Donika Zherka EDUC 376-80 Sister MaryAnn Jacobs Knowledge Synthesis

Description/Overview As teachers, there is always something new that can be learned; whether it is a new teaching skill, management skill, or learning about new resources. Naturally teachers are learning something new every day without even realizing it. For this class we executed a professional development process called a Lesson Study. According to an article published in 2002, A Practical Guide to Translating Lesson Study for a U.S. Setting, written by Clea Fernandez and Sonal Chokshi, a lesson study is a professional development process created by the Japanese in which teachers are able to examine their practice in order to better themselves and become more effective teachers. To do this, group work with teachers from the same content area occurred as a way to help each other grow and develop into a more effective teacher. Skills Gained Throughout the lesson study process, there were many skills that were learned. I was partnered up with an elementary education major with a concentration in English. This was an interesting pairing considering that I am secondary education. I learned a lot from her throughout the lesson planning stages. It was as if we were both mentoring each other on how to produce an effective lesson plan. As partners we bounced ideas off of each other while planning the lessons with our different backgrounds in teaching. We communicated throughout the whole process making sure to input original ideas throughout. Comparisons were made between lesson plans she has made and lesson plans that I myself have made. From these comparisons we determined

what would be best as we developed the lesson plan segment. Throughout this process I learned how to work with others while making a lesson plan together while pulling and pushing with different ideas and techniques. After developing lessons we then worked with a bigger group of teachers. Receiving unbiased reviews on our lesson from other English teachers helped develop our lessons even more. Feedback from the other English teachers educated me on what works and what does not work. Afterwards, my partner and I edited our lesson plans to make them better from the new skills and techniques that were presented to us from this lesson study. Lessons Learned As stated above, the skills that I have learned from the lesson study are now very crucial in my field. Collaborating with others in this lesson study provided me with the skills to work with others as well. It also taught me the importance of collaborating with others. I now know that it never hurts to get help from others. Sometimes it is better to work with others because two minds are greater than one. Not only has this helped me grow as an effective teacher, but it has also helped me grow as an effective student. This is something that can be used for other classes. Collaboration only brings out better ideas in your mind. This is something that I do believe I will be using in the future, especially as a new teacher. My first year of teaching is going to be a challenge, but I will have co-workers around me that I can collaborate with. These co-workers will be veterans in this field and will be able to guide me in my endeavor to become an effective teacher. We will be able to learn off of each other. Impact/Importance Not only did this lesson study help me in the long run, it has also benefited others as well. My classmates learned from me and my partner that incorporating the student and their personal lives makes an active classroom. I believe that my English lessons exhibited an example of how

to include the student in the lesson. This may change the way my classmates develop their lessons. They may start to incorporate the lives of the students to have a more engaging lesson. Knowing the interests of the students is key to an active classroom. Regardless, learning occurred throughout the lesson study process without me even realizing until afterwards. This was very beneficial to me as a future teacher.