Lesson Study: Building the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning One Lesson at a Time

Bill Cerbin & Bryan Kopp UW-La Crosse

CASTL Colloquium 2006

If you want to improve instruction, what could be more obvious than collaborating with fellow teachers to plan, observe, and reflect on lessons? Catherine Lewis, 2002

If you want to build pedagogical knowledge, what could be more obvious than collaborating with fellow teachers to design and study lessons? Cerbin & Kopp, 2006
CASTL Colloquium 2006

What is Lesson Study?

Lesson study is a process in which a group of teachers jointly designs, teaches, observes, analyzes, & revises a single class lesson, called a Research Lesson.

CASTL Colloquium 2006

Origins of Lesson Study

In Japan, lesson study is a well developed system for improving teaching and learning at the elementary and junior high level.

The College Lesson Study Project is the first effort to adapt lesson study practices to college teaching in a range of disciplines.

CASTL Colloquium 2006

Lesson Study Teams in the UWS

UW-Colleges (Barron,

Participation 2006

Fon du Lac, Marathon, Marshfield, Washington, Manitowoc, Sheboygan)

40 teams 150+ instructors

16 campuses

UW-Green Bay UW-La Crosse UW-Madison UW-Milwaukee UW-Oshkosh UW-Platteville UW-River Falls UW-Stevens Point UW-Stout

CASTL Colloquium 2006

Involvement by Discipline/Field
Accountancy Agriculture Apparel & Communication Technologies Biology Communication Studies Economics Education English Geology/Geography History Human Development Humanistic Studies Library Mathematics Management Music Nursing Pharmaceutical Sciences Philosophy Political Science Psychology Public & Environmental Affairs Reading Education Recreation Theatre Arts Urban & Regional Studies

CASTL Colloquium 2006

Profile of Participants
Recent poll of 22 current teams (89 instructors) Gender: 49 females and 40 males Rank: 29 assistant, 25 associate, 21 full, 5 instructors,
4 retired/emeriti

Tenure: 48 tenured 39 not tenured Teaching experience:

47 (<10 years), 20 (11-20 years), 14 (> 20 years)

Plan to present/publish: 64 Have presented/published: 16

CASTL Colloquium 2006

The Lesson Study Cycle:

What Teachers Actually Do in Lesson Study
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Chose Topic & Develop Learning Goals Design the Lesson & the Study Teach & Gather Evidence Analyze Evidence & Revise the Lesson/Study Teach & Study the Lesson Again Document & Share the Research Lesson and the Study
More information at http://www.uwlax.edu/sotl/lsp/intro.htm

CASTL Colloquium 2006

Goal: A Knowledge Base for Teachers

INDIVIDUAL LESSON STUDIES

PEDAGOGICAL KNOWLEDGE BASE practical and accessible teaching & learning materials focused on student learning

LESSON STUDY CLUSTERS focused on similar disciplines, topics, goals, etc.

CASTL Colloquium 2006

Lesson Study in Context

Avoiding hazards of isolation, redundancy, hoarding, and loss Building on common ground: daily practices of teaching & learning (similar goals, challenges, subjects, courses, disciplines, students, etc.) Balancing feasibility with complexity of teaching and learning practice Educational research F teaching improvement
Hiebert, J., Gallimore, R., & Stigler, J. (2002). A knowledge base for the teaching profession: What would it look like and how can we get one? Educational Researcher , 31, 5, pp.3-15.

CASTL Colloquium 2006

Closing the Loop

Practical,
concerned with daily teaching and learning issues

Public
Storable Shareable Verifiable,
subject to replication and peer review

Detailed,
concrete, specific, contextualized

Integrated
(content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge)

Practitioner Knowledge

Professional Knowledge

Systematic,
principled, informed, theoretical, scholarly

CASTL Colloquium 2006

A Knowledge & Community Building System

CREATION

EXCHANGE

USE

Moving from Practitioner to Professional Knowledgeand Back Again

CASTL Colloquium 2006

CREATION of Pedagogical Knowledge

Easy to get started Collaborative inquiry & common enterprise Backward design of instruction Developing and capturing pedagogical content knowledge Embodies full complexity of teaching and learning Reflective practice and transformation Local and regional communities of teaching practice
CASTL Colloquium 2006

EXCHANGE of Pedagogical Knowledge

A Lesson Familiar genre Keyed to discipline, topic, goal, curriculum A Study Focused on student learning Systematic and evidence based
UNIT OF PRACTICE = UNIT OF ANALYSIS
CASTL Colloquium 2006

USE of Pedagogical Knowledge

Easy for other teachers to adapt SoTL and SoTL training ground Replication & peer review of lesson/study Teacher training and ongoing professional development Link with assessment, standards, and outcomes National and professional communities of teaching practice
CASTL Colloquium 2006

A Comprehensive Approach
CREATION
Easy to get started

EXCHANGE
A Lesson

USE
Easy for other teachers to adapt

Collaborative inquiry
Backward design Developing and capturing PCK Embodies full complexity of T & L Reflective practice Local and regional communities of teaching practice

Familiar genre

Keyed to discipline, topic, goal, curriculum

A Study
Focused on student learning Systematic and evidence based UNIT OF PRACTICE = UNIT OF ANALYSIS

SoTL & SoTL training Replication & peer review of lesson/study

Teacher training and professional development

Assessment

National and professional communities of teaching practice

CASTL Colloquium 2006

Highlights
Lesson study provides a practical, integrated, and progressive model for professional pedagogical knowledge building across the disciplines. Community building + knowledge building = Capacity building We plan to use KEEP Toolkit to help develop a database of lesson studies.

CASTL Colloquium 2006

More Information
Lesson Study Project website, guide, resources, and gallery: http://www.uwlax.edu/sotl/lsp KEEP Toolkit: http://www.cfkeep.org/ Dr. Bill Cerbin, Director of the Lesson Study Project (cerbin.will@uwlax.edu) Dr. Bryan Kopp, Associate Director of the Lesson Study Project (kopp.brya@uwlax.edu)
CASTL Colloquium 2006