level courses
• Essential liberal education outcomes are those
proposed by the Association of American
Colleges and Universities. See College Learning
for the New Global Century
College Learning
for the
New Global Century
Lessons should address two types of
learning goals
Essential liberal education goals.
Habits of mind, intellectual
capacities, personal qualities and
dispositions
Lesson specific goals. Knowledge
or skills specific to the subject
matter of the lesson (e.g.,
students can explain the phases
of meiosis)
Goal setting
• Specific lesson goals tend to be
straightforward—they address substantive
content matter and skills that students can learn
in a single lesson
• Liberal education goals are broad,
developmental goals that students acquire
throughout a course, an academic program and
their undergraduate experience
Establishing liberal education goals
To establish learning goals for a lesson it
may help to translate broad liberal
education goals into discipline-based
goals or outcomes.
Consider the following example.
Critical Thinking as a learning goal
Critical Thinking is a ubiquitous goal in
higher education. But what does critical
thinking mean and look like in your field, in
your undergraduate program, in your
course—and in the context of a single
lesson?
Define critical thinking as a disciplinebased outcome
A lesson study team in introductory
psychology asked,
What type of critical thinking is
important in the introductory course?
Introductory psychology example,
continued
After a lot of discussion their answer was,
We want students to be able to analyze
human behavior in terms of multiple
causes.
Introductory psychology example,
continued
This outcome, analyzing behavior in terms
of multiple causes, is one important feature
of critical thinking in the social sciences.
It became the central focus of their research
lesson.
Broad liberal education outcomes and
lesson specific outcomes
BROAD LIBERAL
EDUCATION OUTCOME
Critical Thinking
DISCIPLINE-BASED
CRITICAL THINKING
Ability to analyze behavior in
terms of multiple causes
LESSON SPECIFIC OUTCOME
Students are able to explain
why people come to the aid of
strangers in need of help
Two more examples of liberal education
outcomes in disciplinary contexts
Examples of discipline-based critical thinking. . .
History
Historical empathy…perceive past events and
issues as they were experienced by people at the
time, to develop historical empathy as opposed to
present-mindedness. (NCHE)
Psychology
Demonstrate reasonable skepticism and intellectual
curiosity by asking questions about causes of
behavior (APA Task Force)
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.
Pitfall
Teaching vs. Learning Goals
PROBLEM: Goals 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.
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.
--Stop and do this task--
Generate Possible Learning Goals
1.
What essential liberal education outcomes—habits of
mind, personal qualities and intellectual capacities–
can you address in a course you teach? Refer to the
Essential Liberal Education Outcomes list.
2.
What essential topics, issues, questions, capacities,
etc. would be fertile ground for a lesson study?
3.
What problems, misconceptions and difficulties do
students experience in learning your subject?
Starting points of a lesson study
Possible Learning
Goals
Essential liberal education
goals. What are the disciplinespecific or generic habits of
mind, personal qualities and
intellectual capacities students
should develop in your course,
program, institution.
Specific academic learning
goals. What should students
know and/or be able to do with
the subject matter as a result of
the lesson.
Possible Topics
Possible Learning
Problems
Identify important topics, issues,
questions, capacities, amenable
to a lesson.
What problems, misconceptions
and difficulties do students
experience in learning your
subject?
Pitfall
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 an essential liberal education goal worth
addressing in subsequent lessons and throughout the
course or program.
Goals and lesson design
Your team may continue to clarify, refine
and even change learning goals as you
move on to lesson design.
Your goals will influence the types of
lesson activities you select—and
sometimes the lesson activities you select
influence how you define your goals.
Part III.
Lesson Design
Where to Begin
Team members share how they have taught or would
teach the topic and address the goal(s), 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.
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.
Making Student Thinking Visible
— Stop and do this task—
Making Thinking Visible
•
Choose one of the learning goals for your
lesson.
•
Design an experience, exercise,
assignment, activity, or lesson sequence
that would
- make student thinking visible
- support student achievement of the learning
goal
Examples of Lesson Sequences in
which Student Thinking is Visible
Example Lesson Sequence #1
Problem/Case Based
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The instructor presents a problem (or case, question,
task, issue, etc.) to the class.
Several students are asked to share their solutions
and discuss how they arrived at them.
The instructor provides an overview of solution
strategies.
Students attempt to solve a new problem alone or in
groups and then discuss their solution strategies.
The instructor leads a summary discussion of solution
strategies.
Example Lesson Sequence #2
Lecture Based
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
In a large class the teacher presents a 20-minute
lecture and then asks groups of students to discuss
possible solutions to a problem.
The instructor collects the responses and then projects
3-4 examples to the class.
The instructor leads a brief discussion in which
students explain each solution.
The instructor uses students’ comments to highlight
key aspects of the problem.
At the end of class each student writes a “minute
paper” about the best ways to solve the problem.
Example Lesson Sequence #3
Writing/Discussion Based
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Students complete an assignment designed by the
lesson study team.
Before or at the beginning of class, students write
responses to questions related to the learning goal.
In class students debate their answers in pairs or small
groups.
The teacher asks students to share responses. The
instructor writes patterns on the board and asks
strategic questions.
Students revise their written answers in light of group
discussion.
Example Lesson Sequence #4
Online/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 instructor’s 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.
A Japanese Approach
1.
2.
3.
4.
hatsumon — provoking
students’ deep thinking about a
problem
jirikikaiketsu — solving
problems individually
neriage — polishing learning
through whole class discussion
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.
Pitfall
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.
Additional Strategies
See more
instructional
techniques that make
student thinking
visible
Part IV.
Gathering Evidence
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.
Two Kinds of Evidence
1.
Observations
– Live observer reports,
video/audio recordings,
etc.
2.
Student work
– in-class as well as preand post-class writing,
exercises, exhibits, etc.
Pitfall
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.
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
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.
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 learning—
e.g. group dynamics, use of key
terms, etc.
Pitfall
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.
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 don’t see how these
two parts fit together; We need more information before drawing
any conclusions; I still don’t 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.
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
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
Sample Observation Guidelines
Read sample
observation
guidelines
Be prepared for unexpected events
— 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?
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.
Part V.
Analyzing Evidence
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.
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?
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
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.
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
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.
From; Wiggins, G. & J McTighe (1998). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA. ASCD.
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
Pitfall
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.
Supplementary Reading
For more
information, read
“How to Study
a Lesson”
Second Iteration of Lesson Study
The first iteration of a lesson study
is often exploratory. Teams may
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.
Videotaping
Teams videotape the lesson when it is
taught in the second iteration AND
videotape the debriefing session.
Read Videotaping Research Lessons for
more information.
Part VI.
Writing Your Report
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.
Building Knowledge
A final report module (available here) details how
to write and submit your team’s lesson study final
report.
Examples of lesson studies
Published in a special issue of the UW
System periodical, Teaching Forum
Published in the College Lesson Study
Project Gallery
To Complete this Module
Please let us know
you have completed
this module.
Click here to submit a
quick online form.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to the University of Wisconsin System Office
of Professional & Instructional Development (OPID)
and the UW-La Crosse the Office of the Provost
More information at
www.uwlax.edu/sotl/lsp