Lesson Study is a collaborative approach used in Japan where teachers work together to plan, teach, observe and evaluate lessons. It aims to develop pedagogy and gain a deeper understanding of how students learn. The document outlines two Lesson Study projects conducted by the University of Leicester to evaluate learning opportunities for international students and understand the role of study skills. Initial findings showed the value of collaborating with English language support and integrating study skills into research methods. Wider lessons indicated student learning is complex and a "methodology of glimpses" is needed to understand it.

1. Lesson Study - a collaborative approach to
developing and researching pedagogy
www.le.ac.uk
Lesson Study Research Group
School of Education
University of Leicester

2. Outline
• The Lesson Study process
• Initial insights gained
• Wider lessons

3. ‘We close the classroom door and experience pedagogical
solitude… I now believe that the reason teaching is not more
valued in the Academy is because the way we treat teaching
removes it from the community of scholars.’
Shulman (2004, 140-141)

4. Background to Lesson Study
•Japanese Lesson Study (‘jugyou kenkyuu’ )
•collaborative research-oriented learning activity (plan-teach-observe-
evaluate)
•deeper understanding of students’ learning leads to
continuously refined pedagogy

5. Some core characteristics of Lesson Study
• collaborative,
• case-student specific,
• classroom-based,
• lesson specific,
• qualitative,
• Learning and pedagogy-focused.
• FLEXIBLE - Variation in application might occur due to
purposes and contexts

6. 1. Lecturers
meet to decide
on learning
challenge
Lesson Study Cycle
2. Lecturer
planning
meetings
3. First research
seminar is
taught –
observation of
2-3 students
5. Evaluation
meeting leading
to consideration
of new foci for
4. Individual
student
stimulated recall
interviews
learning
challenge

7. Activity
Planning Activity Research lessons
Student stimulated-recall
interviews
Evaluation
Meeting
Individual Interviews
Focus Groups
Methods
 Audio record
 Save outputs
 Plans
 Resources
 Video
 Observation
notes
 Student work
 PowerPoints
 Audio record
 Amendments
 New plan (if
applicable)
Our general data collection framework

8. Two main projects to date:
1. Developing understanding of international student
learning
2. Understanding the role of study skills in the MA
International Education

9. Aims of the Research
1. evaluate the quality of students’ learning
opportunities in ‘research lesson seminars’
2. explore student perspectives on their learning
experiences
3. develop a greater understanding of cross-departmental
working (with ELTU)

10. Research session foci
Session 1 - Learning theories
Session 2 - Effective teaching
Session 3 - Study skills
Session 4 - Globalisation of education
Session 5 - Curriculum studies
Session 6 - Neuroscience and learning
Cycle 1
Cycle 2
Cycle 3

11. the quality of students’ learning opportunities in
‘research lesson seminars’
• J: Was the group discussion useful?
• C: Using the fact file was good to look and spot the differences which
was good when we were in groups.
• R: It was a problem for me and I didn’t finish all the papers and I only
read the first and half of the second page. A little difficult for me
(discussion between lecturer J and students C and R in focus group
reflection meeting after research session 4)

12. J: And were you using that [iphone] during the session?
E: I do use it. Yeah. Like often I have the slides on my iPhone.
J: And is that to view or can you actually make notes on your iPhone?
E: No. Just to view it. Like just before class, like going back, but before
the class of open most of the things. But now I’m using to like now Q
comes and he gives us the papers, but before class I didn’t have it and I
didn’t print it. So I just had on my iPhone, but I read it and like this stuff
we just read, I just read as well in the unit and I’ve read Shepard. Then I
just sort of moved on. (Lecturer J and student E, individual interview
after research session 2)

13. Some initial conclusions
• LS only partially breaks down ‘pedagogic solitude’
• Particular utility with international students
• Issues of literacy and technology
• Role of learning ecologies
• How can we see learning?

14. Research with ELTU - Outline of the sessions we
focused on
• MAIE Study Skills (November 2013) – session supporting first
assignment writing, focused on analysing papers (empirical and
position papers)
• ELTU (December 2013) - In-sessional support class for MAIE
students – academic Poster presentations
• MAIE Study Skills (March 2014) - Dissertation Development- creating
a coherent plan

15. Study skills project - Initial Implications
• Importance of working with ELTU in designing student support
• Integration of study skills into research methods
• ‘Study skills’ – composed of critical reading, writing, speaking, listening
and the development of an academic/research community
• Developing the language of research methods, so should it be ‘research
literacy’ rather than ‘study skills’?
• Need for a greater level of team working. Need to tackle pedagogic
solitude – need for a cultural change
• Utility of lesson study as a way of gaining new perspectives and insights

16. Wider lessons
• Seminar rooms and student learning as a complex
adaptive system
‘In building representations of open systems, we are forced
to leave things out, and since the effects of these omissions
are nonlinear, we cannot predict their magnitude.’
Cilliers (1998: 13)
• ‘Methodology of glimpses’
• Pedagogic literacy (Wasyl Cajkler)

17. Methodology of Glimpses

18. Pastiche of
Pedagogic Literacy

19. Links
http://hereflections.wordpress.com
http://leicls.weebly.com
http://SCITTLs.weebly.com
pbw2@le.ac.uk
@geogphil
wc4@le.ac.uk