Transcript School-wide Lesson Study in a Dual Language School

School-wide Lesson Study in a
Dual Language School
Dr. Cathy Kinzer, Math Education
Dr. Karin Wiburg, Associate Dean for Research,
New Mexico State University
Purpose of this Presentation
To share what we learned from implementing
a school-wide model of lesson study in a
dual language border school
To share our model of lesson study
The Context
San Miguel Elementary has 375
students and 100% free and
reduced lunch, rural area, 20
teachers, most students ride
the bus
San Miguel’s Dual Language Model
• The school uses a fifty-fifty model in which
paired teachers (Spanish/English) do one
day of English and one day of Spanish of
continuous content.
• The model requires collaboration between
teachers
• Currently, students in grades K-4 are in
the dual language model.
Theoretical Framework
• Changes in Teaching and Learning
Mathematics
• Learning Mathematics and English
• Calls for new kinds of professional
development
• Lesson study as a model for
improving teaching and learning
Changes in Mathematics Teaching
and Learning
• Standards-based teaching and
assessment in New Mexico
• Teaching for understanding
• New demands for teaching in terms of
pedagogy and content
Learning mathematics and English
• Valuing thinking and both languages
• Building from students’ prior experiences
• Scaffolding and support for thinking with
limited English proficiency
• Focusing on academic English and
mathematics language
• Rich opportunities for oral language
development and communication of
thinking
Calls for New Kinds of Professional
Development
• Sustained, practice-based, collaborative
and including content learning
• Teaching as a Cultural Activity
• Lesson Study provides the first time
teachers have had professional
development grounded in their classrooms
• Teachers need situated learning to
develop a professional knowledge base for
teaching
The New Mexico Learning
Collaborative for Lesson Study
• Why we started
• How we got teachers involved
• Help from Catherine Lewis and Asihiko
Takahashi
• State-wide collaborative
• Lesson study as a school-wide model
• A short overview of lesson study
Developing an Overarching
Goal
Forming Lesson Study Groups
Designing a Research Lesson
Observing and Debriefing
Reflecting and Revising
Sharing Findings
Research Design
Qualitative and Quantitative
Qualitative data included participatory
research involving participant observation,
focus groups, observations, video taping,
and interviews
Quantitative- asked if there were any
changes in teacher practice –
observational protocols used pre and post
The research questions
1. What are teacher perceptions of Lesson
study as a form of professional
development in mathematics
2. In what ways do teachers reflect on their
mathematics teaching practice?
3. What do students report about students’
mathematical thinking?
4. Where there any changes in practice?
Findings- Teachers’ perceptions
• Challenges of doing lesson study
Sometimes, it was hard to coordinate- to make the time.
It was great work, but it was challenging to schedule
Lesson Study when your day is already packed.
• Tension caused by lack of content knowledge as
teachers began to teach for understanding
• High value on doing lesson study and
appreciation of students and teaching focus
Findings - Reflecting on Practice
• That standards-based teaching is very
different from the way they had been
taught
• Teaching is complex and requires deep
thought in planning lessons
• Teaching for understanding requires
pedagogical content knowledge
• Teachers found power in learning together
Findings - What did they learn
about student thinking?
• That they had made assumptions about
student understanding that weren’t true
• That they can get to understanding
student thinking in a variety of ways
including looking at their work, listening to
their conversations, having students
present
• Student thinking was the key to
improvement
Quantitative Findings
• Classroom snapshot - roles and learning
processes showed no significant change
• Levels of use - key indicators showed
changes in planning, student-directed
activities, and questioning
• Classroom Lesson Observation – changes
in all areas except culture
(culture may have already been inclusive)
Most Powerful Findings
• Prior to this work the principal reported
that teachers had never shared their
practice
• After this program teachers began to have
deep conversations about student learning
• Dual language teachers practice included
collaboration
• Teachers reported they would teach in
different ways as they began to focus on
students’ thinking and learning
Recommendations
Lesson study must be embedded in a
whole school change process
Teachers need support in collaborative
inquiry
Teachers need support in content
learning of mathematics
(pedagogically appropriate)
Outside experts like university mentors
are helpful
Public sharing of learning is essential
Acknowledgements
• This project could not have happened
without strong administrative support
including providing teachers with time to
collaborate and time for public sharing
• Thanks to Principal Sharon Duncan and
the Gadsden Independent School District
Dr. Cathy Kinzer
[email protected]
Dr. Karin Wiburg
[email protected]