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Is Lesson Study Effective Professional Development for Middle School Science Teachers?

Is Lesson Study Effective Professional Development for Middle School Science Teachers?. Terry Bridges Faculty of Education, Queen ’ s University. This work supported by a grant from the Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Group (MSTE);

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Is Lesson Study Effective Professional Development for Middle School Science Teachers?

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  1. Is Lesson Study Effective Professional Development for Middle School Science Teachers? Terry Bridges Faculty of Education, Queen’s University This work supported by a grant from the Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Group (MSTE); a research and development group at the Faculty of Education, Queen’s University, Kingston Ontario. mste@educ.queensu.ca http://educ.queensu.ca/research/collaborations/mste.html

  2. Outline • What is Lesson Study? • Research Questions • Methodology • Results: Teacher Science Knowledge, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Self-Efficacy • Benefits and Challenges of Lesson Study • Assessing Lesson Study as Teacher Professional Development

  3. What is Lesson Study?

  4. My Research Questions • How does lesson study influence middle-school teachers’science SMK, PCK, and self-efficacy in teaching science? • What are the perspectives of grade 7-8 teachers, their Principal, and Board Coordinators on science-based lesson study? What benefits and challenges do they associate with lesson study? SMK = Subject Matter Knowledge PCK = Pedagogical Content Knowledge

  5. Participants and Setting • Six grade 6-8 teachers from an Eastern Ontario school, their Principal, and two Board Coordinators • Urban elementary school with ~250 K-8 students • School serves a high-needs, ‘Somewhat High Risk’ community

  6. Timeline • Three 1/2 day meetings over 6 weeks to develop 3-part lesson in grade 8 science • Lesson taught to two grade 8 classes over one week with two different teachers • Debriefing after each teaching, and lesson revised after 1st teaching • Final meeting to analyze the lesson study experiences

  7. Sources of Data • Initial teacher questionnaires • STEBI (self-efficacy) pre-/post • Interviews to assess SMK/PCK pre-/post • Exit interviews and follow-up emails • Teacher reflections • Field notes and audio recordings • Video recording of lesson teachings SMK = Subject Matter Knowledge PCK = Pedagogical Content Knowledge

  8. Self-Efficacy in Teaching Science • Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument • Teacher with lowest initial Self-Efficacy had largest gain in Self-Efficacy • Two teachers who taught lesson had largest gains in personal Self-Efficacy • Gains in Self-Efficacy for this unit only?

  9. Teacher Science SMK • Teachers identified more forces acting on objects afterwards BEFORE AFTER SMK = Subject Matter Knowledge

  10. Teacher Science PCK • Teachers better able to assess student thinking about forces and motion Example: During a class discussion, a student says: “A book resting on a table doesn’t have any forces acting on it.” Based on this statement, which of the following is the best assessment of this student’s thinking about forces/motion? A. The student correctly thinks that a force … B. The student incorrectly thinks that a force … C. The student correctly thinks that only a moving object … D. The student incorrectly thinks that only a moving object can have a force acting on it PCK = Pedagogical Content Knowledge

  11. PCK: Changes in Teaching Practices • More teachers now using 3-part lessons in science to engage students • Hands-on inquiry used more often • More use of student video • Teaching is now more planned and precise PCK = Pedagogical Content Knowledge

  12. Benefits of Lesson Study • Collaboration: • “I love working collaboratively” • “Being able to bounce ideas off each other” • Teacher Ownership: • “I like that we owned it” • Situated in the classroom: • “We’re in the classroom, we’re practicing it, and we’re seeing that it works”

  13. Benefits Continued • Time for planning and reflection • Gain science knowledge and improve teaching practices • Seeing colleagues teach • Many eyes in classroom

  14. Challenges of Lesson Study • Time, money, and resources • Teachers in the role of observers • Having additional adults in the classroom • Leadership and commitment within group

  15. Important Themes • Importance of group trust • Role of Principal & Coordinators • Differences between the two teachings • Student engagement and collaboration

  16. Effective Teacher PD Is: Bell & Gilbert 1996; Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin 1995; Darling-Hammond 1999; Goodnough 2011; Haney et al. 1996; Lieberman 1996; Loucks-Horsley et al. 2003, 2010; Rhoton & McLean 2008 • Set in classroom, research-based, motivated by/assessed on student learning outcomes • Initiated and led by teachers • Gives teachers opportunities to build SMK and PCK • Experiential • Collaborative • Ongoing with sustained support

  17. How Does Lesson Study Stack Up? • Classroom/research-based, motivated/assessed by student learning outcomes ✔ • set in their classrooms with their own students • teachers observed, collected data, and debriefed • motivated by student learning, engagement, and collaboration • Initiated and led by teachers ✔ • Gives teachers opportunities to build SMK and PCK ✔ • teachers gained SMK and changed teaching practices • Experiential ✔ • teachers were engaged at all times, able to do hands-on inquiry • Collaborative ✔ • Ongoing with sustained support ???

  18. Lesson Study PD Challenges • No ongoing support for lesson study in that school and board– not clear what future will be • Lesson study not yet generally sustainable in Canada • Long-term impact on teachers not known • I didn’t look at student learning directly • Reproducibility

  19. Summary • Teachers gained science knowledge and self-efficacy, and changed teaching practices • Benefits: collaboration, ownership, classroom-based, time to plan/reflect, examine student learning • Challenges: time, money, teachers as observers, additional observers, group leadership/commitment • Lesson study has many elements of effective teacher PD, but can it be sustainable with ongoing support? • Limitations: one group of teachers in one school

  20. Moving Lesson Study Forward • Extending lesson study to a wider range of teaching contexts– inservice & preservice • Examining the long-term impact of lesson study on teachers and student learning • Making lesson study sustainable in Canada

  21. What is Lesson Study?

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