The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which participating in lesson study was perceived to have an impact on teacher effectiveness. Secondary STEM graduates who come into education need a model of collaborative reflective practice for continuous improvement. Lesson study is one possible model of professional learning that is both reflective and collaborative (Sims & Walsh, 2009, p. 731). The cyclical nature of lesson study makes it a natural fit for continuous improvement. Yet, little research into the effectiveness of lesson study as a tool for new teacher preparation or for middle and high school teachers exists. As part of the University of Central Florida's RTP3 program, resident teachers from three school districts participated in lesson study. Their reflections on participating in lesson study were analyzed and interviews with designees from each school district were conducted. The resident teachers' reflections and the interviews with partner school district designees were analyzed using the constant comparison method (Parry, 2004). The reflections were closely examined for trends and patterns, and as commonalities emerged, they led to the findings of this study. After review of the school district lesson study models, they were confirmed and explored during the interviews with school district designees. Analysis showed lesson study was perceived to be beneficial by the resident teachers and two of the three school district designees described positive effects gained from participating in lesson study through RTP3. The literature review and the results of this study demonstrate that lesson study is a valuable tool for professional learning in both novice and veteran teachers. Themes frequently observed in lesson study reflections included increased focus on students, the value found in collaboration, and a desire to participate on future lesson study teams. Teachers, teacher preparation programs, and school administrators should consider the benefits of participating in lesson study and attempt to develop a plan to include this method of professional learning in their school or teacher preparation program.

This study is in response to the question about how Japanese educators achieve such a high quality of instruction. Considering the area of lesson study has opened the door to new ideas and concepts that are not well defined and too broad to understand. Kyozaikenkyu is an aspect of lesson study that has been said to be a crucial aspect to successful lesson study. Kyozaikenkyu is done on a daily basis by Japanese educators; however, there is very little written about this process in relevant literature. This study examines what Japanese educators do during their daily kyozaikenkyu, and why they do it. Through interviews, observations, and participation in kyozaikenkyu, I have been able to describe a process many Japanese educators go through to prepare their lessons. There is a difference between what these educators do during kyozaikenkyu for a research lesson compared to the kyozaikenkyu of a daily lesson. I document two variations of daily kyozaikenkyu. One variation corresponds well to the kyozaikenkyu done for a research lesson, while the other variation is something new. This thesis expounds on those differences as well as explores the purposes and benefits of daily kyozaikenkyu for the Japanese educators that participated in them.

The intent of thesis is to explore pre-service teachers' perceptions of using a form of professional development to promote teacher autonomy. Current evidence shows that autonomy is a recurring element desired by American teachers in their profession. However, research advocates for teachers who are initiating and carrying out research in their schools (as a form of professional development) to have the potential to promote autonomy. For American teachers to gain a sense of autonomy in their profession there needs to be a change in the way professional development is directed. One form of professional development that promotes teachers as researchers is Lesson Study. Teachers who participate in lesson study are given the opportunity to research, collaborate, and learn. A sample population of five Pre-service teachers were interviewed to discover their perceptions of using Lesson Study as a means to promote teacher autonomy. The results of this thesis are that lesson study was regarded, by three out of five of the participants, as an effective way to strengthen teacher autonomy. The implications of the results are discussed, and the descriptions and implications of Lesson Study are provided.

AbstractEngelska översättning.  The aim of the study is to contribute with knowledge about how a designed teaching can give children a greater understanding of technical systems, sewage system. The study is inspired by the Lesson Study method. Lesson study is a teaching arrangement done in cycles. In this study, two teachings are conducted, about the sewage system, with two different groups of children and with a certain variation in the arrangements. The results show that the children have gained an understanding of the connections between the parts and components that the technical system, sewage system, is constructed of. The data collection was carried out through observation and filming at both teaching sessions. The material was then transcribed and analyzed through a thematic analysis method. The flexibility of the analysis method provided opportunities to respond to the study's purpose and questions. The analysis resulted in three themes: relationships between components of the system, the role of humans in the system, the components of the system. The study's conclusion shows that preschool teachers offer several activities with relevant construction materials that can clarify abstract learning objects in order to reach children’s learning. At the same time, more research is needed on how children learn and create an understanding of technical systems, how they can perceive the connections between the components that exist and constitute a technical system. / Syftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap om hur en designad undervisningkan erbjuda barn ökad förståelse för tekniska system, avloppssystem. Studienär inspirerad av metoden lesson study. Lesson study är ettundervisningsupplägg som görs i cykler. I denna studie genomförs tvåundervisningar, om avloppssystemet, med två olika barngrupper och med enviss variation i uppläggen. Resultatet visar att barnen fått förståelse försambanden mellan de delar och komponenter som det tekniska systemet,avloppssystem, är konstruerade av. Datainsamlingen genomfördes genomobservation och filmning vid båda undervisningstillfällena. Däreftertranskriberades och analyserades materialet genom en tematisk analysmetod.Analysmetodens flexibilitet gav möjligheter att svara gentemot studiens syfteoch frågeställningar. Analysen resulterade i tre teman: Samband mellankomponenter i systemet, Människans roll i systemet, Systemets komponenter.Studiens slutsats påvisar att förskollärare som erbjuder flera aktiviteter medrelevant konstruktionsmaterial som kan tydliggöra abstrakta lärandeobjekt föratt nå barns lärande. Det krävs mer forskning om hur barn lär och skaparförståelse för tekniska system, hur de kan uppfatta sambanden mellan dekomponenter som finns och utgör ett tekniskt system.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:02:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2890.pdf: 4349589 bytes, checksum: 9e60306f0f5f18e73d6bd81a88e67122 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-02-27 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / This project is a study that seeks a reflection of author about classroom practices in teaching mathematics, at public schools of State of São Paulo, Brazil, especially with 6th and 7th grades of Basic School System. We adopted the Methodology of Lesson Study, a original Japanese Methodology, that focus the research on investigative activities of a teacher aiming at the improvement of his/her teaching practices. The phases of such investigative activities comprise the planning and the execution of the lessons, followed by the critical reflections after the lesson, that constitute fundamental steps to the search for the improvement of the teaching/learning process. This methodology is being disseminated in Western countries, and this work is one of the first adapted experiences as an attempt to introduce it in Brazil, and it is commented in Chapter 2. In order to secure an effective reflection of this process, we have established the investigative procedure at each stage of teacher´s practice, grounding the work on the concept of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (Schulman, 1986), discussed in Chapter 1. As main product of Master Program for Teachers, we have designed lessons and activities that consider the curriculum proposal of The Secretary of Education of the State of São Paulo and have followed the Methodology of Problem Solving of Polya, as a strategy to yield the analysis of lessons, activities and the following reflections. One main result sought and obtained in this work is the participative learning of students when building their own knowledge through the steps of Problem Solving Methodology, described in Chapter 3. In Chapter 5, we present some proposals for different types of lessons, describing the ways the curriculum recommendations can be worked out with our approach. We show analyses of lesson planning and the expectations of teacher about the executions of the plans at this stage, as well as about many problems come up with students´ difficulties, reactions and participations. Moreover, we comment the didactical perceptions of the author that have allowed conducting the Lesson Study in the stage of improving the learning with active participation of students. The most important achievement of this work is the execution of after class reflections mediated by Lesson Study Methodology, which has implicated a new vision of the assessment of students answers and questions/doubts. The work has permitted a more refined search and comprehension of the errors and the analyses of correct answers, which has brought a quality upgrade to the assessment. The Chapter 6 contains a synthesis of our reflections connected to the activities. The Appendix consists of detachable sheets with the lesson plans and steps of their execution, which can be used by basic school teachers as well as by students of teacher preparation programs who seek ideas and suggestions to improve their classroom practice. / O presente projeto é um estudo que buscou uma reflexão sobre a prática docente do autor no ensino da matemática em escolas públicas do Estado de São Paulo, especialmente sobre o ensino nas séries iniciais do ciclo II do Ensino Fundamental (6º e 7º anos). Apoiamos na Metodologia de Pesquisa de Aula, uma metodologia de origem japonesa, que coloca o foco da pesquisa nas atividades investigativas do profissional docente para o aperfeiçoamento de suas práticas. A investigação passa pelas fases de planejamento e execução de aulas e reflexões pós-aula, que são primordiais para a busca da melhoria do ensino-aprendizagem da matemática. A Metodologia está sendo disseminada no Ocidente, sendo esse trabalho uma das primeiras experiências na tentativa de introduzir essa metodologia no Brasil, e seu conteúdo está explicado no Capítulo 2. Para garantir uma reflexão efetiva desse processo, buscamos estabelecer o olhar investigativo do professor em cada etapa da prática docente, baseando-nos no conceito de Conhecimento Pedagógico de Conteúdo (Schulman, 1986), que foi considerado no Capítulo 1. Como produto da pesquisa em Mestrado Profissional, elaboramos aulas e atividades baseadas na proposta curricular da Secretaria de Estado da Educação do Estado de São Paulo (SEE-SP), que está analisada no Capítulo 4, e seguimos a Metodologia de Resolução de Problemas (Polya, 1995) como uma estratégia para fundamentar a análise das atividades assim como as reflexões realizadas. A Metodologia de Resolução de Problemas foi estudada no Capítulo 3, comparando as fases da resolução dentro das atividades propostas no nosso estudo. Um dos resultados principais buscados e obtidos nesse projeto foi a aprendizagem participativa dos alunos na construção de seu conhecimento por meio das etapas da Metodologia de Resolução de Problemas. No capítulo 5, apresentamos algumas propostas de diferentes aulas, mostrando como os temas curriculares podem ser trabalhados sob tal enfoque. Apresentamos análises do preparo de aulas e expectativas do docente nesta fase, diversos problemas enfrentados com as dificuldades dos alunos, suas reações e participações. Além disso, comentamos as percepções didáticas do docente que permitiram conduzir a Pesquisa de Aula na fase de melhorar a aprendizagem com a participação ativa dos alunos. O resultado mais importante do trabalho foi conseguir executar as reflexões pós-aulas que, mediadas pela Metodologia da Pesquisa de Aula, permitiram um novo olhar nas análises das atividades feitas pelos alunos, implicando uma busca e compreensão mais acurada dos erros e acertos dos mesmos, o que trouxe um salto qualitativo nas avaliações da aprendizagem dos alunos. O Capítulo 6 contém uma síntese do nosso estudo relacionando as reflexões com as atividades executadas. O Apêndice deste trabalho consiste dos planos de aulas e atividades, e descrição das suas execuções, que podem ser destacados e utilizados por professores das escolas básicas ou por licenciandos em busca de sugestões e ideias para aperfeiçoar sua prática docente.

This research seeks to investigate the influence of lesson study on preservice secondary mathematics teachers' view of self as mathematics expert. The study acknowledges the commonly held belief that prospective mathematics teachers have that they know and understand secondary mathematics. The purpose in engaging the preservice teachers in lesson study is to dislodge this belief. In particular, this research report focuses on one preservice teacher and her experiences during lesson study. Using the data collected, the researcher reports on the baseline beliefs that the preservice teacher held toward her knowledge of secondary mathematics, her mathematical experiences during the actual lesson study phase of the research and the final status of her beliefs in relation to her secondary mathematics understanding. After assessing the preservice teacher's beliefs, the report focuses on the moves the preservice teacher makes to protect her identity as a knower of mathematics. The report details how the researcher probed the subject's views through a follow-up interview. The researcher discovered during the follow-up interview that the subject was finally able to admit her lack of mathematical knowledge and her desire to not be seen as 'dumb' in front of the interviewer. The implications of the study suggest that teacher educators should be sensitive to preservice secondary teachers' perceptions of their mathematical knowledge and teacher educators should watch for the moves preservice teachers make to shift conversation away from mathematics topics.

This mixed methods case study investigated mathematics teachers‘ perspectives of the effects of the Lesson Study Process on their content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and the potential for students‘ achievement. The population was 55 teachers from elementary, middle, and secondary schools in a metropolitan area. The three research questions guiding this study were: (1) What are the perspectives of teachers on the impact of the Lesson Study Process on their mathematical content knowledge? (2) What are the perspectives of teachers on the impact of the Lesson Study Process on their pedagogical knowledge? (3) What are the perspectives of teachers on the potential impact of the Lesson Study Process on their students‘ achievement? Literature pertaining to constructivism, teacher professional development, and Lesson Study was reviewed. Data from surveys, questionnaires, and focus group sessions were examined both quantitatively and qualitatively to determine common categories, themes, and connections to each of the research questions. The teachers believed that their mathematics content knowledge was positively affected in the areas of deeper understanding which led to an increase in self-confidence. The teachers also believed that their pedagogical knowledge was enhanced in the areas of planning and attention to student thinking. Finally, the teachers mentioned five areas for potential improvement in students‘ achievement. They included: students‘ increased conceptual understanding of the topics taught during the research lessons, planning lessons more thoroughly by making them relevant to the students‘ daily lives and planning it within the context of the state‘s curriculum, shifting the focus of an in-class observation from the teacher‘s performance to student thinking, and a similar shifting of the manner in which students are assessed—from right/wrong answers to seeking thought processes whereby the student may correct misunderstanding.

This study analyzed all published research articles examining the relationship between professional community efforts (plc) (used here as a broader category than, but inclusive of, Professional Learning Communities or PLCs) and student academic achievement (SAA) that reported primary research findings published before January 1, 2015. This study specifically identified primary, quantitative studies of SAA that in context are plc, but which may or may not be labeled as such, that were published before January 1, 2015. Analyses examined how many studies of plc and SAA were of a descriptive, correlational, causal comparative, quasi-experimental,or experimental design type, evaluated the internal validity of their findings, and assessed the generalizability of each study based on normative expectations of implementation and study design type. Each of the 57 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were evaluated using a Design and Quality of Implementation Matrix. Findings indicated that none of 57 primary research efforts examining plc and SAA exhibited acceptable levels of generalizability. For articles demonstrating high design and implementation scores, threats to external validity are presented and discussed. Recommendations are provided for improving the generalizability of research in plc.

<p>Med naturen och Learning study modellen som inspirationskällor har jag arbetat med tema träd under två veckor på en förskola med barn i åldrarna 3 – 6 år. För att tydligt kunna synliggöra barnets lärande har för- och eftertester varit en del av metodarbetet. Testerna genomfördes med hjälp av intervjuer. Barnen fick även rita teckningar av ett träd både vid förtestet och eftertestet. Detta som ett ytterligare komplement för att kunna se deras kunskapsutveckling. Under dessa två veckor mellan för- och eftertestet deltog barnen i olika aktiviteter på ett lekfullt och lustfyllt sätt. Genom hela arbetet användes en handdocka i form av en ekorre. Handdockan gjorde att även de barn som var lite reserverade vågade prata och ställa frågor. Vidare användes även olika lekar såsom tillexempel memory och Kims lek. Utifrån den här studien med inspiration från Learning study metoden kan man konstatera att barnens kunskap inom temat träd har utvecklats.</p>

This thesis reports the results from a study focused on the objects of learning. The aim is to analyse and describe how objects of learning are handled in three learning studies. The first question concerns how different aspects of learning is carried out in terms of the intended, enacted and lived objects of learning and their interrelations. The second question concerns the differences and similarities between an object of learning and a learning objective. The theoretical framework for the analysis of this study as well as for the planning instructions is variation theory. The theoretical assumption is that learning is always the learning of something, so as the ability to learn presupposes an experience of variation. Thus, the learner must discern variation in a dimension that corresponds to that aspect in spite of the background of invariance in other aspects of what is to be learned (i.e. the object of learning). In a classroom discourse, the teachers’ as well as the students’ activities constitute the space of learning, which refers to the learning opportunities the students are given, i.e. the enacted object of learning. The intentional object of learning describes the teachers’ intention with the lesson. The lived object of learning is what they actually learn. The object of learning is the compound of two aspects: the direct and the indirect object of learning. The former is defined in terms of content whereas the latter refers to the kind of capability that the students are supposed to develop. The method used is learning study, which can be seen as a hybrid between a design experiment and lesson study. A learning study is theoretically grounded which primary focus is on an object of learning. Here, the teachers and the researcher worked together and had equal status in the group. The objects of learning were chosen by the teachers. The findings should be seen as implications on students’ learning can be understood, depending on how an object of learning is constituted by a teacher in terms of the intended, enacted and lived objects of learning. Another finding is a contribution to the discussion of how teachers’ competences should be constituted.