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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

The staffroom

Lesson Study

28 replies

Piggywaspushed · 17/12/2018 16:15

Does anyone who is from a slightly more 21st century school than mine know if Lesson Study is even still a thing? It has just cropped up in something I have been reading and I have not heard it mentioned for years.

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noblegiraffe · 17/12/2018 16:30

A what now?

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blueskiesandforests · 17/12/2018 16:36

It's a Japanese professional development thing isn't it?

Weirdly although I used to teach in the UK years ago I know about it from a German senior support workers training course

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blueskiesandforests · 17/12/2018 16:38

It's about collaborative target oriented planning, lesson/ intervention observation focussing on target learners and lots of reflection afterwards.

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Piggywaspushed · 17/12/2018 16:41

I think it was originally Japanese, yes. It was a thing I kept hearing mentioned in CPD circles a few moons ago but not really very recently.

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tinytemper66 · 17/12/2018 16:42

Sadly yes we have to do these.

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Piggywaspushed · 17/12/2018 16:50

You don't sound very enthusiastic!!

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Piggywaspushed · 17/12/2018 16:52

So, blueskies, who takes the lead on that in your school and does everyone do it? Is it part of PM/ regular CPD?

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blueskiesandforests · 17/12/2018 17:08

Sorry - I don't even work in a school any more. I left teaching over a decade ago and first encountered Lesson Study about 2 months ago on a specialist support worker course outside the UK. I shouldn't have posted we had to cover the idea as part of the practice and methodology of teaching and learning modules we had to do, and basically role play carrying it out. It did strike me as yet another thing we study which we'll probably never use due to it being unrealistic given work load etc... However the idea is we'd introduce it collaboratively to our teams and volunteer to take the lead.

Ignore me, I just knew what it was so I posted because normally what I'm studying in German is very disconnected from anything I can discuss in English, sorry!

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blueskiesandforests · 17/12/2018 17:10

It would be a good idea in a utopian situation with far higher staffing levels - I'm sure that applies everywhere!

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Piggywaspushed · 17/12/2018 17:20

No, thta's fine! It does sound like something we did when I first started at my current school 20 years ago!

I think the point is that in Japan, Finland etc they really embed professional learning.

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Knittink · 17/12/2018 17:22

I've been a teacher for over 20 years and have never heard of it!

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Piggywaspushed · 17/12/2018 17:32

Most interesting! Someone in my school has obviously decided it is the way forward! Which, to be honest, is pretty typical.

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tinytemper66 · 17/12/2018 18:06

No as it is extra work. Powers hat be say no but really it is x

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Piggywaspushed · 17/12/2018 18:33

I can imagine it involves a lot of meetings!

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Piggywaspushed · 17/12/2018 18:34

and cover? Which is why I am surprised the school is entertaining it.

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rosesinmygarden · 18/12/2018 05:11

We were made to do these. I can see how if you had proper cover etc, they could be useful.

We were made to use our PPA time so obviously it caused a bit of resentment.

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Piggywaspushed · 18/12/2018 07:05

I can imagine!

I don't sense huge enthusiasm here!

Obviously in Japan, Finland etc , teachers have much higher levels of non contact time. It is also originally a primary focused model where I do believe colaboration is (often) more embedded.

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MaisyPops · 18/12/2018 07:10

We did something similar to it in a previous school. It was properly set up as part of CPD time to meet and discuss. The observations were generally covered if we could get covered but if not it was in PPA or we could film sections to use later

Some people got really on board, others didn't.

I actually quite liked the observing and sharing element of it. How much you got out of it depended on who was in your group. If you had a group of largely proactive people who'd organise things so we could get cover (no chance on cover with last minute requests) and would buy into the procesd then it was interesting.

If you got a group full of people who were only interested in doing what they've always done, the sort who roll their eyes in CPD and declare any idea pointless, lip service to things and then complain ideas/strategies don't work etc, then it was horrendous and a massive waste of time

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Piggywaspushed · 18/12/2018 07:40

I cna imagine. The issue in my school is that this would not be led by the CPD lead , and my school are very very resistant to cover for PD purposes in particular. This then narrows down the range of observation opportunities which becomes silly.

I am afraid in my later years, I may have become one of the eye rollers.

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PicInAttic · 19/12/2018 22:14

We tried it a few years ago 'properly' but found it too time consuming (meetings) and too paperwork heavy for the benefits. We know do our own version ish as part of our observation cycle.
We all identify some area we want to work on which can be anything relevant - a subject of strand, an aspect of our teaching, a group of children we need to target. Someone comes in to observe and then we'we released to meet that afternoon to discuss the lesson. We take books and the person being observed leads the discussion with the observer asking questions and acting as a promoter really. Together we agree one or two small step targets and we invite the observer back in when we think we've got it.
Is relatively new and taking a bit of getting used to as we've found we actually want some of that traditional feedback but we think it will be so much more useful.

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PicInAttic · 19/12/2018 22:15

Now not know.
Prompter not promoter.
Sorry - long day ☺

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Piggywaspushed · 19/12/2018 22:25

Thanks pic. Interesting.

No judgement for me about typing: I am beyond awful

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Piggywaspushed · 19/12/2018 22:26

See? That was meant to say from...

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C0untDucku1a · 19/12/2018 22:30

Yes we do this pile of crap.

Pointless. Weekly cover. Three observations by end of jan, none of them for PM. I misd the workload agreement and a union presence.

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MaisyPops · 19/12/2018 22:36

But you and I both know piggy There's reasonable reserving judgement and then the awful eye roll crew.

I worked with an eye roller and i was infuriating. Someone had an idea or shared something they did that worked and eye roller would be there ready to swoop in an rubbish the idea because:

'well it's the same as something else I did years ago' - really someone shared an adaptation of a common idea but try it if you like or don't. It was a nice offer.
it's no different to X - actually there is a difference but you've not bothered to look at the details and have already decided it won't work out of principle
I'm not doing Y because we did it at my last school and everyone said it didn't work - last school was 5 years ago, different staff, totally different school contexts.

And eye rollers tend to have the usual drain type behaviour too e.g. I'm miserable and like to complain so I'll disparage anyone who tries to do nice things (see also will complain about behaviour and how SLT don't do anything but SLT are proactive, they just expect class teachers to manage their room and do sanctions before getting SLT in for minor issues).