Introducing lesson study in promoting a new mathematics curriculum in Irish post-primary schools

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 236-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Brosnan
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Mathematics Curriculum ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Initial Resistance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate and review how the practices of Lesson Study fare in enhancing the professional capabilities of mathematics teachers when introduced as part of a pilot project in reforming the post-primary mathematics curriculum in Ireland. Design/methodology/approach – Totally, 250 mathematics teachers teaching Junior and Senior Cycle mathematics in 24 post-primary schools constitute the population of this study. The schools which participated are representative of the range of all post-primary schools in Ireland. Findings – Lesson Study has an important role to play in the continuing professional development of teachers in the 24 post-primary schools and beyond in Ireland. An investigation of the maths teachers’ engagement with Lesson Study reveals some considerable initial resistance. Reasons for this resistance are examined and the lessons learned from the steps taken to deal with this are reviewed. Lesson Study is an innovation that teachers need to understand deeply and to practice regularly through mutual support if they are to avail of it fruitfully. Accordingly, further approaches need to be explored, not least the important role of school leadership, to adapt Lesson Study more fully and more productively to the professional cultures of teaching in Ireland. Originality/value – An analytic and evaluative account of the challenges and complexities involved in introducing Lesson Study to post-primary schools in Ireland is presented for the first time.

Lesson study and the long-term impact on teacher professional community development

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-101
Author(s):  
Emily Lewanowski-Breen ◽  
Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain ◽  
Maria Meehan
Keyword(s):  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Professional Communities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Based ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Long Term Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the long-term impact of participating in school-based lesson study on mathematics teachers' professional community.Design/methodology/approachA study was conducted with six mathematics teachers, from two post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland, following up on their participation in school-based lesson study over the academic year 2012/13 (see Ni Shuilleabhain, 2016). Qualitative data were generated through one-to-one, semi-structured interviews with the participating teachers and analysed using an empirical framework for teacher community formation (Grossman et al., 2001).FindingsAnalysis of the interview responses suggests that the mathematics teachers in both schools, Doone and Crannog, had developed a mature professional community during their participation in lesson study in 2012/13. Furthermore, the research finds that, in the absence of any other professional development intervention, both teacher communities have been sustained at this level six years later. These findings suggest that a lesson study may serve as a potential structure to foster the development of sustainable professional communities within subject-based teacher groups.Originality/valueWhile a lesson study has been shown to support the development of teacher professional communities, previous research has not addressed the sustainability of the communities which emerge. This study, therefore, adds to the existing literature by investigating teachers' perceptions of the long-term impact of lesson study participation on their professional community.

Beginning a journey of knowledge management in a secondary school

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 364-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Wing Chu
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Digital Archive ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Despite the fact that schools should be places where learning occurs, most schools have overlooked the importance of knowledge. In contrast, commercial firms have recognized knowledge as a strategic intangible asset and a key resource of the enterprises. Therefore, enterprises have already harnessed knowledge to a great extent with wide practice of knowledge management (KM). The purpose of this paper is to show that KM could be applied to the education sector similar to the practice in the business world for leveraging intellectual assets. This paper examines how schools can kick off the process of KM implementation. This paper also reports what have been done and what should be done in KM implementation better in a school. This can give insights for schools which will try KM in near future. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a case study in a secondary school to explore how KM can be kicked off and sustained in a school setting. A KM system called knowledge base and a document management system called Digital Archive were developed to serve as the infrastructure for knowledge sharing. Lesson study and communities of practice (CoPs) were adopted to be the platforms for knowledge sharing among teachers in the school. A case study of the processes and lesson learned was done in this paper. Multiple sources of data, including observations, questionnaires and interviews, have been collected for evaluation. Findings In this paper, KM implementation was found to be effective through dual approaches: information-based and people-/interaction-based approaches. A knowledge base and a Digital Archive as knowledge repositories and lesson study and CoPs as platforms for knowledge sharing have been successfully established to facilitate sharing information/knowledge and nurturing a sharing culture and trust. Challenges faced and the related coping strategies during the process of implementation were shared and reflected. It was also found that building sharing culture is the critical turning point of the process of KM implementation. Breaking through the barrier of sharing was found to be very essential to KM implementation. Research limitations/implications This paper adopts case study methodology to report the process of KM implementation in a school. Although these results of the study conducted in one school may not be generalized to other school contexts, the lessons learned in the study will be a strong empirical evidence of research of KM implementation, especially in schools. Because of the limited number of prior studies and the importance of the pioneering work of launching KM implementation, this paper tries to address the research gap by using theory building from cases as a research strategy rather than theory testing research, especially in “how”and“why” in the steps of kicking off KM implementation in an unexplored research area. Practical implications This paper shows a case of KM implementation in a school with thoughtful procedures of implementing information-based and people-/interaction-based approaches. The paper is a showcase that will shed light on the processes and lessons learned and also helps to provide a model for schools who are interested in applying KM in their schools. Social implications Most people might think that KM can be applied only in commercial sector. This paper shows that KM can also be adopted in schools as well as other sectors. Originality/value This paper represents one of the pioneering work of implementing KM in a school. It hopes to make contributions for KM implementation also in the public sector within which are non-profit-making organizations.

Exploring the effects of authentic leadership on academic optimism and teacher engagement in Thailand

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhirapat Kulophas ◽  
Philip Hallinger ◽  
Auyporn Ruengtrakul ◽  
Suwimon Wongwanich
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Authentic Leadership ◽  
Academic Optimism ◽  
School Level ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Suitable Model ◽  
Content Type

Purpose In the context of Thailand’s progress towards education reform, scholars have identified a lack of effective school-level leadership as an impeding factor. The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a theoretical model of authentic leadership effects on teacher academic optimism and work engagement. Authentic leadership was considered a suitable model of school leadership in light of Thailand’s explicit recognition of the importance of developing the moral capacity of students and emphasis on ethical leadership. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. Survey data were obtained from 605 teachers in a nationally representative sample of 182 primary schools. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The results indicated that the model of authentic leadership effects on teachers’ academic optimism and work engagement was validated. A moderate relationship was observed between authentic leadership and the dependent measures of teacher attitudes. Practical implications The study identified a potentially important lack of alignment between the espoused values and actions/decisions of school principals in Thailand. When combined with prior research conducted on leadership for educational reform in Thailand, our findings highlight the systemic nature of the problem faced in changing traditional patterns of behavior in Thai schools. More specifically, despite change in the nation’s educational goals, human resource management of the nation’s school leaders continues to produce administrators and managers rather than leaders, either instructional or moral. Originality/value The study extends prior studies of school leadership in the context of Thailand’s education reform that focused more specifically on principal instructional leadership in Thailand. In addition, this study of authentic school leadership is one of only a few conducted outside of Western societies.

BIM in the Saudi Arabian construction industry: state of the art, benefit and barriers

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Al-Yami ◽  
Muizz O. Sanni-Anibire
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Although there is a boom in the construction industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), it is yet to fully adopt building information modeling (BIM), which has received a lot of attention in the US, UK and Australian construction industries. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to provide the current state of the art in BIM implementation in Saudi Arabia, as well as perceived benefits and barriers through a case study. Design/methodology/approach A broad overview of BIM, the construction industry in KSA and the research and implementation of BIM in KSA was presented in this study. The research further established the perceived benefits and barriers of BIM implementation through a case study of a local AEC firm. A questionnaire survey was used to obtain lessons learned from the BIM team of the pilot project and was further analyzed using the RII approach. Findings The study’s findings include the lack of policy initiatives in KSA to enforce BIM in the construction industry, as well as the lack of sufficient research in the domain of BIM in KSA. Furthermore, the case study also revealed that the most important benefit of BIM adoption is “detection of inter-disciplinary conflicts in the drawings to reduce error, maintain design intent, control quality and speed up communication,” whereas the most important barrier is “the need for re-engineering many construction projects for successful transition towards BIM.” Originality/value The study provides a background for enhanced research towards the implementation of BIM in Saudi Arabia and also demonstrates the potential benefits and barriers in BIM implementation.

Humanizing practices in online learning communities during pandemics in the USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 205-212
Author(s):  
Nimo M. Abdi ◽  
Elizabeth Gil ◽  
Stefanie LuVenia Marshall ◽  
Muhammad Khalifa
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
Women Of Color ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Leadership Education ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Learning School ◽  
Reflective Essay

PurposeIn this reflective essay, the authors, four educators of color, explore the relevance of humanizing practices of community in teaching and learning, school leadership and the potential challenges for equity work in education, during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis reflective essay draws on lessons learned from the pedagogical practices of women of color, literature on teachers of color, as well as our experiences as educators of teachers and school leaders, as the authors think about new possibilities and challenges for anti-racist practice and living during the pandemic.FindingsThis essay describes community-oriented practice of women of color educators to be important in orienting teaching and learning toward more humanizing practice. The reflections highlight both possibilities and challenges that can be helpful reimagining the practice in teacher and leadership education, as the authors prepare educators for an uncertain future.Originality/valueThis essay offers valuable lessons from women of color educator practice that can offer humanizing approaches to teaching and learning as well as school leadership education.

Using lesson study as an approach to developing teachers as researchers

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Hall
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Leadership Teams ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Powerful Research Tool ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Teachers Professional Development ◽  
Meaningful Research ◽  
Suitable Process

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on how an academy used lesson study to engage teachers in research, presenting the journey undertaken from its conception through to the implementation of the model. It suggests that lesson study is a suitable process to engage teachers in meaningful research. It shows that lesson study allows teachers to focus on their own practice and on the learning of their students and it is ideal in bridging the gap between research and practice. It will also show that research is enhanced through lesson study because it brings teachers together to work in a collaborative way. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports the intended and actual journey an academy took in planning and implementing lesson study across the academy. Findings – The paper provides an explanation on how a school can set up a model which engages its teachers in relevant research. It explains how lesson study can be used as a powerful research tool which helps teachers develop collaboration and investigative minds around their own practice and their own students. It also puts forward recommendations for a school that would seek to introduce lesson study to its staff. Originality/value – The paper provides an account for school leadership teams and those with responsibility for developing the practice of other teachers. It will be helpful in assisting schools who desire to strengthen or develop the time devoted to teachers’ professional development.

Using a non-coercive process to engage mathematics teachers in lesson study

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-347
Author(s):  
Allan M. Canonigo
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Public High School ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Perspective ◽  
Stakeholder Relationships

Purpose While lesson study may be powerful, it may also be either misguided or superficial. Further, cultural change is difficult and norms such as teacher isolation and autonomy are well entrenched. These concerns point to the need for a non-coercive process that has a positive focus, is essentially self-organizing, encourages deep reflection, and avoids the pitfalls of manipulation by school administrators and or knowledgeable others. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative case study framed by an appreciative inquiry (AI) theoretical research perspective, the author documents the experience of teachers who worked through a complete lesson study cycle with tenth-grade Mathematics in the Philippines, systematically reconstructed from field texts and deliberate co-construction techniques. Findings AI can provide the inclusive collaborative relationship for lesson study to be non-coercive because it takes into account the teachers’ voices, provides a relational space for interactions, offers opportunities for meaningful dialogue, empowers teachers to take action, and manages cultural differences, which avoid the dangers of contrived collaboration that are used to manipulate and control teachers. Thus, many of the benefits of lesson study were achieved through deepened relationships and more collegial atmosphere in the schools. Research limitations/implications The study was conducted in a public high school participated by three mathematics teachers teaching grade 10. This paper limits only to social interactions and dynamics that emerged when the lesson study was first introduced in a particular school. As its limitation, it did not include revisions of the lesson developed, because this study concerned only on describing the process to engage mathematics teachers in lesson study. Social implications This paper poses that more attention needs to be given to the key issues related to social interactions and group dynamics that emerge when lesson study is introduced to existing school cultures and stakeholder relationships. Originality/value This first-hand account of using AI as a non-coercive process for teachers to change their practice to collaborate through lesson study hopes to prompt a conversation about the role of culture for lesson study to be successful in schools.

scholarly journals School Road Safety Education in Uganda: Progress and Lessons Learned

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-51
Author(s):  
Tumwine Nkuruho ◽  
Cuthbert Isingoma ◽  
Teresa Senserrick
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Road Safety ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Road Accident ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Safety Education ◽  
Safety Skills

The Uganda Road Accident Reduction Network Organisation (URRENO) is a non-profit, non-government organisation (NGO) mandated in 1997. From a modest pilot project funded by the World Bank in 2003, it has become a leader in the development, implementation and advocacy for road safety education in primary schools across Uganda. Through URRENO efforts, the pilot program was adopted as the national curriculum and was shown to improve students’ road safety skills and behaviours and reduce their involvement in crashes from 15% to 5%. Many other related worthwhile initiatives followed, including: improvements in pedestrian facilities; integrated road safety publicity and enforcement campaigns; and expansion of road safety NGOs to supplement Government efforts. Lessons learned of value for like organisations include: striving to collect and analyse data to attain a project evidence base; building strong partnerships with influential individuals, community groups, businesses and Government stakeholders; adopting participatory approaches in which stakeholders and beneficiaries play significant roles in project implementation; and building capacities and empowering beneficiaries. URRENO continues in its efforts to strengthen and further roll-out the road safety education curriculum across Uganda, following evidence that transfers of trained teachers has contributed to decayed expertise and attention to road safety, particularly among schools in rural areas. URRENO will continue to strive to empower young people to learn and strengthen their capacity in road safety, to grow out of dependence and become independent safe road users.

Integrating lesson study in Myanmar teacher training

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-47
Author(s):  
Alison Victoria Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Training ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper documents a case study implementing Lesson Study (LS) study into a two-year teacher training project in an education university training secondary school teachers in Lower Myanmar. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate interest and discussion about whether Lesson Study is a useful tool in continuing professional development (CPD), particularly within the unique context of developing country educational development. Design/methodology/approach Two LS cycles were evaluated by participants using a quantitative-qualitative questionnaire and the case study analysed by the author. Findings LS was a useful tool to encourage structured collaboration between university-level teacher educators, however, continued supported practice is needed to expand the benefits and ensure sustainability. Research limitations/implications A limitation of the case study is that the respondents were small in number compared to the number of participants. Furthermore, the questionnaire was not in respondents’ native language which will have affected how well they could communicate. Finally, it was difficult to separate the impact of other project activities from the perceived effects of LS. Practical implications This paper has practical implications not only for educators within Myanmar as the country continues its journey of education reform, but also for others implementing LS as a form of CPD, particularly in contexts where it is being introduced for the first time. Originality/value Until recently, little was known about Myanmar’s education system internationally. The paper documents the country’s first collaboration with outsiders since the start of the dictatorship to improve educational standards and the effects of introducing LS into this context.

scholarly journals The Implementation of the Lesson Study Strategy in Teaching Mathematics: Teachers’ Perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Naem M. Alamri
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
School Mathematics ◽  
Teaching Mathematics ◽  
Study Strategy ◽  
Primary School Mathematics ◽  
Teachers Perspectives

Lesson study is a form of classroom inquiry that can facilitate teachers’ continuing professional development. This study aims to explore primary school mathematics teachers’ perspectives about the implementation of the lesson study strategy in teaching mathematics. The sample of this study included 149 primary school mathematics teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, who were selected by using the purposive sampling. A quantitative questionnaire was sent to the teachers by e-mail or mobile. 149 mathematics teachers responded to the questionnaire; among them, fifteen teachers participated in a qualitative interview. The results indicated that most of the sample members carry out lesson study activities. The percentages of the teachers in the study sample who practice the activities and procedures of the lesson study ranged between 61.7% and 89.9%. The results also indicated that there is a high impact on the professional development of mathematics teachers as a result of their participation in the lesson study strategy as it helps enhance their mathematical and pedagogical knowledge, improve their knowledge of students’ learning process, and influence their views about the lesson study approach.

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