Teachers as Researchers and Instructional Leaders

2014

The purpose of this paper is to report on an qualitative action research study that was conducted in an elementary school in order to examine teacher perceptions of Japanese Lesson Study as a method of professional development. Of all aspects of teacher professional development, sustaining change is perhaps the most neglected. Japanese lesson study builds continuous pathways for ongoing improvement of instruction (Lewis, Perry, & Hurd, 2004). It is a comprehensive innovation that can provide adults, in this case teachers, with opportunities for practice-based professional development opportunities (Stigler & Hiebert, 1999). There has been relatively little attention, however, within the fields of adult education or professional development literature, to teacher learning situated in the classroom environment among other adults. Educators must be prepared to teach effectively in the schools of the 21 century and be provided with continuing professional development support that enable...

Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research …, 2000

This paper describes research lessons, which form the core of a larger process called lesson study within Japanese elementary science faculty development. Research lessons are actual classroom lessons with students which are: observed by others; planned for a long time, usually collaboratively; designed to bring to life particular goals of education; recorded; and discussed. Types of research lessons include within-school lessons, lessons open to teachers outside the school, and lessons as part of national conferences. After presenting an example, the paper discusses the impact of research lessons, examining how they contribute to the improvement of education. The strengths of research lessons are: individual professional development; learning to see children; spreading new content and approaches; connecting individual teachers' practices to school goals and broader goals; competing views of teaching bump into each other; creating demand for improvement; shaping national policy; and honoring the central role of teachers. Several features of Japanese education support research lessons: a shared, frugal curriculum; established collaboration; belief that teaching can be improved through collective efforts; self-critical reflection; stability of educational policy; instructional improvement time focused on instruction; and focus on the whole child. The paper concludes by discussing lesson study's future role in the United States. (Contains 25 references.) (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.

2014

"Purpose – Over the last 15 years, Japanese lesson study has attracted growing interest as an alternative to conventional teacher professional development. Despite its popularity and results, the descriptive knowledge base of authentic lesson study in Japan is still limited to a few cases from elementary math and science teachers. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the expansion of the lesson study descriptive knowledge base by offering a first-hand account of two American educators’ experience with lesson study at the secondary level while working as licensed teachers in a Japanese school. Design/methodology/approach – Using an autoethnographic case study methodology, the authors document their personal experience working through a complete lesson study cycle with a ninth grade English course in Japan, systematically reconstructed from field texts and deliberate co-construction techniques. Findings – The paper describes significant cognitive and socio-cultural adjustments that were required to participate in the process, and highlights essential skills and mindsets for lesson study: fashioning a coherent lesson storyline, articulating and testing working hypotheses, relying on evidence to guide planning and reflection, embracing collective ownership of improvement, and persisting with problems over time. Originality/value – This first-hand account provides a distinctive inside look at lesson study from an American perspective and offers a rare description of Japan-based lesson study at the secondary level. The detailed records and insights contribute to researchers and practitioners emerging understanding of prerequisite skills for lesson study."

Abstract The study documents a group of teachers participating in a teacher-learning process in Japan known as ‘Jugyokenkyu’, referred to internationally as ‘Lesson Study’ (LS). Teachers participated in several stages constructing knowledge as they go through a cycle working in collaboration from planning and teaching a lesson to reflecting on the lesson. Social interaction is at the core of classroom inquiry as teachers build a lesson by actively collaborating at each stage of the LS process. LS originated in Japan as a method to facilitate professional development among teachers. However, in secondary schools, and especially in high school, where this study took place, opportunities for teachers to collaborate with peers is drastically lower in the actual implementation of LS in Japan. The purpose of this research project is to revitalize LS in high schools by specifically designing the LS process with an added emphasis on collaboration during the planning stages of a lesson. Qualitative data were collected in the following ways: post and pre-lesson planning stage meetings, classes including the demonstration classes and the actual research lesson were video-taped; interviews with the participants were conducted, and data were also gathered through the use of questionnaires and field notes. In this study, data from one teacher out of three who went through the LS process are detailed. Three themes emerged that depict professional growth resulting from Professional Knowledge Gain; A deeper Focus on the Learner and outcomes of the Demonstration Lesson.

2010

Th is research examines "lesson study" as a traditional model of creating professional knowledge in schools. "Lesson study," typically defi ned as teachers' classroom based collaborative research, has a long history in Japan as a shared professional culture with potential for enhancing learning, enriching classroom activities and transforming the school environment. A case study method based on historical data is the primary approach used in this research. Detailed description and analysis of lessons are provided, individual lesson plans are examined and exchanges of views between teachers are discussed. Th e fi ndings are intended to help clarify the cultural and historical role of lesson based research in Japanese schools, and also the signifi cant infl uence that lesson study has exerted on developing a culture of shared professionalism in Japan.

This study documents a group of teachers participating in a teacher-learning process in Japan known as ‘Jugyokenkyu’, referred to internationally as ‘Lesson Study’ (LS). Teachers participated in several stages, constructing knowledge as they go through a cycle working in collaboration from planning and teaching a lesson to reflecting on the lesson. Social interaction is at the core of classroom inquiry as teachers build a lesson by actively collaborating at each stage of the LS process. LS originated in Japan as a method to facilitate professional development among teachers. However, in secondary schooling, and especially in high school, where this study took place, opportunities for teachers to collaborate with peers is drastically lower in the actual implementation of LS in Japan. The purpose of this research project is to revitalize LS in high schools by specifically designing the LS process with an added emphasis on collaboration during the planning stages of a lesson. Qualitative data were collected in the following ways: post and pre-lesson planning stage meetings, classes including the demonstration classes and the actual research lesson were video-taped; interviews with the participants were conducted, and data were also gathered through the use of questionnaires and field notes. In this study, data from one teacher out of three who went through the LS process are detailed. Three themes emerged that depict professional growth resulting from 'Professional Knowledge Gain'; A deeper 'Focus on the Learner' and outcomes of the 'Demonstration Lesson'.

Paper, 2023

This paper highlights the beginning of the process of adopting lesson studies in Indonesia through JICA Cooperation projects and three universities in Indonesia (UPI, UNY, and UM) which took place between 1999-2008. The discussion begins with the problems in the professional development of school-based teachers in Indonesia, and school-university partnerships as a prospective solution to solve the problems faced. Furthermore, this paper explains the evolution of lesson study in Indonesia which was facilitated by JICA experts from the collaboration of teacher-lecturer pairs in piloting activities in the implementation of the IMSTEP project to become collaboration involved a more massive number university lecturers and teachers at MGMP-MGMP (subject-based teachers working groups) regular activities in the implementation of the SISTTEMS project called lesson study.

Journal on Efficiency and Responsibility in Education and Science, 2019

Even though various professional development practices are provided for language teachers worldwide, these practices are still considered ineffective in addressing teachers' needs in their classrooms. The effectiveness of these practices is stalled when teachers do not actively engage in their professional development processes. When language teachers are not involved as active decision makers regarding their own professional development practices, the outcomes may not be as desirable as policymakers plan. Considering the deficiencies of the current language teacher professional development practices in Turkey, this paper provides a systematic review of lesson study as a professional development model for language teachers which promotes agency and reflective practice. Comparing the current practice of lesson study in Turkey to the international practices reported in the literature, this review suggests that lesson study has potential to support teacher professional development in the country in alignment with the educational visions of decision makers. Given the empowering dimension of lesson study model both in terms of content and form, it can be adopted as a model for effective and sustainable language teacher professional development.

This study of three Japanese English teachers (JTEs) at three public junior high schools involves making sense ethnographically of the JTEs’ daily teaching practices. The study is an exploratory/interpretive attempt to understand teaching as it occurs in the Japanese classroom and is not intended to test hypotheses as in the experimental tradition. The findings are conceptualized from the data, and therefore the study is data driven and hypothesis generating. The study is based on the premise that teachers’ beliefs are underlying motivators for teaching practices in the classrooms. The following research questions are addressed: What are the teaching practices of the three JTEs? What are the beliefs that underpin the teaching practices of the three JTEs and in what ways do they impact on their teaching? The data collection procedures involved interviews, classroom observations and reflective field notes, and analysis is based on a memoing analytical process (MAP). The bottom-up data analysis process substantiated three major conceptual categories. First, formal influences describe the impact of government-initiated policies on the JTEs’ practices. Second, informal influences depict the JTEs’ personal teaching practices. The data indicate that a strong national curriculum, traditions and teaching culture have strongly impacted on the JTEs’ personal teaching practices to produce a collective pedagogy. Conflicts between the JTEs’ teaching practices and the formal influences are identified. Third, metaphor is used as a framework to encapsulate the data that portrays the JTEs’ individual teaching styles. On the basis of the findings, the study develops a teacher development model grounded in aspects of complexity theory to address the issues of conflicting beliefs and professional change. The study attempts to contribute to the following areas: (a) classroom research centering on teachers’ perspectives on their daily teaching practices; (b) research on teacher beliefs as motivators for teachers’ actions, and (c) research frameworks that include macro approaches to understanding teaching by exploring the various contexts that surround the classroom.

2002