Building a Lesson Study Community Exeter University Lesson Study Project 26th November 2010

1. Building a Lesson Study Community Exeter University Lesson Study Project 26th November 2010 Corina Seal

2. Lesson Study at Sweyne Park School • Overview of the growth of Lesson Study at SPS • Starting small – the first Maths research project • Growing the Lesson Study Community • Incorporating Lesson Study into personalised CPD • Recognising Lesson Study through the TLA

3. Maths Project - Needs Pupils need to: • Communicate and justify their thinking clearly • Understand and use Mathematical proof

4. Overview July 2003 Sweyne Park delegates attended launch conference of Research Lesson Study group NCSL Autumn 2003– Summer 2005 First research lessons in Maths, MFL and D&T. Staff share research across network schools Autumn 2005 – Spring 2007 RLS incorporated into personalised CPD and performance management process. RLS used in ITT Spring 2007 – now TLA used to formally recognise and accredit Lesson Study and other practitioner research.

5. Maths Project - Aim After exploring existing research we wanted to answer the question: How can we encourage pupil dialogue in collaborative group work?

6. Maths Research Lesson 1 - Set 4/4 Mixture of groupings No structured pupil guidelines

7. Collecting and sharing the data During the research lesson we: • Observed three case pupils • Recorded pupils talking in groups • Made video recordings After the research lesson we: • Shared our audio recordings with pupils • Asked pupils to complete questionnaires • Shared questionnaire findings with pupils

8. Analysing the data After the lesson the audio recordings were transcribed and analysed to identify incidences of: Disputational talk Cumulative talk Exploratory talk (see Neil Mercer ‘the Guided Construction of Knowledge’)

9. Maths Research Lesson 1 - findings In mixed ability groups, some pupils were excluded or were unable to contribute to discussions. Much of the talk was cumulative.

10. Maths Research Lesson 1 - findings Pupil Questionnaire responses: Mixed grouping led to negative pupil responses which were mostly about other pupils not ‘pulling their weight’ or about feeling excluded Target pupil B: “They wouldn’t let me talk” Referring to target pupil B “P didn’t do any work”

11. Analysing pupil talk Transcription proved very time consuming and so we switched to using observation sheets

12. Maths ResearchLesson 2 - Set 4/4 Same sex, similar ability friendship groupings & ground rules for working in groups

13. Maths Research Lesson 2 - Set 4/4 Ground Rules for working in Groups • Share all relevant information and suggestions • Give reasons to back up anything you say • Ask others for reasons if they don’t give them • Reach agreement in your group whenever possible • Accept that the group is responsible for decisions and for any successes or failures

14. Maths Research Lesson 2 - findings Some pupils were more involved in discussion than in the previous lesson. There was a higher incidence of exploratory talk in groups of pupils of similar abilities.

15. Growing the Lesson Study Community How did we begin the growth? We celebrated and shared the research through Short and snappy Multimedia presentations Showing impact Showing relevance In the context of our own school

16. More ways of sharing findings • Department meetings • School staff bulletin • Whole-school research-sharing workshops • Local network bulletins and conferences • NTRP publications and conferences. • DCSF practitioner research conference • Internet and/or intranet

17. Growing the Research Community • Getting the Leadership Team on board • Building a group of ‘ambassadors’ • ‘Selling’ Lesson Study to busy teachers • Working across departments • Finding time by ‘piggy backing’ • Embedding Lesson study in the ITT and NQT programmes • Providing opportunities for sharing findings

18. Incorporating Lesson Study into Personalised CPD What is ResearchLesson Study? • Research Lesson Study (RLS) is a useful tool, NOT an additional burden or initiative. • RLS is not a form of appraisal or inspection (though a development target could be ‘to take part in RLS’). • RLS provides a possible structure or protocol for collaborative practitioner research • RLS can be used as a vehicle for personalised CPD linked to performance management.

19. Incorporating Lesson Study into Personalised CPD Why do we need formal protocols? In order to develop mutual TRUST and maximise developmental gains, all parties involved in classroom observation need a shared understanding of …… • purpose • focus • role of the observer • what will be observed and recorded • how findings will be used • who else will be involved in the process

20. Peer Observation Research Lesson Study Colleagues jointly plan a lesson with case pupils in mind. Knowledge base One teacher observes another colleague’s practice. Observations focus on the case pupils. Observations are fed back in a reflective way. The observations and data are jointly analysed. The observed teacher may want to move into a more evaluative mode. The lesson activity is evaluated with reference to case pupils. Outcomes are shared with the wider community. Outcomes are used to plan personal developments.

21. Incorporating Lesson Study into Personalised CPD • Peer Observation/Research Lesson Study • Lesson video capture • Consultants • Coaching for TLA projects and other external recognition • Leadership Coaching Days

22. PERSONAL TARGETS AND PROGRESS - Personal Development -

23. Recognising Lesson Study throughthe Teacher Learning Academy TLA – the Six Core Dimensions: • Planning your learning • Engaging with the knowledge base • Coaching and mentoring • Carrying out your plan • Evaluating learning and impact • Sharing and influencing

24. Contact Details Corina Seal corinas@sweynepark.com The TLA: www.teacherlearningacademy.org.uk pamraven@gtc.org.uk