Leading Lesson Study by Stepanek Jennifer;Appel Gary;Leong Melinda;Mangan Michelle Turner;Mitchell Mark;

Author:Stepanek, Jennifer;Appel, Gary;Leong, Melinda;Mangan, Michelle Turner;Mitchell, Mark;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1051621
Publisher: Corwin Press
Published: 2006-12-20T00:00:00+00:00

Invited Guests

Principals, district office staff, other teachers, and even parents can be invited guests. In addition to valuable contributions to the team’s learning, opening the teaching of the research lesson to others can provide many benefits. The observation can foster schoolwide learning, building knowledge around the research questions and establishing better cross-grade articulation.

FROM THE FIELD

As a knowledgeable other with expertise in physics, I was able to use my knowledge to contribute to the lesson study team in several ways. In the observation, my broader and deeper knowledge of the subject allowed me to quickly assess what the students were learning or not learning. Maybe more important, I observed when the students were developing misconceptions. In my science experience, misconceptions often occurred in experiments where procedures or equipment introduced errors that masked or altered the physical phenomenon being studied. In the debriefing, I shared observations based on my knowledge and background. This helped the team in revising the lesson, as they worked to prioritize the learning goals, refine the activities to meet those goals, and to bring in real-world examples that could be used to help make meaningful connections for the students.

The challenge for a knowledgeable other is this: You need to be grounded in the lesson study process, the level of the students, and the curriculum. I had some background on the students and the district’s curriculum, but found I was more effective in my second lesson study observation and debriefing as I came to better understand the lesson study process.

~Matt Cauchy, engineer

(and former Teach for America teacher)

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