scholarly journals Adapting ‘lesson study’ to investigate classroom pedagogy in initial teacher education: what student-teachers think

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wasyl Cajkler ◽  
Phil Wood
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-365
Author(s):  
Tijmen M. Schipper ◽  
Sui Lin Goei ◽  
Wouter R. Van Joolingen ◽  
T. Martijn Willemse ◽  
Evelien C. Van Geffen

PurposeThis paper explores the potential and pitfalls of Lesson Study (LS) in Dutch initial teacher education (ITE). This context is examined through data drawn from student-teachers and teacher educators participating in LS.Design/methodology/approachThree case studies of three teacher education institutes in the Netherlands are presented, focusing on student-teachers' learning in two cases and teacher educators' learning in the third case.FindingsThe case studies show that LS in the context of Dutch ITE has high potential. All cases yield clear benefits for working collaboratively as a result of participating in a LS. Student-teachers appreciate the explicit focus in LS on how students learn and teacher educators stress how LS may strengthen their role as “teachers of teachers.” Time, planning arrangements, commitment and a LS facilitator are highlighted as essential conditions for LS application in ITE.Research limitations/implicationsThe three cases address a specific ITE context focusing on different target groups (student-teachers and teacher educators in applied and/or research universities). Consequently, results are explorative regarding Dutch ITE.Practical implicationsThe potential of LS in Dutch ITE is recognized and stressed; this study may act as a catalyst for further and wider application of LS in this context, taking into account possible pitfalls and conditions.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies exploring the potential of LS in Dutch ITE using both student-teachers' and teacher educators' perspectives.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Lynn Sorton Larssen ◽  
Wasyl Cajkler ◽  
Reidar Mosvold ◽  
Raymond Bjuland ◽  
Nina Helgevold ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conduct a structured review of literature on lesson study (LS) in initial teacher education (ITE). The focus was on how learning and observation were discussed in studies of LS in ITE. Design/methodology/approach Each national team (in Norway and Britain) undertook independent searches of published peer-reviewed articles. The resulting articles were then combined, screened and collaboratively reviewed, the focus being on two areas of enquiry: how learning is represented and discussed; and the extent to which observation is described and used to capture evidence of learning. Findings The literature review indicated that there was no universally held understanding of, or explanation for, the process of observation, how it should be conducted, and who or what should be the principal focus of attention. There was also a lack of clarity in the definition of learning and the use of learning theory to support these observations. Research limitations/implications This study was limited to a review of a selection of peer-reviewed journal articles, published in English. It arrives at some tentative conclusions, but its scope could have been broadened to include more articles and other types of published material, e.g. theses and book chapters. Practical implications Research that investigates the use of LS in ITE needs to be more explicit about how learning is defined and observed. Furthermore, LS research papers need to assure greater clarity and transparency about how observations are conducted in their studies. Originality/value This literature review suggests that discussion of both learning and observation in ITE LS research papers should be strengthened. The review highlights three principal challenges that ITE LS researchers should consider: how to prepare student-teachers to observe (professional noticing being a promising option), the wide variation in the focus of classroom observation in ITE lesson studies, and discussion of what is understood by learning needs to stand at the heart of preparation for lesson studies in ITE.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wasyl Cajkler ◽  
Phil Wood

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study an adapted version of lesson used with mentors and student-teachers in a one-year initial teacher education (ITE) programme for prospective teachers of geography and modern languages. In partnership with eight secondary schools, the effectiveness of the lesson study cycle was evaluated as a vehicle for exploration of approaches to aid student-teacher learning during school placements. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 12 lesson study case studies were completed and analysed. Findings – Three principal findings emerged: first, most collaborating mentors and student-teachers reported that they engaged in a reflexive process, exploring the complexity of teaching, each learning more about the characteristics of teaching; second, in cases where collaboration allowed student-teachers a degree of autonomy, lesson study provided a collaborative scaffold for understanding the complexity of teaching, contributing to professional development along a continuum which the authors tentatively term “pedagogic literacy”; third and less positively, some mentors struggled to shed the shackles of traditional roles, dominating the discourse as advice-givers so that a traditional “parallel” approach to mentoring continued. Originality/value – The work expands the experiential base of lesson study efforts in ITE in the UK and elaborates a view of teacher learning that challenges reductive approaches to the preparation of new teachers. For the first time, it presents student-teacher and mentor perspectives on the use of lesson study in teaching practice in England.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Raymond Bjuland ◽  
Nina Helgevold ◽  
Elaine Munthe

Søkelyset settes her på norsk lærerutdanning og på grunnskolelærerstudenters veiledningssamtaler i praksisopplæring hvor Lesson Study ble innført som arbeidsmetode. Analysen fra studentenes veiledningssamtaler forsøker å identifisere muligheter og begrensninger ved innføring av Lesson Study der samtalefokus er elevers læring knyttet til et bestemt tema i en forskningstime. Et teoretisk og analytisk rammeverk benyttes (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000) for å identifisere elevsentrerte, kunnskapssentrerte, vurderingssentrerte og felleskapssentrerte ytringer i veiledningssamtalene. Slike ytringer blir knyttet til tre sentrale aspekter ved planlegging og gjennomføring av en forskningstime i en Lesson Study syklus: Elevobservasjon, prediksjon og forskningsspørsmål. Resultater fra analysene av veiledningssamtaler fra to studentgrupper tilknyttet naturfag og matematikk viste store forskjeller med tanke på gruppenes planlegging av en Lesson Study syklus. Studentene i matematikk valgte å legge opp undervisningen ut ifra lærebokens nivåinndeling av lærestoffet, noe som ser ut til å virke hemmende med tanke på elevobservasjon og prediksjon knyttet til det faglige emnet. Studentene i naturfag var mye mer opptatt av å formulere gode læringsmål og forskningsspørsmål. I denne veiledningssamtalen var det også et tydelig fokus på prediksjon samt aktiv elevobservasjon under gjennomføringen av undervisningsøkten. Resultater fra denne studien påpeker behov for et grundig forarbeid på campus av faglærere ved utdanningsinstitusjonen slik at studentene får muligheten til å forberede en Lesson Study syklus der forskningsspørsmål, elevobservasjon og prediksjon er sentrale hovedmomenter som løftes fram. Videre er det behov for et godt samarbeid mellom faglærere og praksislærere ved skolene for at implementering av Lesson Study skal være vellykket.Abstract In this article, we present a study of field practice during Initial Teacher Education in Norway where Lesson Study was implemented. Mentoring sessions in mathematics and science were analyzed based on a theoretical framework that highlights pupils’ learning (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000). This framework was used as an analytical tool to identify pupil-oriented, knowledge-oriented and assessment-oriented utterances. Such utterances were also related to three crucial aspects of planning and carrying out a research lesson in a Lesson Study cycle: the student teachers’ research questions, their predictions of possible difficulties that might arise in relation to the learning goal and how they intend to observe pupils’ learning. The analyses of the mentoring sessions show interesting differences between the student groups across the two subjects. The students in mathematics based their teaching on the textbook’s division of task levels, something that seems to have a restraining effect on pupil observation and prediction related to mathematical goals and content. The students in science were more concerned with formulating adequate learning goals and research questions. The mentoring sessions in the science groups also had a clear focus on prediction and pupil observation during the research lesson. Results of this study are discussed in relation to how faculty teachers and mentoring teachers in field schools contribute to student teachers’ developing the competence needed to work in research-based ways in schools. The results also show the importance of following up the implementation of new working methods in Initial Teacher Education programs. Key words: Field practice, studeteachers, Lesson Study


Author(s):  
Sue Garton

The last 20-25 years have seen a significant shift in the views about what teachers need to know to be able to teach. This shift has led to new developments in the theory of second language teacher education (SLTE) and a growth in research in this area. One area of research concerns the attitudes and expectations of those learning to become teachers. While most studies in this area focus on teacher education programmes in BANA countries, this article looks at data from student teachers studying in Russia and Uzbekistan. The study employed a quantitative and qualitative research design, using a researcher-designed on-line questionnaire. Through snowball sampling, data from 161 students and recent graduates in the two countries were collected, analysed, and compared to investigate the content of SLTE programmes. The study identified what the novice teachers felt were the strengths and weaknesses of their programme, and what changes they would like to see. Results showed that while the respondents were mainly satisfied with their methodology, and theoretical linguistics courses, they felt the need for more practice, both teaching and language practice. The data also revealed that, in Uzbekistan in particular, the idea of global English struggles to take hold as native-speaker models remain the norm. The implications of the study underline the need for SLTE to explicitly link theory to practice and to promote the idea of varieties of English, rather than focus on native-speaker norms.


Author(s):  
Jane Abbiss ◽  
Eline Vanassche

A review of the field of practice-focused research in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) reveals four broad genres of qualitative research: case studies of teacher education programs and developments; research into student teacher experience and learning; inquiry into teacher educators’ own learning, identity, and beliefs; and conceptual or theory-building research. This is an eclectic field that is defined by variation in methodologies rather than by a few clearly identifiable research approaches. What practice-focused research in ITE has in common, though, is a desire on the behalf of teacher educator researchers to understand the complexity of teacher education and contribute to shifts in practice, for the benefit of student teachers and, ultimately, for learners in schools and early childhood education. In this endeavor, teacher educator researchers are presented with a challenge to achieve a balance between goals of local relevance and making a theoretical contribution to the broader field. This is a persistent tension. Notwithstanding the capacity for practice-focused research to achieve a stronger balance and greater relevance beyond the local, key contributions of practice-focused research in ITE include: highlighting the importance of context, questioning what might be understood by “improvement” in teacher education and schooling, and pushing back against research power structures that undervalue practice-focused research. Drawing on a painting metaphor, each genre represents a collection of sketches of practice-focused research in ITE that together provide the viewer with an overview of the field. However, these genres are not mutually exclusive categories as any particular research study (or sketch) might be placed within one or more groupings; for example, inquiry into teacher educators’ own learning often also includes attention to student teachers’ experiences and case studies of teacher education initiatives inevitably draw on theory to frame the research and make sense of findings. Also, overviewing the field and identifying relevant research is not as simple as it might first appear, given challenges in identifying research undertaken by teacher educators, differences in the positioning of teacher educators within different educational systems, and privileging of American (US) views of teacher education in published research, which was counteracted in a small way in this review by explicitly including voices located outside this dominant setting. Examples of different types of qualitative research projects illustrate issues in teacher education that matter to teacher educator researchers globally and locally and how they have sought to use a variety of methodologies to understand them. The examples also show how teacher educators themselves define what is important in teacher education research, often through small-scale studies of context-specific teacher education problems and practices, and how there is value in “smaller story” research that supports understanding of both universals and particularities along with the grand narratives of teacher education.


Author(s):  
Brendan Mac Mahon ◽  
Seán Ó Grádaigh ◽  
Sinéad Ní Ghuidhir

Research on the use of iPad in initial teacher education is limited. This paper outlines a study to examine how the professional learning and pedagogical knowledge development of student teachers could be supported following 1:1 iPad deployment on a second level initial teacher education programme in Ireland. Findings show that iPad can be utilised both as an effective pedagogical tool and as a medium for the creation of new learning spaces where student teachers' professional and pedagogical knowledge development is supported through feedback, peer-learning, resource sharing and critical reflection. Creating resources with and for iPad as part of a collaborative design process can also support student teachers in developing and integrating technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) within their approaches to teaching, learning and assessment. Implications for initial teacher education providers and the integration of technology within schools are outlined.


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