Research

Jonathan Schulz Beth MacDonald

Montgomery County Public Schools

Lesson Study: Building a Professional Development Learning Community and Developing Teachers’ Awareness of Formative Assessment

Abstract

This qualitative study examined the experiences of a team of elementary school teachers who participated in a year-long math- ematics lesson study. Participants were interviewed to evaluate the project goals of creating a learning community and increasing teacher awareness of the value of formative assessment. The project promoted the creation of a professional development learning community, with teachers reporting multiple benefits of the lesson study process, including regular collaboration and com- munication among team members and the creation of shared instructional goals. Participation in the project also resulted in changes in teachers’ thinking about formative assessment, changes in teachers’ use of formative assessment, and changes in teachers’ instructional practices based on formative assessment data.

Lesson study is “a form of long-term professional development, refined in Japan, in which teachers systematically and collaboratively conduct research on teaching and learning in classrooms in order to improve their teaching and enrich students’ learning experiences” (Research for Better Schools, 2009). Lesson study has increased in popularity in American elementary education, with the most common type being a school-based model (Kolenda, 2007; Watanabe, 2002). In recent years, lesson study has become more prominent, and sev- eral lesson study centers have been established in the United States, including one at Co- lumbia University (Chokshi & Fernandez, 2004; Watanabe, 2002). Participating in lesson study can help teachers reflect on their instruction, anticipate student thinking and learning, and improve planning and assessment (Diaz, et al., 2005).

Virginia Educational Leadership

Vol. 7 No. 1

Spring 2010

54