Lesson Study, Education Renewal, and Its Impacts on Early Childhood Teachers’ Development

• In Event: Lesson Study for Improved Teacher Development

Abstract

The effectiveness of professional development varies and is particularly diverse for early childhood educators. This paper reports on a study about the role that lesson study plays in early educators’ instructional improvement. Lesson study is a process whereby teachers self-examine their lessons with a focus on addressing student needs via data-driven decision making. Specific to early education, this process leads to collaborative educational renewal in which teachers grapple with ways to inspire their students to learn, and provides renewed recognition of the importance of early learning as a precursor to K-12 education. Results indicate that teachers can collaboratively consider social justice in early childhood settings especially when it pertains to using technology as an equity tool in classrooms.

Author

• Gisele Ragusa, University of Southern California