Shifting Teachers' Talks Toward Students' Thinking and Learning: A Discourse Analysis of Postlesson Discussions in Japanese Lesson Study

• In Event: 35.068 - Adoption or Adaptation: Lesson Study in Mathematics

Abstract

Purposes. Lesson study is a Japanese approach to improving teaching and learning mathematics through a particular form of activities by a group of teachers including planning, implementing, and discussing actual lessons (Fernandez & Yoshida, 2004; Author, 2014; Stigler & Hiebert, 1999). It provides teachers with key learning opportunities in working collaboratively with their colleagues to study subject matter, students’ thinking and learning, and changing classroom instruction (Author, 2010). Among the key elements in lesson study cycles, the post-lesson discussion provides teachers with opportunities to share what they observed and discuss how to improve their teaching.

This study aims to describe the key features of the post-lesson discussion that takes place right after a “research lesson.” By analyzing the discourse during the post-lesson discussion in a series of lesson study cycles, the shifts in the focal issues in teachers’ comments and discussion are identified to reveal the changes in teachers’ views on mathematics lessons with their accumulating experiences of participating in lesson study.

Theoretical perspectives. A framework to examine the proficiency for teaching mathematics (Schoenfeld & Kilpatrick, 2008) is used as a conceptual framework for this study. The framework includes the following elements that are related to learning opportunities for teachers: knowing school mathematics in depth and breadth, knowing students as thinkers, knowing students as learners, crafting and managing learning environments, developing classroom norms and supporting classroom discourse as part of “teaching for understanding,” and reflecting on one’s practice. This framework is also used for analyzing the discourse during the post-lesson discussion in the series of lesson study cycles.

Methods. In a two-year project at one public elementary school in Japan, an entire group of teachers has participated in several cycles of lesson study. A novel method was used to capture what the participating teachers thought as significant in the planed lesson and what they described as key characteristics of what they have just observed. Teachers in groups were first invited to write down all of their comments on the lessons they observed, and these were then collected and analyzed. Then, the comments written on the papers were structured and shared by all the teachers. In this way, teachers’ “voices” were better captured than the typical oral post-lesson discussion where experienced teachers’ comments often dominated. In the project, five cycles of lessons study that included planning and implementing research lessons were conducted and the data from all the post-lesson discussions were analyzed. Data also included video records of lessons and their transcriptions.

Results. The results of analyses reveal that the focus of post-lesson discussions shifted as the cycles of lesson study proceeded and that the topics discussed by teachers during the post-lesson discussion became more focused on knowing students as thinkers and knowing students as learners.

Significance. Although lesson study is increasingly practiced around the globe, little is known about the mechanisms that contribute to teacher learning. The current study provides a deeper understanding of one key feature of lesson study: the post-lesson discussion as practiced in Japanese lesson study.

Author

• Yoshinori Shimizu, University of Tsukuba