Juliane Collings, Curriculum Area Manager (Maths) at the South Hampshire College Group.
The potential value of lesson study
James and McCormick (2009) state that teachers’ practice in the classroom can become mechanical when they are not prompted to think about underpinning principles of learning and when teaching practice is allowed to become habitual.
Lesson study allows teachers to share, discuss, observe and think deeply about the desired outcomes of a lesson, while also (for maths teachers) considering mathematical structure, underpinning skills and connections, as well as reflecting on their own practice.
In Further Education, a shift in interest in collaborative lesson study research has allowed teachers to access professional development in the form of reflection and collaboration. Linn, Eylon and Davis (2004) reiterate that collaboration with colleagues demands that thoughts and reasoning are made visible and that such collaboration enables an exchange of intentions, inquiry, test of disagreement and re-examination of current opinions and beliefs.
Diane Dalby (2019) discusses the fact that although there is plenty of well documented research on professional learning communities, not much attention has been paid to the precise growth and development of teachers within collaborative research when it is used as a professional development tool.
Vermunt et al. (2019) hypothesised and later concluded that ‘High perceptions of the value of lesson study with respect to learning outcomes and professional development are positively related to the increase of quality of teacher learning in the context of lesson study’.
Considering that collaborative lesson research and lesson study, specifically, is based on vigorous collaboration, it is important to also consider research into the effectiveness of team work (Marks et al., 2001; Mathieu et al., 2019). Assessing the effectiveness of the group work and the impact this may have on individual attitudes and personal development is essential when considering the effectiveness of collaborative lesson research.
Focus group findings about lesson study experiences and outcomes
Participants in a focus group (2024) who were previously involved in projects involving lesson study, such as Maths4Life and the CfEM Teaching Maths for Mastery project, as well as an independent lesson study project, agreed that their participation in lesson study was valuable use of their time. All participants in the focus group had been involved in lesson study within the last 18 months.
Further education teachers do not often get the opportunity to share best practice with colleagues from other colleges, or even within their own organisation due to a number of factors such as timetabling, varying working hours or a number of different sites per college.
Participants agreed that although some colleges have the opportunity to conduct peer observations on occasion as well as sharing good practice in team meetings, they valued the chance to observe learner responses and share good practice with other colleagues.
One participant expressed appreciation and moved on to say: ‘It was without question the very best CPD I’ve done as a maths teacher.’
Some participants elaborated on their current practice having adapted pedagogical approaches and methods learnt during the lesson study project, such as collaborative and dialogic learning as well as the use of representations.
The use of a dialogic learning environment was a recurring theme when discussing the impact on their teaching post-intervention along with the much more prevalent use of representations in their day-to-day teaching.
Their knowledge of a range of pedagogical approaches and their understanding of teaching mathematics for mastery in a further education setting has been developed and participants agreed that partaking in the projects has allowed them to introduce and further their understanding. This has had an immense impact on their practice.
Participants stated the use of mastery approaches such as visual representations, variation and learners being able to discuss their thinking has boosted learner confidence and supported learners feeling more positive about attending mathematics lessons.
The focus group also gave a number of examples of learners’ progress and achievements and the potential impact on their future learning journey.
Participants discussed the difficulties encountered once projects were completed. Issues with timetabling and other organisational priorities were discussed, however, a lack of understanding by senior leadership teams, lack of time and funding issues were recurring themes.
The focus group agreed that once funding was no longer accessible, the implementation of further lesson study was no longer deemed as feasible by management. Subsequently activities came to a halt and participants either utilised their own spare time or in one case, the college supported some release for further activities.
In summary, anecdotal evidence and testimonials are not an efficient way to draw conclusions whether or not lesson study is a successful and effective CPD tool. However, it does provide insight on the perceived effectiveness by practitioners. Those practitioners are the target of such CPD and, as it demands time, money and investment by each organisation, an indication on whether or not this will have a positive effect on learner outcomes through active practitioners’ participation is valuable for future research.
References
Dalby, D. (2019). Professional learning through collaborative research in mathematics.
James, M., & McCormick, R. (2009). Teachers learning how to learn. Teaching and Teacher Education
Marks, Michelle & Mathieu, John & Zaccaro, Stephen. (2001). A Temporally Based Framework and Taxonomy of Team Processes. The Academy of Management Review. 26. 356. 10.2307/259182.
Mathieu, J. E., Gilson, L. L., & Kozlowski, S. W. (2012). Criteria issues and team effectiveness. Ed.. The Oxford handbook of organizational psychology (Volume 2) USA: OUP. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199928286.013.0027
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