Biology Lesson Study

PLCApple Valley Unified

2010

Where did this idea come from?

Attended a workshop at the CSTA last year presented by the K-12 Alliance -- Kathy Di-Ranna

Visible Learning – by John Hattie The teacher and how they teach is the most important factor

Read lots of articles about Lesson Study

Visible LearningBy

John Hattie

“Teachers who are passionate about making a difference

are more likely to make a difference.

There is quite a contrast between the

teacher

as an “activator” and the teacher as a

“facilitator.”

Teacher as activator d value Teacher as facilitator d valueReciprocal teaching 0.74 Simulations and gaming 0.32Providing feedback 0.72 Inquiry-based teaching 0.31Teaching student self-verbalization

0.67 Smaller class sizes 0.21

Meta-cognition strategies 0.67 Individualized instruction 0.20Direct Instruction 0.59 Problem-based learning 0.15Mastery Learning 0.57 Different teaching for

boys/girls0.12

Challenging Goals 0.56 Web-based learning 0.09Frequent/effects of teaching 0.46 Whole language – reading 0.06Behavioral organizers 0.41 Inductive teaching 0.06Average 0.60 Average 0.17

-0.2 1

0.4

0-0.2 1

0.4

0

“activator” “facilitator”

Evidence Based Teaching

First Step:

• Got permission from my Asst. Superintendent

• Sent out an email asking for interested teachers…

The Email:5th Grade, 7th Grade, and High School Biology Teachers: 

Would you like to improve your teaching? Are you interested in a new

type of professional development?

Over the past few years, we (AVUSD) have created summative tests

(CRTs), we’ve held staff development workshops, we’ve built

vocabulary lists, we’ve learned to look at DATA and see how it can

drive instruction. All these have made an impact on your students

and in your classroom. Now, I am inviting a few interested teachers to

join in a research-based program to further strengthen your

classroom teaching.

On any given day thousands of teachers enter similar classrooms to teach similar, if not

identical, subjects. Despite similar pedagogical goals, approaches and experiences,

teachers typically work alone when planning instructional activities and assignments. Such

isolation limits efforts to improve teaching on a broader scale, both within and across

disciplines. Although individual teachers may reflect on and improve their practice, there

are few occasions to converse with colleagues about what they discover about teaching

and learning.

One answer is lesson study. Lesson study is a process that improves effective teaching

that has origins in Japanese elementary education. In a Japanese lesson study teachers

work in small teams to plan, teach, observe, analyze, and refine individual class lessons,

called research lessons. (http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/pdf/IJTLHE110.pdf)

2010

The Response:

Ten teachers responded

• 5 Elementary teachers from 4 school sites

• 2 Middle School teachers from 2 sites

• 3 High School teachers from 1 site

• Lay the foundation for Lesson Study

• Look at the biology standards across the grade levels – 5th / 7th / High School Biology

• Select standards that are conceptually challenging and need to be addressed in a special way.

• Form teams of two teachers • “The Plan” –

• Develop a one-period lesson• Teach it in Classroom A• Evaluate lesson / Modify • Re-teach it in Classroom B

Second Step:

2010

To plan a lesson to teach the Key Concept

• What do the students need to know?

• Key Vocabulary ?? Skills ??

• What Misconceptions might the kids have ?

• How do you know they know it?

• What does it look like when they know it?

• What do you do if they don’t get it ?

• What will the students be thinking during the

lesson ?

Next and very difficult Step:

Concepts Selected

Meiosis / Mitosis

Photosynthesis Cellular Respiration

5th Grade Team:

Cellular Respiration

Steps of the lesson: Learning activities and key questions

Student activities and expected reactions & responses

Teacher’s response to student reactions/ Things to remember

Method(s) of Evaluation

Time

Materials:

Each Student

Each Group

ClassOpening: .

.

.

The most important factor

influencing learning

is what the

learner already knows.

Middle School / High School Team:

Mitosis -- Meiosis

Teacher Reflections:

• Seeing the connection in science among

grade levels

• Teaching strategies are appropriate for all

grade levels

• Strategies can be manipulated across grade

levels

• Helped to focus on the outcome “What do I want them to learn?”

• Seeing how valuable immediate Feedback

really is….• Articulation between grade levels• Observation yields new ideas• Technology• Seeing new Teaching styles• Collaboration with peers• Focus on outcome results• Accountability is built in

Compare the value of a Lesson Study to a traditional Workshop:

• Learning is more personal when we do the work. • We had to think about what we were doing and why, how, etc. which is much more valuable than being given strategies to possibly use.