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Using
video to support collaborative lesson study
to teach reasoning in mathematics |
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School:
La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School,
London |
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Fellow: Kitmee Lim |
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Email: kmlim@lsu.camden.sch.uk |
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Final report |
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Background |
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Historically, there have been many barriers
impeding teacher learning. Hargreaves (2004,
p28) points to a lack of evidence informed
practice or reform, low professional status
and the fact that pedagogy was traditionally
viewed as an alien concept in England and in
the U.S. (Bruner, 1996, p46) . The professional
development of teachers tends to be divorced
from practice (Stigler, J 2002) and separate
form the classroom. In the UK, training is
frequently directed by advisers who no longer
engage in teaching themselves. The teachers
who participate in these events often find
these one-to–two session workshops ineffective
as follow-up sessions seldom occurred. Theses
courses often do not recognise the different
impacts of factors within each school which
will affect the outcome of the learning (Fullan
2001, p158). In 2002, Ofsted called for the “better
definition of the effects of CPD in the classroom
and “better dissemination processes to
enable the new knowledge to be shared”.
(Ofsted 2002, p26).
Policy makers in England have reacted to Ofsted’s
call by working to create an arena in which
responsibility for professional learning and
professional knowledge creation may increasingly
be located within the teaching profession itself.
Consequently, organisations such as the National
College for School Leadership (NCSL) and The
General Teaching Council (GTC) were created
to bring about this transformation.
There have been many shifts in approaches to
how to best facilitate professional development
in education over the last five years. These
include the resurgence of pedagogy, lateral
networks, education innovations and renewed
focus on teaching coaching and mentoring. Networking
and collaborations have been key elements in
many Department for Education and Skills schemes
in the United Kingdom for school improvement
such as Excellence in Cities, Specialist Schools
and Leadership Incentive Grant Collaborative
and more recently in the National Centre for
School Leadership’s development and research
Network Learning Communities and National Centre
for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics for
Pathfinder Schools and Networks. Much research
has shown the benefits of networking and collaboration
with colleagues. Joyce and Showers (2002,
p82) noted that teachers are more willing to
adapt new knowledge and skills if acquired
with their peers to change the students’ learning
environment. Other US researchers (Lewis, 2006)
have espoused the positive impact of collaboration
in their work. Findings by the National College
for School Leadership (2005a) show that the
values of networking have been overwhelmingly
positive.
Lesson Study is the dominant form of professional
development for teachers in Japan; it has been
claimed by many researchers and practitioners
that this process has enabled teachers to improve
their classroom instruction. It is, according
to Catherine Lewis (2002), a tripartite process
where teachers collaboratively develop a lesson,
teach or observe a lesson and then discuss
it. They plan together, observe a ‘research
lesson’, designed to bring the long term
goal to life as well as teach the academic
content. Teachers then analyse the classroom
lesson, discuss and revise the lesson based
on the observation. In the discussion,
teachers reflect on their teaching and student
learning as well as drawing out the implications
of the lesson for the long term goal that was
set. At the end of a cycle of studies
they may teach a “public research lesson” before
an audience of peers from local schools and
colleges. The objective of this exercise is
to share practice and to broaden critique. |
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Project |
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Teachers from my school took
part in the lesson study project to examine
how to teach reasoning using interactive technology.
The video was used to analyze the outcome,
particularly to capture two characteristics
in the classroom; understanding of student
thinking and instructional practice. Participating
teachers and students were interviewed. The
interviews were designed to explore teachers’ perception
of satisfaction with collaboration and their
perception of changes in their practice and
the effect it had on the students. Students
were questioned on their perception of their
understanding of reasoning in mathematics with
the change in practice. The project was divided
into three areas of reasoning: Proportional,
Algebraic and Geometric, details of which are
contained in the interim Gatsby report.
The project found that lesson study is an excellent
form of continuous professional development.
It enabled teachers to expand skills more efficiently
and easily and avoids the shortcomings of other
professional development courses which are
normally short-term and fragmented. Some of
these skills include knowledge and awareness
of practice, changes in attitudes towards self
evaluation, transfer of teaching knowledge
and learning how students learn. Lesson
study also enabled participants to solve problems
which arise during the time when the topic
is taught. This enabled teachers to
relate to the issue at a specific point in
time and thus benefits them more both personally
and professionally. |
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Future |
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I would like to continue with the project
next year with a facilitator in the group.
This person could be a University educator,
LEA subject specialist, an Advanced Skills
Teacher or a Head from another school. This
person, according to Watanabe and Wang Iverson
(2002), serves the following three functions
for the lesson study group: |
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supports
teachers by facilitating discussion,
posing questions, and guiding reflection. |
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provides information about subject
matter content, new ideas, or reforms
and |
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shares the work of
other lesson study groups. |
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The lesson study could be conducted
once or twice annually. Hopefully, I could
then organise a public lesson study to share
good effective practice with other schools. |
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References |
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Bruner, J. (1996) The Culture of Education,
Cambridge, USA: Harvard University Press
Fullan, M. (2001) The New Meaning of Educational
Change, London: Falmer
Hargreaves, D. (2004) Personalised Learning:
next steps in working laterally, London:
i-Net Publications
Joyce, B. and Showers, B. (2002) Student
Achievement through staff development,
Virginia: ACSD
Lewis, C, Perry, R and Murata, A, 2006 How
Should Research Contribute to Instructional
Improvement? The Case of Lesson Study,
Educational Researcher 35 (3) 3-14
Lewis, C (2002), Does Lesson Study Have
A Future in the Unites States?, Journal
of the Nagoya University Department of Education.
Nagoya Journal of Education and Human Development,
January 2002, No. 1, 1-23.
Ofsted (2002) Continuing professional development
for teachers in schools. A report from
the Office of Her majesty’s Chief Inspector
of Schools, HMI 140, London: Ofsted Publications
Watanabe, T, and Wang-Iverson P (2002), ‘The
Role of Knowledgeable Others’ presented
at the RBS Lesson Study Conference for Lesson
Study: Teacher–Led Professional Development
focused on Student Thinking, Stamford, US |
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