Lesson Study

A Guide to Implementation
“The teacher is the one who gets the most out

of the lessons, and the true teacher is the

learner.”

Elbert Hubbard
 Lesson Study

• Evolves from Professional Learning

Communities (PLCs) of teachers
• Provides opportunities to create a model for
high-quality instructional practices.
• Improves a lesson through teacher
collaboration.
 Lesson Study

• Meets Florida Professional Development System

Evaluation Protocol Standards (1.2.1, 2.2.1, and
3.2.1)
• Promotes a cycle of continuous improvement to
achieve goals that align with individual, school
and district goals for student achievement.
 Differentiated Accountability

• Requires full implementation of Lesson Study

Process for schools categorized as “F”,

Intervene, or part of the Lowest 5%.

 Foci of Lesson Study

• To create structured occasions for teachers to

examine teaching and learning.
• To improve the lesson planning process.

• To refine instructional strategies and delivery.

• To evaluate the results.

• To evaluate student thinking.

• To increase student mastery.

 Lesson Study is…
• Job-embedded
• Ongoing
• Comprehensive
• Real classroom instructional challenges
• Teacher-directed
• Student-centered
• Shared best practices and strategies
• Collaborative
 Lesson Study Allows Teachers to…

• Consider the objectives of a particular content

area, unit and/or lesson

• Plan lessons that bring to life both short-term and

long-term goals

• Deepen subject matter knowledge

 Lesson Study Allows Teachers to…

• Develop pedagogy

• Share and design best practices

• Participate in job-embedded learning

• Explore problems that impede student learning

• Understand how students think and learn

 Lesson Study Allows Teachers to…

• Learn successful teaching techniques and behaviors

from other teachers

• Develop peer coaching skills

• Participate in job-embedded learning

• Explore problems that impede student learning

 Lesson Study Allows Teachers to…

• Understand how students think and learn

• Learn successful teaching techniques and
behaviors from other teachers
• Develop peer coaching skills

• Improve student learning based on observations

and assessments
 Lesson Study Allows Teachers to…

• Think deeply about short-term and long-term goals

for students

• Anticipate student thinking

• Collect and analyze student learning and behavior

data
 Lesson Study Allows Teachers to…

• Improve instruction based on careful

observation of students by understanding how

students learn

• Support beginning teachers

 Lesson Study Relative to Other Initiatives

• Florida’s Continuous • Lesson Study is in “Act”

Improvement Model component as
(FCIM) professional
development

• Professional Learning • More effective when

Communities (PLCs) focus is on improving
instructional delivery
and increasing student
achievement
 Lesson Study Relative to Other Initiatives

• PS/RtI and Data Driven • Data gathered from student

Instruction observations allow teachers
to redirect the instructional
focus on students’
academic needs

• Instructional Coaching • Develop a consistent

Cycles pattern of working
collaboratively with
teachers
 Lesson Study and PS/RtI
• Each tier must be demonstrably effective for large
numbers of students.
• If the universally provided instruction is not
effective for most students, then large numbers of
students will unnecessarily require additional
resources and support.
• Lesson Study strengthens instructional knowledge
and student achievement, a direct benefit to all
levels of tiered continuum of service.
Lesson Study and Florida Professional Development
System Evaluation Protocol Standards

• Meets Standards 1.2.1, 2.2.1 and 3.2.1

• Specifically requirements for educator participation in
collaborative learning communities for continuous
improvement to achieve goals that align with individual,
school, and district goals for student achievement
• Associated student learning goals should be reflected in
TARGET.
 Purpose of Lesson Study

• Provides districts, administrators, coaches, and

teachers with content and pedagogical learning
to strengthen their instructional knowledge and
increase student achievement.
• Assists all participants to deepen their knowledge
of content, pedagogy and student thinking.
 Purpose of Lesson Study

• Presents an opportunity to:

– Think carefully about goals of a particular lesson,
unit, and/or subject area
– Read, listen and think, as well as express and
question ideas
– Study and improve the best available lessons
 Purpose of Lesson Study

• Presents an opportunity to:

– Deepen subject-matter knowledge
– Build powerful instructional strategies and quality
lessons through collaboration
– Improve teaching through systematic collaborative
inquiry
 Lesson Study Cycle

• Phase I: Scheduling and Planning

• Phase II: Teaching and Observing

• Phase III: Debriefing

• Phase IV: Re-Teaching and Reflecting

 Length of Lesson Study Cycle

• No defined time period

• Ongoing process

• Implemented throughout the year

• More than one cycle can be completed
– One cycle during the first semester
– One cycle during the second semester
 Lesson Study Implementation
• More time is spent on planning and improving
the lesson because the lesson plan is the
backbone of Lesson Study.
• Begin with a lesson that has already been
developed:
– Previous year lesson plan
– Textbook manual suggested lesson
– Pre-developed lessons from Internet, etc.
 Lesson Study Funding
• School Improvement Grant
• Title I
• Title II
• General Revenue
• May be used to:
– hire substitutes for teachers who may be
observing the lessons
– Acquire additional resources to enhance Lesson
Study process
Essential Questions to Begin Lesson Study

• Is the lesson aligned to the Next Generation

Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS)?
• What specific benchmark(s) does the lesson
include?
• Will the instruction result in student learning at the
level of complexity required for the benchmark?
Essential Questions to Begin Lesson Study

• How can teachers enhance the teaching and

learning process to provide data-driven

instruction that will increase student

proficiency in all subject areas?

Essential Questions to Begin Lesson Study

• What do we want students to learn and be

able to do by the end of the unit of study and
by the end of the school year?
• What is the current rate of progress and level
of performance of students enrolled in this
course/class?
Intended Outcomes of Lesson Study
• Development and use of team-created lesson plans as
a part of the process
• Incorporation of reading and writing across the
curriculum for all subject areas by using “Three Types
of Essential Reading Activities” (pre-reading, during
reading, and after reading strategies) in daily
instruction
Intended Outcomes of Lesson Study

• Teacher use of rigorous questions, assignments,

and assessments
• Development of an understanding of Lesson
Study as a collaborative process
• Understanding of how Lesson Study is a way to
strengthen teaching and learning in schools
Intended Outcomes of Lesson Study

• Application of Lesson Study in a variety of

ways, including lesson development and
testing through Lesson Study
• Examination of the role of the district and the
principal in implementing effective Lesson
Study teams
Intended Outcomes of Lesson Study

• Skill development in other professional

learning activities related to Lesson Study
• Support of fellow teachers in initiating and
building Professional Learning Communities
with a focus on Lesson Study