Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education: Lesson Study Communities in Secondary Mathematics

Education Development Center, Waltham MA

Investigators

Abstract

"Lesson Study Communities in Secondary Mathematics" is a three-year Teacher Retention and Renewal project proposing to provide 21 teams of teachers -- or a total of 114 secondary mathematics teachers from varied school settings in New England -- with 150 hours of substantive professional development in mathematics and pedagogy within the framework of "Lesson Study." This project will provide training and support for novice teachers as well as quality renewal for veteran teachers. Stipends of $1,000 will be offered to all participants, in addition to money for materials and food. "Lesson Study" is a collaborative form of lesson planning and observation, central to much of the professional development activity in Japanese elementary and middle schools. In a first phase, the school faculty selects a research theme or goal. Small groups of teachers then plan detailed "research lessons" and each lesson is taught and observed. Following the observations, the lesson is discussed in detail, improved and taught again. Finally, a detailed written record of the lesson is produced and shared with other teachers. "Lesson Study Communities in Secondary Mathematics" will build on several prior projects, including the NSF-funded "Watertown Pilot," "Park City Mathematics Institute (PCMI)," and the NSF-funded "PROMYS for Teachers," whose results are promising regarding "Lesson Study's" potential as a powerful vehicle for professional development in American secondary schools. Finally, recognizing that this is one of the first secondary-level "Lesson Study" implementations in the United States, the project will include a significant research component. The project's research and evaluation efforts will develop images of "Lesson Study" in the American secondary school that will help us understand how best to implement and support it.