School-wide Lesson Study (Poster 6)

• In Event: Mapping the Landscape of Improvement Research: Representing Diverse Approaches Using a Common Grammar

Abstract

Purpose

This poster examines School-wide Lesson Study (SLS). John Muir Elementary School in San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) used SLS to transform mathematics instruction and spread practices to other schools.


Perspective

In SLS, teachers build a school vision that guides Lesson Study cycles. Each cycle includes:

Studying curriculum content and research;

Planning an instructional unit;

Teaching a “Research Lesson” where colleagues observe and collect data; and

Reflecting on collected data to draw implications for future instruction.

Norms include careful observation of student learning as the warrant for improvement (not on critiquing teaching); studying research-based knowledge; and collegial support for improvement.


Modes of Inquiry

Muir studied Teaching Through Problem-solving (TTP), a Japanese instructional approach that enables students to build each new mathematical concept through problem-solving. University and district partners supported Muir’s work.

Data Sources

Data include standardized tests (SBAC), social network analyses of teacher’ mathematics advice-seeking, and instructional artifacts.

Findings

Building the foundation: In 2015, in the absence of faculty-wide interest in SLS, a Muir Teacher Leader recruited four volunteers. They formed a cross-grade Lesson Study team that worked together for two years, inviting the whole faculty to participate in aspects of Lesson Study, such as observing research lessons, examining research on student mathematical thinking, and conducting individual classroom inquiry around shared prompts. Teachers became comfortable with these practices and all teachers joined Lesson Study teams in 2017. Each member of the original cross-grade team facilitated a grade-band team; the facilitators met regularly and became an SLS leadership team.

Mapping the improvement space: Teachers developed the school-wide vision for student success using three prompts: What qualities do we hope all students will have at graduation? What are the qualities of our students now? What is a growth opportunity between the two? The vision and accompanying theory of action were revised each year.

Identifying an improvement theory: Muir teachers studied improvement resources recommended by the district, principal, teachers, and outside consultants. Over time, teachers heavily emphasized Teaching Through Problem-solving resources, after observing their effectiveness in increasing student mathematical interest and capacity.

Iterating and measuring: Each grade band conducted 1-2 Research Lessons per year. All teachers observed these lessons and collected data to examine the school’s theory of action (e.g., did mathematics journals help students refine their thinking?) and lesson-specific hypotheses (e.g, did number lines help students understand fraction magnitude?) From 2014-15 to 2017-18, mathematics standardized test scores (SBAC) showed dramatic improvement, making Muir a 3-sigma positive outlier in the district. Social network measures documented increased teacher communication about mathematics.

Spreading and sustaining improvement: Artifacts document that public research lessons spread theoretical and practical knowledge across sites, enabling changes in teacher and student learning.

Significance

Our findings show that SLS can change routines for educators’ learning in the U.S. by establishing vision-driven, practice-based cycles that improve instruction using observations of live lessons. SLS can strengthen math-related advice-seeking networks among educators within a school, improve mathematics achievement and support scale-up.

Authors

• Catherine C. Lewis, Mills College at Northeastern University

• Diana Marcela Galvez Bohorquez, San Francisco Unified School District

• Norma Ming, Socos Labs