We're live tweeting today's Mandel Center Teacher Forum, with Jennifer Lewis on "Lesson Study." She'll do a live “research lesson” with fourth graders, followed by an analysis of the lesson and a discussion about the practice of lesson study.
Thank you to the students of @jcdsboston (and their parents) who are participating today.
Nationally, $1.5 billion is spent annually on teacher PD, but teachers are insufficiently trained to use the materials provided for them. #teacherforum
Engaging presenters and content-rich materials are often mistaken for quality teacher professional development. #teacherforum
Dr. Lewis noticed that the Japanese have a good track record of preparing and continuing to develop good teachers. Their system reliably produces good teaching #teacherforum
Not a lot of consensus in American education, but one is that teaching and learning need to be improved. #teacherforum
Lesson study is a cycle: Study, devel long-term goals --> Devel lesson plan, which serves as hypothesis --> Do research lesson & collect data --> Reflect and share data --> Study
Think "this is what I don't know how to do well yet." #teacherforum
Jenny Lewis before an audience of private and public school educators at the #teacherforum. 
How to teach educators how to gather the right kinds of data? Need to decide before the lesson. Example: participation patterns. #teacherforum
This is done in teams of teachers. If it doesn't go well, it's owned by the team, not the individual teacher holding the lesson. #teacherforum
Need to get comfortable being observed and observing others. It can be hard at the beginning. #teacherforum
The purpose of the lesson is to test the group's hypothesis and gather data as evidence. #teacherforum
Co-planning can include rehearsing the lesson. #teacherforum
It's hard to get the time for teachers to do this work. Some schools use late start or early release time; in others, principals give faculty meeting time and use email for their meeting agendas. #teacherforum
Lesson study brings together teacher educators, administrators, coaches, and teachers around live instruction. #teacherforum
The sole arbiter of a lesson's success or failure is evidence of children's learning or its lack. That makes student work extremely important. #teacherforum
Lesson study operationalizes teachers' learning -for instruction.- #teacherforum
Challenges: time-intensive, highly detail-focused, a long-term effort, requires unusual facilitation. #teacherforum
Lesson Study produces: polished lessons, collegial work, testing of ideas in practice, sharpened vision to see student learning. #teacherforum
Teachers gain: Shared language, networks of colleagueship, interest and improvement in subject-matter knowledge, collective tinkering with elements of practice, school-wide capacity, as well as "Eyes to see students, and ears to hear them." #teacherforum
We are now observing a live math lesson. Dr. Lewis is discussing ideas for solving a problem with the fourth-graders. #teacherforum
Following the lesson, Dr. Lewis is debriefing with participants. Question: What is the change theory? What do teachers learn? #teacherforum
They acquire content knowledge, and a much broader array of pedagogical moves. Lesson Study is the only form of PD that produces demonstrable student growth. #teacherforum
"Lesson study takes theories about teaching and learning and walks them into the classroom." - Dr. Jennifer Lewis
Q: How can we apply this to American classrooms, as their culture is different from Japan's? A: Find ways to buy teachers' time. Work on culture of shared inquiry and investigation. Find a way for teachers to observe one another in person. #teacherforum
Create space for teachers to make mistakes and ask for help. That's when colleagues can help. #teacherforum
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