This action research project sought to increase collaboration between general education and special education teachers through an inquiry
group lesson study process.
For those starting out, Leading Lesson Study: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Facilitators lays out
the lesson study process, presents implementation strategies, and offers examples of lesson study practices in schools.
Teachers trained in
the lesson study process learn to work together to create lessons and refine them based on peer observations on how the lessons are presented.
The lesson study process can last for weeks and months.
As part of
the lesson study process, teachers think ahead of time about how kids are likely to respond to the lesson.
Developed and pilot tested by researchers at Mills College, the fractions resource kit provides support for teachers in ways that is similar to those available to Japanese teachers for conceptualizing and teaching fractions, and teachers use
the lesson study process to learn about the subject matter and effective instructional practice.
High quality expert input around subject content, pedagogy (general and content - specific) and
the Lesson Study process itself
They struggled with the need to be right — to do it perfectly the first time, even though as part of
the lesson study process, they would be refining their lesson once they gathered evidence from the students the first time around.
The data gathering and analysis process inherent to the LS - TPACK model dovetails with
the lesson study process, making it an assessment approach that is portable to a variety of settings.
The lesson study process can generate a substantial amount of qualitative data for analysis, as illustrated in Figure 1.
I must admit that we didn't formalise our predictions in this first cycle; we just wanted to plan, do, review in a simple way before we look at more features of
the Lesson Study process.
We decided that this would be our line of enquiry for
the lesson study process.
Invite a coach who has experience with the collaborative coaching described in this article — or
the Lesson Study process described by Catherine Lewis and her coauthors («Lesson Study: Beyond Coaching,» p. 64)-- to speak to your group about their experience: What was helpful?
Backing them up are Tom McDougal, who handles the day - to - day business of Lesson Study Alliance and supports teachers through
the lesson study process, and Dr. Akihiko Takahashi of DePaul, who contributes his expertise by giving talks and serving as a knowledgeable other.
Teachers might also collaborate to plan, teach, and observe lessons, using lesson study or observation inquiry.2 Analyzing real - time conversations through
the lesson study process helps teachers plan and test new approaches for improving student dialogue and collaboration.