21st Century Classroom Lesson Study

 

The Jefferson County Public School District is creating 21st Century Classrooms by installing state-of-the-art, interactive tools and implementing a Lesson Study professional development model for teachers to learn to incorporate the technology into their teaching. In a Lesson Study teachers work together to observe, teach, and debrief lessons.  The Lesson Study format provides a way for teachers to look at their own practices “with new eyes”. Key qualities of the Lesson Study model are:

  • Students are at the center of this process.
  • Teachers have the opportunity to develop their own knowledge and skills.
  • Teachers learn collaboratively, while focusing on a few ideas.
  • The process honors teacher knowledge and contributions from outside experts.
  • The process supports alignment with standards-based curriculum.

 

Teachers participating in lesson study

21st Century Classroom tools studied through the Lesson Study model:

  • SMART Board interactive whiteboard is a touch-sensitive display that connects to the teacher’s computer and digital projector.
  • SMART Notebook software allows the teacher to create, deliver and manage interactive lessons within a single application.
  • Wireless slates enables teachers and students to control applications wirelessly and display their own handwriting on the SMART Board.
  • Document cameras instantly displays images of any object and then displays the object into digital lesson content.
  • Interactive student response systems allow teachers to gain accurate and immediate insight into student learning.

Overview of a Lesson Study professional development session:

Instructional Practice 1:  Using nonlinguistic representation by finding patterns to draw conclusion and using questioning strategies to elicit student thinking and increase classroom discourse.  Technologies:  Interactive whiteboard, wireless slate, and SMART Notebook software.

Instructional Practice 2:  Modifying instruction and providing feedback through formative assessment.  Technologies:  Student Response System and document camera

2010-11 school year, CES is coordinating 4 different grade level/content area lesson studies:

  • Elementary 5th grade math
  • Elementary computer lab
  • Middle school science
  • High school social studies

 

 Teachers observing demonstration lesson

These lesson studies have the following in common:

  • A master teacher models the use of the instructional practice supported by technology.
  • Teachers observe a lesson given by master teacher.
  • Teachers meet to debrief after the observation experience.
  • Teachers discuss, plan, teach, and reflect with fellow teachers to improve their instruction. \Teachers return to their own school and teach their own students using their new knowledge.
  • Teachers participate in online discussions to compare experiences.

 

For more information contact Sharon Shrout

Date Modified 10/13/10