Lesson Study

A Guide to Implementation

Elbert Hubbard

“The teacher is the one who gets the most out

of the lessons, and the true teacher is the

learner.”

Lesson Study

• Evolves from Professional Learning

Communities (PLCs) of teachers• Provides opportunities to create a model for

high-quality instructional practices.• Improves a lesson through teacher

collaboration.

Lesson Study

• Meets Florida Professional Development System

Evaluation Protocol Standards (1.2.1, 2.2.1, and

3.2.1)

• Promotes a cycle of continuous improvement to

achieve goals that align with individual, school

and district goals for student achievement.

Differentiated Accountability

• Requires full implementation of Lesson Study

Process for schools categorized as “F”,

Intervene, or part of the Lowest 5%.

Foci of Lesson Study

• To create structured occasions for teachers to

examine teaching and learning.

• To improve the lesson planning process.

• To refine instructional strategies and delivery.

• To evaluate the results.

• To evaluate student thinking.

• To increase student mastery.

Lesson Study is…

• Job-embedded• Ongoing• Comprehensive• Real classroom instructional challenges• Teacher-directed• Student-centered• Shared best practices and strategies• Collaborative

Lesson Study Allows Teachers to…

• Consider the objectives of a particular content

area, unit and/or lesson

• Plan lessons that bring to life both short-term

and long-term goals

• Deepen subject matter knowledge

Lesson Study Allows Teachers to…

• Develop pedagogy

• Share and design best practices

• Participate in job-embedded learning

• Explore problems that impede student learning

• Understand how students think and learn

Lesson Study Allows Teachers to…

• Learn successful teaching techniques and

behaviors from other teachers

• Develop peer coaching skills

• Participate in job-embedded learning

• Explore problems that impede student learning

Lesson Study Allows Teachers to…

• Understand how students think and learn

• Learn successful teaching techniques and

behaviors from other teachers

• Develop peer coaching skills

• Improve student learning based on

observations and assessments

Lesson Study Allows Teachers to…

• Think deeply about short-term and long-term goals

for students

• Anticipate student thinking

• Collect and analyze student learning and behavior

data

Lesson Study Allows Teachers to…

• Improve instruction based on careful

observation of students by understanding how

students learn

• Support beginning teachers

Lesson Study Relative to Other Initiatives

• Florida’s Continuous Improvement Model (FCIM)

• Lesson Study is in “Act” component as professional development

• Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

• More effective when focus is on improving instructional delivery and increasing student achievement

Lesson Study Relative to Other Initiatives

• PS/RtI and Data Driven Instruction

• Data gathered from student observations allow teachers to redirect the instructional focus on students’ academic needs

• Instructional Coaching Cycles

• Develop a consistent pattern of working collaboratively with teachers

Lesson Study and PS/RtI

• Each tier must be demonstrably effective for large numbers of students.

• If the universally provided instruction is not effective for most students, then large numbers of students will unnecessarily require additional resources and support.

• Lesson Study strengthens instructional knowledge and student achievement, a direct benefit to all levels of tiered continuum of service.

Lesson Study and Florida Professional Development System Evaluation Protocol Standards

• Meets Standards 1.2.1, 2.2.1 and 3.2.1

• Specifically requirements for educator participation in

collaborative learning communities for continuous

improvement to achieve goals that align with individual,

school, and district goals for student achievement

• Associated student learning goals should be reflected in

TARGET.

Purpose of Lesson Study

• Provides districts, administrators, coaches, and

teachers with content and pedagogical learning to

strengthen their instructional knowledge and

increase student achievement.

• Assists all participants to deepen their knowledge

of content, pedagogy and student thinking.

Purpose of Lesson Study

• Presents an opportunity to:

– Think carefully about goals of a particular lesson,

unit, and/or subject area

– Read, listen and think, as well as express and

question ideas

– Study and improve the best available lessons

Purpose of Lesson Study

• Presents an opportunity to:

– Deepen subject-matter knowledge

– Build powerful instructional strategies and quality

lessons through collaboration

– Improve teaching through systematic collaborative

inquiry

Lesson Study Cycle

• Phase I: Scheduling and Planning

• Phase II: Teaching and Observing

• Phase III: Debriefing

• Phase IV: Re-Teaching and Reflecting

Length of Lesson Study Cycle

• No defined time period

• Ongoing process

• Implemented throughout the year

• More than one cycle can be completed

– One cycle during the first semester

– One cycle during the second semester

Lesson Study Implementation

• More time is spent on planning and improving the lesson because the lesson plan is the backbone of Lesson Study.

• Begin with a lesson that has already been developed:– Previous year lesson plan– Textbook manual suggested lesson– Pre-developed lessons from Internet, etc.

Lesson Study Funding

• School Improvement Grant• Title I• Title II• General Revenue• May be used to:– hire substitutes for teachers who may be

observing the lessons– Acquire additional resources to enhance Lesson

Study process

Essential Questions to Begin Lesson Study

• Is the lesson aligned to the Next Generation

Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS)?

• What specific benchmark(s) does the lesson include?

• Will the instruction result in student learning at the

level of complexity required for the benchmark?

Essential Questions to Begin Lesson Study

• How can teachers enhance the teaching and

learning process to provide data-driven

instruction that will increase student

proficiency in all subject areas?

Essential Questions to Begin Lesson Study

• What do we want students to learn and be

able to do by the end of the unit of study and

by the end of the school year?

• What is the current rate of progress and level

of performance of students enrolled in this

course/class?

Intended Outcomes of Lesson Study

• Development and use of team-created lesson plans

as a part of the process

• Incorporation of reading and writing across the

curriculum for all subject areas by using “Three

Types of Essential Reading Activities” (pre-reading,

during reading, and after reading strategies) in daily

instruction

Intended Outcomes of Lesson Study

• Teacher use of rigorous questions,

assignments, and assessments

• Development of an understanding of Lesson

Study as a collaborative process

• Understanding of how Lesson Study is a way

to strengthen teaching and learning in schools

Intended Outcomes of Lesson Study

• Application of Lesson Study in a variety of

ways, including lesson development and

testing through Lesson Study

• Examination of the role of the district and the

principal in implementing effective Lesson

Study teams

Intended Outcomes of Lesson Study

• Skill development in other professional

learning activities related to Lesson Study

• Support of fellow teachers in initiating and

building Professional Learning Communities

with a focus on Lesson Study