A surge of interest in Japanese models for mathematics and science education followed the release of the Third International Mathematics and Science Studies in 1995 and 1999. The Japanese professional development method called lesson study gained attention in both mainstream and educational publications. But as time marches on and the TIMSS findings become older, what are the prospects for lesson study's growth and sustainability in the U.S.? A look at the existing sources of support for lesson study helps to elucidate its future potential.
Since the TIMSS reports, several organizations and companies have developed to support states, districts, schools, and teachers in understanding and implementing lesson study. They are listed in the Resources section of this newsletter. On the east coast, Global Education Services (GER), the Lesson Study Research Group (LSRG), and the Mid-Atlantic Eisenhower Consortium are three such organizations.
Makoto Yoshida, Ph.D., President of GER, formed the organization in response to a need for professional developers and consultants who are versed in lesson study. Based in Madison, NJ, GER's mission is to improve elementary and middle school mathematics instruction and learning by providing workshops and consulting services to teachers, schools, and districts. As part of its workshops, GER offers open public mathematics lessons in actual classrooms for teachers and administrators to observe and discuss.
GER is working closely with School 2 in Paterson, NJ where Yoshida envisions a school that can serve as a model for all schools wishing to implement lesson study. With such a model, lesson study can be seen as a replicable model and will have more likelihood of widespread implementation and impact.
LSRG, housed at Teachers College, Columbia University, is directed by Assistant Professor of Psychology and Education Clea Fernandez. Under Fernandez's leadership, the LSRG is working to contribute to a better understanding of lesson study in the U.S. The organization's activities include sharing information about how lesson study is conducted in Japan; exploring how lesson study can be adapted for the U.S. educational context; developing tools and materials for supporting lesson study practice in the U.S.; and gathering information about the impact of lesson study on teachers, students, and schools. LSRG is funded by the National Science Foundation.
LSRG's e-mail list has 550 subscribers and grows nearly every day. While Fernandez is enthusiastic about the level of interest, she cautions that going through the motions of the lesson study process--observing, revising, and reteaching a lesson--is not enough to sustain lesson study in the U.S. She emphasizes that Japanese teachers see lesson study as far more. Lesson study is a lens on student thinking and teachers are the researchers who peer through the lens. The research has a sense of purpose, poses a clear set of questions, and involves colleagues and knowledgeable others who push the thinking of the group. In order to capitalize on the interest being shown in the U.S., Fernandez believes we need a deeper understanding of why we do lesson study and what we can get out of lesson study.
To help sustain and continually improve lesson study efforts, Japanese schools form "promotion committees." Promotion committees can be on the school, district, or national level. Akihiko Takahashi, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, served on promotion committees at all levels when he lived and worked in Japan.
Takahashi explains, "One of the most important roles of the school-based promotion committee is to make sure all the teachers in the building can join the lesson study comfortably. To do so, committee members spend a semester drafting a plan that may include goals, a timetable, and subcommittees. The plan should be approved by all the teachers in the building. Then, from the second semester, the school starts lesson study led by the committee members."
Based on the Japanese model, Paterson School 2 formed a promotion committee this year which functions both as an administrative unit to sort out logistics and scheduling, as well as a steering committee to be sure the lesson study process is staying focused on the school's goals.
American teachers, like Japanese teachers, have many responsibilities competing for their time and attention. A promotion committee can take initiative for the planning and roll-out of lesson study, and help to keep lesson study and the school's goals in the consciousness of all teachers.
At Paterson School 2, members of the promotion committee are made up of representatives from the lesson study groups. They assist in communicating their groups' lessons learned, problems, or questions to the committee. This representation allows all teachers a voice in everything from schedule conflicts to curriculum decisions.
Promotion committees can also help to handle the school's challenges from year to year. For instance, if a change in administration occurs at the school, the continuity of the promotion committee can help sustain lesson study with the new leadership. If there are problems with teacher buy-in within the school, the committee can take action to increase support.
Bill Jackson, mathematics facilitator and promotion committee member at Paterson School 2 explains, "Some teachers had not bought in this year, and this was why we decided to hold an open house where the audience was our own staff members. We also had a teacher speak at a staff meeting about her experience with lesson study. These ideas came from the promotion committee as a direct response to the issue of teacher buy-in."
Another way in which lesson study can become sustainable is through preservice training. Jim Hiebert, co-author of The Teaching Gap and Professor Education at the University of Delaware, is beginning to apply some of the principles of lesson study to educating preservice teachers.
In response to the TIMSS-R study indicating that planning lessons in the traditional way has not been very effective for improving teaching, Hiebert and some of his colleagues at the University of Delaware instituted a new way of lesson planning that borrows elements from lesson study. "The key is helping our preservice teachers begin to think about how students will think-the shift from what a teacher would do to how a student would think."
Hiebert also notes that in training preservice teachers, it's important to instill the notion that there should be continuous learning throughout a career of teaching. While the preservice teachers may not be excellent teachers of mathematics when they first begin, 10 to 20 years of learning in the classroom can develop excellence in mathematics instruction.
Hiebert believes the lesson study process applies to teaching and learning on all levels. "One of the deficiencies we have at all levels of teaching and learning is a lack of knowledge of teaching on which future generations can build. It's hard to make progress in teaching and learning if we don't have a shared knowledge base. In our program, we want to create a local knowledge base to share with the future. Lesson study is especially well designed to achieve such a goal. It offers a context to learn and teach and mechanisms for creating shared knowledge."
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