What%20is%20a%20Research%20Lesson?

1
What is a Research Lesson?

1. Actual classroom lesson with students, watched by
   other teachers
2. Planned for a long time, collaboratively
3. Brings to life a goal or vision of education
4. Recorded video, audio, student work
5. Discussed by faculty and sometimes outside
   commentators

2
Types of Research Lessons

1. In - School
2. Public
3. Embedded in conferences, study groups,
   district-wide professional development, etc.

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Research Lesson/Lesson StudySame 2 Words,
Reverse Order


Research Study Kenkyuu Lesson(s) Instruction
Jugyou
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Figure 1
Lesson Study
Post-Lesson Activities
Research Lesson
Planning Phase
Discussion of Lesson Discuss research lesson.
Focus on evidence of whether the lesson promoted
the long-term goals and lesson/unit goals
Discuss Long Term Goals for Students Academic,
Social and Ethical Development
RESEARCH LESSON Actual classroom lesson
attending teachers study student thinking,
learning, engagement, behavior, etc.
Choose Content Area and Unit Discuss Learning
Goals for Content Area, Unit and Lesson
Consolidate Learning Write report that includes
lesson plan, data, and summary of discussion.
Refine and re-teach the lesson if desired. Or
select a new focus of study.
Plan Lessons(s) that Foster Long-Term Goals and
Lesson/Unit Goals
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Choosing a Lesson Study Theme

• Think about the students you serve.
• Your Ideals
• What qualities would you like these students to
  have 5 years from now?
• The Actual
• List their qualities now.
• The Gap
• Compare the ideal and the actual. What are the
  gaps that you would most like to work on?
• The Research Theme (long-term goal)
• State positively the ideal student qualities
  you choose to work on. For example
• Fundamental academic skills
  that will ensure students progress
• and a rich sense of human
  rights.

6
MAP OF RESEARCH CONCEPTION
Schools Educational Goals
Ideal Profile of Students
Actual Situation of Students
RESEARCH FOCUS
Ideal Profile of Students (from Grade-Level
Groups)
Upper Grades
Middle Grades
Lower Grades
Research Hypotheses
Methods and Measures
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MAP OF RESEARCH CONCEPTION
Schools Educational Goals Children who are
Considerate Think well and try hard Healthy
Can lead ordered lives
Ideal Profile of Students Learn with friends
Experience natural world richly Have own
perspectives and ways of
thinking
Actual Situation of Students Most are cheerful,
kind and gentle Friendships are shallow, and
capacity to think about things from another
persons idea and perspective is inadequately
developed Have considerable difficulty holding
their own perspectives and ideas Some
students lack interest in the natural world
around them
RESEARCH FOCUS For students to value friendship
at the same time that they develop their own
perspectives and ways of thinking - Toward
enjoyable science and life environment studies -
Ideal Profile of Students of Research Groups
Upper Grades
Middle Grades
Lower Grades
Children who Get pleasure from solving
problems Can find problems and make
predictions Can have their own ideas in
observations and experiments Value
learning with friends in which they
recognize each others perspectives
Children who Eagerly use their 5 senses Make
predictions and test them Learn through
comparing their own ideas with friends
ideas Cooperate with friends while carrying
out activities
Children who Participate happily in
learning Develop their own strategies Learn
with friends
Research Hypotheses If students are eager to
learn and take initiative in their learning, they
will be able to deepen their own perspectives and
ways of thinking Students will develop
considerate hearts if they work together in ways
that enable them to recognize one anothers
ideals as they engage in observations,
experiments, and activities
Methods and Measures (1) Strategies for
Curriculum (2) Strategies for Learning Materials
(3) Strategies for Teaching and Evaluation (4)
Strategies for Learning Activities
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(Your Name ) So, how
will you lift it? Theres a 100 kilogram
(220 pound) sandbag on the floor. You really
want to move it somehow. What will you
do? Conditions 1) It has to move with just
one persons weight. 2) You can use things
youre likely to find at school.
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Student plans (from lesson 1) for lifting the
weight. These plans were included in the packet
for the research lesson. Student writing is in
regular typeface teachers comments are in
capitals.
(Your Name
) So, how will you lift
it? Theres a 100 kilogram (220 pound)
sandbag on the floor. You really want to move
it somehow. What will you do? Conditions 1)
It has to move with just one persons weight. 2)
You can use things youre likely to find at
school.
(Your
Name ) So, how will
you lift it? Theres a 100 kilogram (220
pound) sandbag on the floor. You really want to
move it somehow. What will you
do? Conditions 1) It has to move with just
one persons weight. 2) You can use things
youre likely to find at school.
iron pole
Some heavy thing more than 100kg
wood
push
shovel
pull
rock
logs
lever
hole
wheelbarrow
hole
(Your
Name ) So, how will
you lift it? Theres a 100 kilogram (220
pound) sandbag on the floor. You really want to
move it somehow. What will you
do? Conditions 1) It has to move with just
one persons weight. 2) You can use things
youre likely to find at school.
hole
(Your Name
) So, how will you lift
it? Theres a 100 kilogram (220 pound)
sandbag on the floor. You really want to move
it somehow. What will you do? Conditions 1)
It has to move with just one persons weight. 2)
You can use things youre likely to find at
school.
Putting our weight into it, well drop it into
the hole
Something heavier than 100kg
iron pole
stone
Well drop the stone in here
rope
cut
iron pole
something big stone
1 meter
hole
a big hole
7 cm
falls
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Lesson Study Provides Opportunities to

1. Think Deeply About Long-term Goals for Students
2. Carefully Consider the Goals of a Particular
   Content Area, Unit, and Lesson
3. Study the Best Available Lessons
4. Plan Lessons that Bring to Life both Short-term
   and Long-term goals
5. Deepen Subject Matter Knowledge
6. Develop Instructional Knowledge
7. Build Capacity for Collegial Learning
8. Develop the Eyes to See Students

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Data Collected During Lesson Study

• Academic Learning
• How did images of heated air change?
• Did students shift from simple counting to more
  flexible method?
• Did dramatic role-play spark higher quality and
  quantity of writing?
• In their journals, what did students write as
  their learnings?
• Motivation
• Percent of children who raised hands
• Body language, aha comments, shining eyes
• Social Behavior
• How many times do students refer to and build on
  classmates comments?
• How often do the five quietist students speak up?
• Are students friendly and respectful?
• Student Attitudes Toward Lesson
• What did you like and dislike about the lesson?

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Teachers Activities to Improve Instruction
Choose curriculum, write curriculum, align
curriculum, write local standards
Plan lessons individually
Plan lessons collaboratively
Watch and discuss each others classroom lessons
U.S.
JAPAN
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Lesson Study in the USWhat Have We learned?

• U.S. educators Can Find Lesson Study Useful
• Successful and Unsuccessful Adaptations Occur
• The Idea of Lesson Study is Simple But the
  Practice Is Not
• Qualities of Successful Sites
• A learning stance
• Teacher leadership
• Hands-on experiences, such as work with Japanese
  practitioners

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Professional Development
TRADITIONAL
RESEARCH LESSONS

• Begins with answer
• Driven by expert
• Communication trainer -gt teachers
• Relationships hierarchical
• Research informs practice

• Begins with question
• Driven by participants
• Communication among teachers
• Relationship reciprocal
• Practice is research

By Lynn Liptak, Paterson School 2, New Jersey.
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Lesson Study differs from

• LESSON PLANNING
• CURRICULUM WRITING
• COACHING/MENTORING
• DEMONSTRATION LESSONS
• BASIC RESEARCH

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• WHAT MIGHT GIVE LESSON STUDY A
• DIFFERENT FATE?
• 1. FOCUS ON REINVENTION, LEARNING
• 2. SEVERAL SITES BECOME LEARNING
  CENTERSRESERVOIRS FOR STUDY, PRACTICE
• 3. RESEARCH METHODS THAT SUPPORT CONTINUOUS
  IMPROVEMENT
• 4. USEFULNESS LOOP LESSON STUDY BRINGS
  COHERENCE, IS NOT EXPERIENCED AS ONE MORE THING

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Research Lesson
Planning Questions1. What do students currently
understand about this topic?2. What do we want
them to understand at the end of the unit?3.
What's the sequence of experiences (lessons) that
will propel students from 1 to 2? What
will make the unit and each lesson motivating and
meaningful to students?4. Which lesson in the
unit will be selected as the research lesson?5.
What will students need to know before this
lesson?6. What will they learn during this
lesson?7. What is the drama or sequence of
experience through which they will learn it?8.
How will students respond to the questions and
activities in the lesson? What problems and
misconceptions will arise and how will teachers
respond to them?9. What evidence should we
gather and discuss about student learning,
motivation, and behavior? What data collection
forms are needed to do this?
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Email address
clewis_at_mills.edu
Website address
lessonresearch.net