Lesson Study in Practice: A Mathematics Staff Development Course

As educators across the U.S. and around the world know, lesson study gives teachers powerful classroom-based feedback that helps them evaluate their students' thinking and understanding. They become stronger instructional decision makers skilled at improving their own effectiveness. That translates into lasting benefits for teachers, students, and the entire school community. Through lesson study teachers develop a community for ongoing learning about mathematics and the craft of teaching. Through multiple cycles of lesson research they make real progress on long-term goals.

Now, there is a ready resource to bring the benefits of lesson study to teachers in your school. Jane Gorman, June Mark, and Johannah Nikula have been leaders in lesson study for over a decade. They've helped novice and experienced lesson study teams enrich their professional learning. In Lesson Study in Practice: A Mathematics Staff Development Course, they share their wealth of experience and best practices. Their course offers a structured introduction to lesson study in a learn-by-doing format. Participants develop the mathematical knowledge for teaching that they need while they work through a full lesson study cycle. The course includes10 ready-to-go sessions complete with activities, professional readings, handouts, facilitator notes, and slides, DVD with video of the case study team in the classroom and in meetings, and comprehensive advice on organization, logistics, and the facilitation process.

Both novice teams and experienced teams who want to enhance their practice are sure to find great value in the course and their instruction will be enriched. Give teachers and leaders a proven model for lasting learning and real results in improved practice.

Jane Gorman is a Senior Project Director in the Learning and Teaching Division at EDC. She has been a leader in lesson study for nearly a decade, helping leaders and schools design and implement lesson study programs. She has also coached both experienced and new lesson study teams to develop enriching professional development in mathematics. She is coauthor of Lesson Study in Practice: A Mathematics Staff Development Course (2010), and A Mathematics Leaders Guide to Lesson Study in Practice (2010) from Heinemann.