Two heads of department from North Vista Primary School has formed a lesson study team in their school. Their research team is reasoning and communication in mathematics learning. The research lesson was conducted on 13 April 2010. This lesson study cycle was also used to train LS facilitators (focussing on facilitating post-lesson discussion).
The lesson study team has concluded the lesson planning stage. In the final lesson planning meeting, I gave the team a structure to deepen their professional learning in helping students develop reasoning and communication in mathematics. The structure I used is to ask the team to consider (1) the strategy (2) the task(s) (3) the key questions (4) the assessment tools and (5) the obstacles in the lesson plan.
The photograph shows the research lesson which was followed by the post-lesson discussion which also double up as training to facilitate post-lesson discussion.
The lesson plan revision meeting focused on what-if questions. What if the lesson is conducted with a similar group of students? What if it was for older students? Weaker students? As an enrichment? In the computer lab? Using technology for recording of what they did? How would the level and quality of reasoning and communication be increased for the students?
The discussion revolved around changes to the problems (simplifying it or with more scaffolding), as well as the processes in each of the problem-solving stages (understanding, planning, doing, looking back).
What if they were given more time to understand the problem? What if the doing was changed - from doing the beading to just using drawing or recording on a netbook? What if the look back involved more group? What if the typical presentation was tweaked? What if the communication moved from descriptive to evaluative?
One of the members asked about how professional learning can be heightened. The documentation part can consolidate the group's professional learning.
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