This document describes a study on using lesson study as a professional development model for chemistry teachers in the Philippines. A group of 6 chemistry teachers and 3 specialists collaboratively planned, developed, and observed lessons over the course of 6 cycles. Measures of teacher effectiveness included improvements in lesson planning, classroom management, content knowledge, communication skills, and confidence. Data showed increases in the use of instructional devices, classroom activities, teaching methods, and assessment methods after participating in lesson study. The study found lesson study was an effective model for improving teacher practice when adapted for the Philippine context.

1. LESSON STUDY as a
Professional
Development Model
Arlene P. de la Cruz
Amelia E. Punzalan
Marcelita C. Magno
Chemistry Workgroup This is UP NISMED’s first
UP NISMED research on lesson study.
2004

2. Statement of the Problem
This study aimed to find out whether
lesson study will be accepted, practiced,
and result to improvement of teachers’
effectiveness in High School Chemistry. Will it
work for Filipino teachers considering our
culture, teacher’s attitude and relevant
interpersonal skills, and school and
classroom realities?

3. This study proposed to answer the following questions:
 What is the significant difference between traditional lesson
planning as practiced by Filipino chemistry teachers and
collaborative lesson planning?
 Will the lesson study practice improve teachers’
effectiveness in High School Chemistry as indicated by the
teacher’s:
1) mastery of the subject matter,
2) strategies adopted in teaching,
3) reactions and response to students’ queries and
problems,communication skills,
4) classroom management style,
5) relationships with colleagues in collaborative planning,
and
6) confidence.

4. Description of Study
 This study focuses on the effectiveness of
Lesson Study as a school-based approach to
professional development of Chemistry
teachers in a typical Philippine public high
school.
 A group of six (6) chemistry teachers and
three (3) science education specialists jointly
discussed, developed lesson plans and
observed classroom implementation of study
lessons to examine the teachers’ teaching
practice.

5. Description of Study
 The learning cycle consisted of writing and
revising lesson plan, brainstorming/discussing
with other teachers, objective-oriented
teaching, and receiving comments for
improvement was repeated six times and
produced six well-developed lessons plans as
outputs.
 This activity requires voluntary efforts coming
from teachers to develop and improve
instructional practices.

6. Distribution of tasks of lesson study group
Learning Lesson Teacher Teacher Section and observers
Cycle Topic 1 2 taught
Unit 2 SEC 2 SEC 13
1 classifying
A E
matter E&C A,B,D,F
Unit 3 B D SEC 1 SEC 6
2 concentration of DF B, F
solutions
Unit 4 C B SEC 14 SEC 1
3 preparation of B, F C
colloids
Unit 5 diffusion D F SEC 6 SEC 5
4 of gases F E, D
Unit 6 atomic E C SEC 10 SEC 1
5 properties C, A E
Unit 7 chemical F A SEC 25 SEC 32
6 symbols A F

8. Measures of Teachers’ Effectiveness
Lesson Plan
 Appropriateness of materials for the class
 Appropriateness of strategy to subject matter
 Consistent achievement of stated objectives
 Careful planning and organization of the
lesson around one or more basic concepts,
processes, or attitudes &
 Logical organization of the lesson

9. Classroom management
 fairand equal concern for all students,
 encouragement and facilitation of quality
interaction among students,
 time and resource management for maximum
learning,
 keeping students attentive all the time,
 management of inappropriate and disruptive
behavior of students, and
 adeptness in handling of unexpected classroom
situations.

10. Knowledge of Content and
Pedagogy
accurate knowledge of subject
matter,
stimulating and meaningful
introduction of the lesson to the
students,
asking questions that require
students to express their prior
experiences, knowledge, &
thoughts,

11. Knowledge of Content and
Pedagogy
asking questions that lead
students to analyze, synthesize
& think critically,
checking students’
comprehension effectively,

12. Knowledge of Content and
Pedagogy
effective reviews of the major
points of the lesson.
encouraging students to ask
questions,
using student’s questions to
encourage or to bring others to
ask questions,

13. Knowledge of Content and
Pedagogy
answering student’s questions
in straightforward and
understandable manner,
altering the pace and content
of teaching to meet students’
needs,
using varied transitions and
sequences in instruction

14. Communication skills
Appropriateness of vocabulary
used for the grade level
Use of acceptable written and
oral expressions
Giving clear directions and
explanations

15. Communication skills
Effective eye contact with the
students
Effective pitch and tone of the
that voice
Effective gestures, pauses, &
silence
Demonstrating proper listening
skills

16. Measures of Teachers’ Confidence
Enthusiasm & commitment
Positive attitude to students
Fairness, acceptance,
respect, & flexibility

17. Data and Results

18. Use of Instructional Devices
 Thedata given in Figure 1 summarized the
preferred instructional devices by all
teachers of the lesson study group. Before
the study, four such devices were used.
Arranged in decreasing order of usage,
these were:
blackboard > laboratory equipment >
poster ~ chart ~ textbooks ~ pictures.

19. Figure 1. Use of Instructional Devices
7
Prior to LSG
6 T1
T2
5 Post LSG
4
Score
3
2
1
0 P os t e r s / C ha r t s B l a c kboa r d Ove r he a d pr oj e c t or & C onc r e t e obj e c t s T e xt books P r i nt e d or P i c t ur e s La bor a t or y
i l l us t r a t i ons t r a ns pa r e nc i e s mi me ogr a phe d e qui pme nt
ma t e r i a l s
Instructional Device

20. Score Figure 2. Classroom Activities Observed
7
Prior to LSG
6
T1
5 T2
4 Post LSG
3
2
1
0
Group dynamics Group work Questions and answers Experimentation Games
Classroom Activities

21. Teaching Methods and
Techniques
 The teaching methods and techniques
observed prior to lesson study support the
findings in the previous section. The teachers
prior to Lesson Study employed four varieties of
teaching techniques:
questions and answers ~ discussion > lecture >
games
 During Lesson Study, demonstration and
laboratory techniques were added to the
teachers’ strategies.
 There was also a noted increase in the number
of teachers employing varied kinds of teaching
methods.

22. Score
Teaching Methods & Techniques Observed
7
6
Prior to LSG
5 T1
4 T2
3 Post LSG
2
1
0
Lecture Dis cus s io n Ques tio ns and Demo ns tratio n Labo rato ry Others (Games )
ans wers technique
Methods & Techniques

23. Assessment Methods Used
 Priorto Lesson Study, the teachers employed only
three methods of assessment – paper test,
laboratory report, and answers to questions asked.
 During Lesson Study, two teachers added oral
report by students.
 After Lesson Study, there was a noted increase in
the kinds of assessment methods and the number of
teachers using varied kinds of assessment.
 Concept mapping and oral report/demonstration
were added to the teachers’ assessment methods.

24. Score Assessment Methods Used
7
6 Prior to LSG
T1
5
T2
4 Post LSG
3
2
1
0
P aper Tes t Labo rato ry repo rt Ans wers to ques tio ns Co ncept map Oral repo rt /
as ked Demo ns tratio n
Assessment Methods

25. Lesson Plan Characteristics
There were five aspects of lesson planning that
were looked into:
 appropriateness of materials for the class,
 appropriateness of strategy to subject
matter,
 consistent achievement of stated objectives,
 careful planning and organization of the
lesson around one or more basic concepts,
processes, or attitudes, and
 logical organization of the lesson.

26. Lesson Plan Characteristics Pre
T1
4.5
T2
4
Post
Measure of Effectiveness
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
A B C D E F
Teacher

27. Classroom Management Skills
Six aspects of classroom management were
evaluated. These were:
 fair and equal concern for all students,
 encouragement and facilitation of quality
interaction among students,
 time and resource management for maximum
learning,
 keeping students attentive all the time,
 management of inappropriate and disruptive
behavior of students, and
 adeptness in handling of unexpected classroom
situations.

28. Classroom Management Skills
F
E
D
Teacher
Post
T2
C T1
Pre
B
A
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
Measure of Effectiveness

29. Knowledge of Content and
Pedagogy
This element of teacher’s effectiveness had the most
items covered. These were:
 accurate knowledge of subject matter,
 stimulating and meaningful introduction of the
lesson to the students,
 asking questions that require students to express
their prior experiences, knowledge, and thoughts,
 asking questions that lead students to analyze,
synthesize and think critically,
 checking students’ comprehension effectively,

30. Knowledge of Content and
Pedagogy
 encouraging students to ask questions,
 using student’s questions to encourage or to
bring others to ask questions,
 answering student’s questions in
straightforward and understandable manner,
 altering the pace and content of teaching to
meet students’ needs,
 using varied transitions and sequences in
instruction, and
 effective reviews of the major points of the
lesson.

31. Knowledge of Content & Pedagogy
F
E
Post
D T2
Teacher
T1
Pre
C
B
A
0 1 2 3 4 5
Measure of Effectiveness

32. Communications Skills
The teacher’s communication skills were
evaluated using the following criteria:
 appropriateness of vocabulary used for the
grade level,
 use of acceptable written and oral
expressions,
 giving clear directions and explanations,
 effective eye contact with the students,
 effective pitch and tone of voice,
 effective gestures, pauses, and silence, and
 demonstrating proper listening skills.

33. Teacher's Communication Skills Post
T2
F T1
Pre
E
Teacher
D
C
B
A
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
Measure of Effectiveness

34. Teachers’ Confidence
The teachers’ confidence was evaluated
using the following criteria:
 Enthusiasm and commitment
 Positive attitude to students
 Fairness, acceptance, respect, and
flexibility

35. Teacher's Confidence
F
Post
T2
E
T1
Pre
D
Teacher
C
B
A
0 1 2 3 4 5
Measure of Effectiveness

36. Type of PRE LSG T1 T2 POST LSG
Questions
Asked
Basic recall of 13.2 11 13.7 11.8
facts
Clarification of 3.8 3.8 5.8 4.7
procedure
Applying facts 1.7 2 3.3 4.2
& daily
experience
Requiring 0.5 2 2.2 1.5
analysis
Requiring 0.5 2.2 1 0.3
synthesis
Requiring 0.33 2.2 1.3 0.67
evaluation
Asking 1.3 1.7 4.5 4.2
opinion

37. CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATION

38. CONCLUSIONS
 The brainstorming session prior to teaching
a lesson plan was found beneficial by
most teachers.
 Some misconceptions & concerns
expressed about the study lesson were
corrected during brainstorming. Thus, the
teacher became more competent and
confident while teaching the class even
for the first time.

39.  The Lesson Study practice has made the
teachers more aware of the importance
of paying attention to every aspect of
instructions and examining their teaching
practice in a collegial atmosphere.
 They become more cognizant of their
own capabilities to question & modify
prescribed instructional materials to
achieve their teaching objectives.

40. After Lesson Study, the teachers
became more aware of
 laboratory skills,
 kind of assessment questions they asked
(usually at the knowledge and
comprehension level),
 their overemphasis on functional literacy
(appropriate use of terms, knowledge of
conventions) instead of building conceptual
literacy (establishing connections between
isolated concepts and fitting them in a
conceptual framework), and the variety of
teaching strategies and assessment methods
that they can use in teaching chemistry.

41. Lesson Study has proved to be a
practical, economical, & effective school-
based method for continuous professional
development of teachers done in a
collegial atmosphere for teachers in this
study.

42. RECOMMENDATIONS
Lesson Study must be done
continuously & regularly
throughout the school year
until it becomes a well-
entrenched practice for
professional development of
chemistry teachers (and other
group of teachers) in a given
school.

43.  Lesson Study group should include a
subject expert or a teacher who is a major
in the subject. In case certain questions
about content are not resolved, the
group should look up resources to find the
correct concepts.
 Teachers must be aware of their
responsibility to their students, to teach
them correctly.

44. Asimilar study design using the
Lesson Study as the intervention
tool should be replicated to a
bigger population to make the
conclusions more substantive &
to underline the advantage of
using Lesson Study as a tool for
professional development of
teachers.

45. Lesson Study as adopted in
this study could serve as a
mentoring model for those
who are involved in
teacher’s preparation, both
pre-service and in-service.
The mentor could sit in all
the study sessions and do
class observations.

46.  School administrators must support the
science teacher with physical resources
such as laboratory room, running water,
laboratory equipment, and needed
materials to implement any innovation.
 They should also provide a supportive
school environment and management
systems for implementation of innovations.

47.  Supervisors and principals should
encourage their teachers to express
their views about curriculum matters
e.g., assessment and to examine
and critique the instructional
materials prescribed by DepEd
without fear of rebuke or reprisals.
 It is only in such environments that
teachers could grow professionally.

48.  Curriculum developers who want to
involve the teachers in curriculum
development activity could adopt
the Lesson Study model in this study.
 Instructional materials are tested in
actual classroom environments and
continuous improvement of the
lesson takes effect immediately.