Lesson Study | hthmath

Status & Mindset Interventions

In her book Strength in Numbers: Collaborative Learning in Secondary Mathematics, Ilana Horn writes: “Judgements about who is smart based on prior achievement or social categories violate a fundamental principle of equity and are consequential: learning is not the same as achievement” (2012, p.20). The resources below were curated to help you redefine "smarts" in math, disrupt status divisions, develop growth mindsets, and foster a collaborative math community.

Anticipatory Planning

How often does your planning for math involve searching for the "best" problem and then thinking about how you want to teach the problem? It's safe to say this is how most of us approach(ed) lesson planning. The problem with this approach, however, is that it is teacher focused and neglects to consider how students might perceive and respond to the problem. Conversely, anticipatory planning focuses planning efforts on imagining how students might respond to a problem and using that information to plan questions that will push and clarify student thinking and build understanding by sequencing and connecting approaches students are already using.

If you've ever tried to facilitate constructivist math learning in your classroom and it fell short of your expectations, it's likely because the key factor, anticipatory planning, was missing! The template below can help you prepare to facilitate constructivist math learning in your classroom. Grab a planning buddy and give it a try!

Anticipatory Planning

How often does your planning for math involve searching for the "best" problem and then thinking about how you want to teach the problem? It's safe to say this is how most of us approach(ed) lesson planning. The problem with this approach, however, is that it is teacher focused and neglects to consider how students might perceive and respond to the problem. Conversely, anticipatory planning focuses planning efforts on imagining how students might respond to a problem and using that information to plan questions that will push and clarify student thinking and build understanding by sequencing and connecting approaches students are already using.

If you've ever tried to facilitate constructivist math learning in your classroom and it fell short of your expectations, it's likely because the key factor, anticipatory planning, was missing! The template below can help you prepare to facilitate constructivist math learning in your classroom. Grab a planning buddy and give it a try!

The Power of Lesson Study

Knowledge for teaching is embodied in instruction and is spread and refined as teachers watch and discuss practice

(Lewis & Hurd, 2011)

In order to improve student learning, teachers need opportunities to observe and discuss instruction. Lesson study provides a structure for teachers to collaborate around pressing problems of practice and to engage in cycles of inquiry to explore the the intersection of pedagogy and student learning.

Engaging in lesson study supports educators to:

Focus on the impact of their lessons on student learning, as opposed to the intent
Build the mathematical knowledge necessary to teach for student understanding
Develop the pedagogical skills to enact ambitious instruction in classrooms
Craft a communal vision of student-centered teaching for equity

There are different types of lesson study – from quick cycles completed in one or two days, to more extensive, in-depth research lesson study cycles that expand teacher expertise in a particular content or pedagogical area.

Regardless of the type of lesson study the key elements that ensure meaningful learning occurs include:

Choosing focus students whose thinking the group wants to understand better
Looking at focus student work and anticipating focus student thinking to inform the lesson design
Creating a mathematical understanding goal and an equity goal to guide data collection
Closely observing the thinking of one focus student throughout the lesson
Engaging in a debrief to reflect on learning and determine next steps

Resources for conducting a research lesson can be found below.

Overview

Gather & Organize

Research & Clarify

Anticipate & Plan

Observe & Collect Data

Reflect & Share

We are grateful to JFF, KnowledgeWorks’, and the Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative and its funders for their support. Learn more at sclresearchcollab.org