Lesson Study.. What is it? How can it help?

Why is it that Japanese students seem to outperform us in mathematics and science when we study the results of testing? Many seem to 'generalize' the answer to one notion...they have better students...This is not true. A typical classroom in Japan would look very similar to one here in the U.S. The difference is in the teaching practices and the delivery of material.



Japanese educators continually develop themselves and their teaching practices through the practice of Lesson Study. In their practice of Lesson study, Japanese teachers will work in small teams to develop lesson plans based on content/curriculum goals and the learning/emotional goals of their students. Once lesson plans are completed and agreed upon by the team, one teacher will deliver the lesson to his/her class while the other teachers observe.

After the lesson has been taught, the teachers meet again and discuss the lesson as a whole, delivery of instruction, interaction of students, achievement of instructional and affective goals. The lesson is then revised upon all the findings and then taught by a second teacher to a different group of students, while teachers observe.



In Japan, lesson study is a very important component of professional development. Japan's emphasis on this process has gained the attention of the National Council of Teacher's of Mathematics and the National Science Foundation. Check out the following link to find multiple resources on the process of lesson study, materials to help implement lesson study, and research that supports it's use in schools.



http://www2.edc.org/lessonstudy/lessonstudy/

Edutopia

Edutopia- What works in public education...
George Lucas Foundation

Early in 2008, I subscribed to an educational magazine called Edutopia. I did it on a hunch knowing that what I was looking at was some powerful writing... I had never seen the website nor the magazine ever before.

It was a typical early evening; after having cooked dinner, fed the children, washed the dishes, I finally got to my favorite part of my day... surfing the web in my totally rad wetsuit looking for some useful resources for the classroom. Before it became time for the alarm clock to ring, right before the moment my arms started becoming noodled, I came across the Edutopia website and was VERY impressed, you could even say I was amped! I thought, what the hay, it's a free trial subscription... how can it hurt??

Call it a woman's intuition or just a knack for detecting great educational resources, I was right on the money with my prediction. Well, I don't just love my magazines- I crave them, I can't wait for them to come in the mail- beware the hands that would ever dare to throw an issue away, that would be like throwing a first edition of Dickens to the men in gray suits!! I find myself keeping them for tons of reasons.... I will refer to them for information to give others, or I may 'tab' a page with a great article with some awesome links. I might even suggest an article for a parent. They offer everything a classroom teacher needs, information from trends in technology to how to reach all multiple intelligences in the classroom.

The best part of all is that you can access their website and gain access to archived magazines and articles, blogs kept by Edutopia authors, and other wonderful resources. You don't necessarily have to purchase a subscription but for the low rate in comparison to other magazine subscriptions and organizations, Edutopia is well worth the money. Trust me- I am not a Junkyard Dog, a Mushburger, or a Kook....I double pinky promise!!


****My application of surfing terms is dedicated to my daughter Sara who has become a surfer-girl, beach bum, fun-in-the-sun, Florida- beauty.... I love you pooh bear...xoxoxo

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Guided Reading or Reader's Workshop

I've just finished attending the most fabulous Reader's Workshop professional development that I've seen in quite awhile. Conducted by the Teacher's College of Columbia University, the focus was on teaching reading and writing through the use of the Reader's and Writer's Workshop. I have used both in my classroom for quite sometime, though the emphasis in the district where I am employed is focused more towards the Guided Reading approach, there can be no denying that the Reader's Workshop works. By looking at the amazing gains that this school has made because of the implementation of this system and the informal research I have conducted within my own classroom setting, it is clear to me that the better approach is the Reader's Workshop. I will be posting information on how to implement the Reader's workshop in the classroom setting within the next 2 weeks. Those using it already- PLEASE- leave your comments!!

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