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.

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.

Teachers’ understanding and concerns about the practices of lesson study in suburb schools in Laos

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sommay Shingphachanh
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Development ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Based ◽  
Study Implementation ◽  
Empowering Teachers

PurposeLesson study is a vital approach to improve teaching and learning that Japanese teachers have been utilizing for a century. Lesson study, however, has only recently been recognized as a teacher development strategy in Laos and started implementing in teacher training colleges (TTCs) in 2015. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which teachers have gained an understanding of the procedure of lesson study and to reveal their initial concerns about its implementation.Design/methodology/approachThis research reports on lesson study implementation in a Lao TTC during 2015-2017. Data were collected from 11 classroom observations, lesson study reports, lesson study guidelines, and 70 open-ended questionnaires.FindingsData analysis revealed the initial experience of teachers in the suburb schools in applying lesson study to enhance teaching and students’ learning outcomes, and their concerns regarding lesson study procedure including time management, the format of the lesson study report, and collaboration with lesson study facilitators. The importance of lesson study experts to facilitate the teachers’ lesson study became clear. In addition, school principals and administrators have an important role in empowering teachers to engage confidently with lesson study.Originality/valueThis study is the first trial project of school-based training for in-service teachers in a TTC and partner primary schools. The aim of the project is to strengthen and promote collaborative learning. To progress lesson study, it is very important to be sensitive to the teachers’ issues in the early stages of the introduction of lesson study.

scholarly journals Sinabung volcano: how culture shapes community resilience

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-303
Author(s):  
Marta Mori ◽  
Ronan McDermott ◽  
Saut Sagala ◽  
Yasmina Wulandari
Keyword(s):  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Aid Dependency ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Cultural Experts ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how culture, including traditions and social structures, can influence resilience and how culturally sensitive relief operations can put affected people and their context at the core of any interventions. Design/methodology/approach A case study of the Mt Sinabung volcano area in Indonesia was undertaken. As part of the case study, an analysis of interventions was conducted, which was complemented by semi-structured interviews with Karo cultural experts and humanitarian organisations. Findings Culture influences the manner in which the Karo people react to volcano eruptions with varying implications for recovery. In addition, relief organisations which understand people’s actions through a cultural lens have better managed to tailor programs with long-term impact, thereby avoiding aid dependency. Practical implications Practical examples of disaster management activities that adequately account for the beneficiaries’ way of living prior to the eruptions are provided. Aid actors are provided with guidance concerning how to better tailor their activities in line with a cultural lens. Originality/value The study provides empirical grounding for claims concerning the role of culture in planning interventions in Indonesia and other similar contexts.

Shareholder activism impact on efficiency in Brazil

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Guimaraes ◽  
Ricardo P.C. Leal ◽  
Peter Wanke ◽  
Matthew Morey
Keyword(s):  
Shareholder Activism ◽  
Efficiency Score ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Truncated Regression ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Characteristics ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
A Company

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the long-term impact of shareholder activism on Brazilian listed companies. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a sample of 194 companies in 2010, 2012 and 2014 and a two-stage data envelopment analysis to generate an efficiency score based on corporate governance, ownership structure and financial characteristics of companies. In the second stage, the study applies a bootstrap truncated regression to identify whether there is a relationship between the efficiency scores and a company-level activism index. Findings The results show a negative correlation between the efficiency scores and the activism index, suggesting that activist shareholders tend to target less efficient companies. A time analysis over the period 2010-2014 does not offer evidence of impacts of activism on changes of the efficiency scores. Practical implications Activist shareholders target less efficient companies. Shareholder activism increased after regulation that facilitated shareholder voting and required greater company transparency was introduced. Originality/value The two-stage nature of the procedure used in the analysis ascertains that this result is not spurious, assuring data separability between productive resources and contextual variables. This study contributes to the scarce literature on activism in emerging markets.

scholarly journals Challenges in Implementing School-Based Oral Health Programs: Short- and Long-Term Impact of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamanna Tiwari ◽  
Lori Cofano ◽  
Christina Wood ◽  
Julie Frantsve-Hawley
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Health Programs ◽  
School Based ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Long Term Impact

Pracademic productive friction: boundary crossing and pressure points

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Paul Mynott ◽  
Michaela Zimmatore
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
The Self ◽  
Boundary Object ◽  
Boundary Crossing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Based ◽  
Spatial Approach

PurposeProductive friction (Ward et al., 2011) can exist as pracademics cross between boundaries of their different identities. Through an exploration of the self-perception of two collaborating pracademics, this paper will consider that organisational and occupational (Evetts, 2009) elements exist that generate professional friction for pracademics.Design/methodology/approachUsing two consecutive Lesson Study cycles as a boundary object, the authors will consider their pracademic identity through a spatial approach. Their perceptions are expressed through semi-structured qualitative interviews and subsequent thematic analysis. This analysis is then explored through Engeström's (2001) learning stages to consider how pracademics interact within the contradictions of their identities and within their context and their work.FindingsTime, purpose, integration and collaboration are all elements that impact on pracademic identities. For each one of these themes, pracademics both experience friction and find resolutions. As these themes vary, there are also moments of unresolved friction, where the pracademics maintain their work based on their enthusiasm alone. Constraints on time and the visibility of pracademic emerge. Exploring these pressure points and their resolutions is key to understanding how pracademics can be further supported by other professionals.Originality/valueWhile it is not possible to draw large conclusions from the experiences and perceptions of two primary-school-based pracademics, their experiences and understanding of contextual pressure points may facilitate the support of other pracademics and resonant with their experiences, particularly if they are using Lesson Study.

Lucky or privileged? Working with memory and reflexivity

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Trimingham Jack
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Educator ◽  
Boarding School ◽  
School Experience ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Educational History ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Through a case study of the decision making that led to the writer becoming a teacher educator, the purpose of this paper is to contribute to historiography by exploring the complex process of surfacing and interpreting memory. Design/methodology/approach The methodology draws on the concepts of autobiographical memory and reflexivity, together with documentary and archival sources including newspapers and secondary sources. Findings The outcome reveals that the process of memory is complex. It illustrates that allowing the participant a wide scope to work with pivotal memories, which may include those referring to material objects, may lead to unexpected and compelling explanations that have the power to change thinking in regards to related aspects of educational history. In this particular case, the findings reveal the long-term impact of boarding school experience. Originality/value The paper expands the way in which educational historians may think about undertaking interviews by illustrating the need for investment of time and close attention to all memories, some of which may at first seem to be irrelevant. Additionally, while a significant amount of research had been published on the long-term impact of boarding school experience on students in the UK, a little critical historical work has been undertaken in regards to the Australian experience – this paper offers a unique contribution to the undertaking of that project.

The impact of instructional leadership, professional communities and extra responsibilities for teachers on student achievement

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Alam ◽  
Mushtaq Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teacher Commitment ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Professional Communities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Teaching Responsibilities ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of instructional leadership, professional communities and extra “non-teaching” responsibilities for teachers on student achievement. Design/methodology/approach For a sample of 214 teachers from 88 primary schools in Pakistan, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to study the factor structure of the items. Correlation and hierarchical regression analysis was done to study the impact of the independent variables on student achievement; directly and through the mediation effect of teacher commitment. Findings The analysis of the data reveals that teacher commitment mediates the relationship between the independent variables and student achievement. Practical implications This study has implications for the education management and policy community in the sense that they should not engage teachers into non-teaching roles and promote instructional leadership within the school managers and help in development of teacher networks which will subsequently add to student achievement. Originality/value The role of teacher commitment in explaining the student achievement has not been researched extensively in the past. The study at hand intends to fill this research gap. Furthermore, the impact of extra “non-teaching” responsibilities on teacher commitment and subsequently the student achievement has not been studied before. Hence, this study is expected to open up a new dimension in this regard.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document