Setting up Lesson

Embracing Change
Study
Group
In Classroom Practice through
– My Personal Experience
Lesson Study
Tan Khan Aun
SM Sains Tun Syed Sheh Shahabudin
Tan Khan Aun
SM Sains Tun Syed Sheh Shahabudin

Lim Chap Sam

Universiti Sains Malaysia
 What is Lesson study?
A popular process of teacher professional
development in Japan
 Derived
from two Japanese words:
jugyokenkyu （授业研究 )
 Jugyo = lesson ; kenkyu = study/research
– Lesson study (by Yoshida, 1999)
– Research lesson (by Lewis, 1997)
What is Lesson study?
Cont…

 Aims to improve the quality of teaching and

learning experience that teachers provide to
their students.
 Practiced by Japanese teachers for more
than 40 years
 Either in government in-service training,
special interest group, teachers’ club or
most commonly a school-based in-service
training called “konaikenshu” 校内研修
 What are the three main
activities of Lesson Study ?

1. creating a lesson study goal/objective

2. working on a study lesson
3. produce a study lesson report
 Lesson Study Cycle

1. SET GOAL
Consider long term goals for
student learning and
development
Study curriculum and
4. REFLECT 2. PLAN
standards
Share data Select or revise research
lesson
What was learned about
students learning, lesson Do task
design, the content?
Anticipate student responses
What are implications for this
Plan data collection and
lesson and instruction more
lesson
broadly?

3. TEACH
AND
OBSERVE
Conduct research lesson
Collect data
 Benefits of Lesson Study ?
 reduces teacher isolation
 helps teachers learn to observe & critique
 Deepens teachers’ understanding of content and
curricular scope and sequence
 Allows teachers to focus on helping all students
learn
 Increases collaboration and respect for each other
 What did other teachers say?

 Let’s watch a few videos . . .

Seeing something once is better than
hearing about it one hundred times.
CONTENT
2006
1: Form a LS group
2: Focus on the goals
3: Plan the lesson
4: Teach & observe
5: Discuss & analyze
6: Reflect & plan for the next
2008
Lesson Study
Conclusion
Step 1: Form a Lesson Study group

– How do we recruit members?

– Will our members be committed?
– When do we meet?
– What are the ground rules?
Strategies to recruit members

Promote the idea to my colleagues through the Professional

Development program 6-5-2006
Let’s watch a video from Japan
 Time commitment

 Keep reminding my group members

 Be flexible, let everyone participate
 Schedule of meetings

When we can’t find time . . .

we make time for them.
In our Lesson Study
o Everyone contributes
o It is “our’’ lesson
o We focus on students’ learning,
and not individual teacher’s teaching
 Ground rules

 Communicate clearly , listen carefully

 Respect the views of others
 Share our views willingly
 Questions for clarifications
 Open to views presented
 Honor time limits
 Step 2: Focus the goals of LS
1) Agree on a research theme
2) Choose a subject area
3) Select a particular unit & lesson

The goal of our first research lesson:

a) Promote good practice in Mathematics
Teaching
b) promoting mathematical thinking and
creativity among students
 Characteristics of
good teaching practice
 Student-centered activities that
encourage conceptual understanding
 Related to students’ daily life experiences
 Applicable to solve problems
 Good planning of student activities
 Active participation of students in fun and
meaningful activities
Step 3: Plan the research lesson

develop a new lesson plan

 Step 4: Teach & observe the lesson

 During observation
 O They didn’t help the students.
 O Video recorded, O Focus on students’ learning
 Collecting Data

 Observers recorded what students were thinking.

 They kept in mind the goal of the research lesson.
Let’s watch a video . . .
 Step 5: Discuss & analyze the
lesson:

 I have the privilege to share with my colleagues

difficulties faced in the lesson.
 Step 5: Discuss & analyze the lesson:

 The lesson belongs to the whole Lesson Study group.

It is our lesson, not my lesson.
 Step 6: Reflect & plan for the next steps

Reflection:
O Better collegial collaboration
O Encourage thinking in new ways
O Improvement in subject matter & teaching methods.
O Working together in productive and supportive way.
O More sharing and mutual understanding
O Members of the group feel included and valued.
What have the knowledgeable others contributed?
 Broader perspectives
Specific content knowledge
Learning-focused mind set
The ability to select key ideas to focus the discussion
Goh Siew Ching, Tan Khan Aun & Lim Chap Sam (2007)
Engaging in Lesson Study Group: Our Experience

The 4th East Asia Regional Conference on

Mathematics Education (18 – 22 June 2007)
Lesson Study
2008
In search of ‘Best Practices in teaching
Plan & Elevation’
Learning By Doing – Build Models
Using GSP: teacher-centered approach
 Re-teach
GSP: Learning By Doing
Intervention:
50 minutes to explore GSP
PRE- POS-TEST GAIN
TEST SCORE
Mean Score 13.6 28.4 14.8
Max. Score = 48
4 questions
 Changes
 More discussions
 Exchange of idea
 Seeking help
 More open for classroom observation
 More cooperation to participate in research
 More helpful in teaching a study lesson
 More observant in the classroom
 More Collaboration

"collaborative teaching" is any academic experience in

which two teachers work together in designing and
teaching a course.
Reduces teacher isolation
Allows teachers to focus on helping all students learn
 I experienced that . . .
 Lesson Study helps us make
the transition from being
object of research to actual
researchers in the classroom

 excited with the deep

experience of working on a
lesson.

 develop the eyes to see my

students. It takes me beyond
examining student work to
students working.
 Conclusion
Lesson Study is really as much of a
culture as it is a professional
development practice, and there has
to be some kind of cultural shift of
teachers in our country.
Tad Watanabe, Penn State University
 LS Workshop
GC-SBP Summit USJ 10 – 12 Mac 2009
 LS Workshop
LS Workshop
GC-SBP Summit USJ 10 – 12 Mac 2009
JNJK Hotel Everly Melaka
17 – 19 Mac 2009
 Because of Lesson Study…
1) An article for Diges Pendidikan USM
2) A paper for the 3rd International Conference on Science & Mathematics Education
CoSMEd 2009
3) A paper for Persidangan Kebangsaan Guru Cemerlang 2009
4) Video clips for EduwebTV, BTP (Nov 2009)
5) A chapter in a book on Lesson Study (Chapter 5)
 Ask yourself . . .
“How can teachers improve their teaching without lesson study?”

Akihiko Takahashi, De Paul University

 Start Lesson Study now . . .
 Pleaseopen up your classrooms too -
We can only improve our teaching in depth
collaboratively in a supporting setting!
Thank You