Becoming Students of Our Students' Thinking: The Impact of Lesson Study as Improvement Strategy

• In Event: Students at the Center of Research Design: Promoting Learning, Equity, and Rigor Using Youth Expertise

Abstract

This mixed methods study explored the impact of lesson study within a Network Improvement Community (NIC) dedicated to enhancing Latinx and African American students’ mathematical agency and success. Student-centered math practices (Smith & Stein, 2011; Cohen& Lotan, 2013) have been shown to increase traditionally underserved students’ achievement in mathematics (Boaler, 2006; Cross et al., 2012; Kisker, et al., 2012). However, the siloed nature of teaching makes it challenging for teachers to adopt and refine such practices in isolation. Conflicting visions of what mathematics is and who excels at it can impede the implementation of equitable teaching practices grounded in student insights (Horn, 2012). This investigation explored the following questions: (1) how teacher participation in lesson study activities focused on deeply understanding student thinking influenced their students’ mathematical agency and achievement; (2) how participating in lesson study impacted teachers sense of agency; and (3) how teachers used observations of student thinking to learn about student learning and drive instructional next steps.

21 school-based teams from four districts participated in the network for two years. Teams met for three in-person convenings per year. Convenings were followed by action periods in which teams conducted lesson study cycles at their respective sites. Student-level data included interviews, work samples, and observations of student thinking during lesson study events, as well as yearly student agency pre- and post-surveys and student achievement data. Teacher level data included surveys and yearly interviews, as well as meeting notes and video from teacher lesson study planning, observation, and debrief sessions. We used a constant comparative method for interview data analysis to uncover significant themes (Esterberg, 2002; Saldaña, 2009). Pre- and post-surveys were analyzed with exploratory techniques to understand shifts in student agency.

Our findings suggest that lesson study within the context of a network improvement community is an effective structure to support curiosity about student insights and spread student-centered teaching practices. We also saw a positive impact on student agency within focus populations. Key findings include:

1. Lesson study bolsters teachers’ efforts to learn how their students make sense of mathematical concepts, and how their instructional practices support or hinder that process. A critical component of lesson study is for teachers to closely observe how one student thinks during problem solving. This is important because in order to better serve our traditionally underserved students, we must become students of our students’ thinking.

2. Lesson study supports teachers in developing a shared vision of equitable mathematics teaching and provides a community of support to test practices and improve instruction based on youth experiences of that instruction which has a positive impact on student mathematical agency.

The findings in this paper are important for researchers, educators, or research-practitioner partnerships interested in designing systems for improving student-centered math instruction. The lesson study approach provided a collaborative inquiry structure to build a communal vision of student-centered teaching for equity, it deepened teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching (Thames & Ball, 2010), and it supported teachers in developing the pedagogical skills necessary to enact equity-enhancing instruction.

Authors

• Daisy Sharrock, High Tech High Graduate School of Education

• Stacey Caillier, High Tech High Graduate School of Education