Something for Teachers

When teachers study their own lessons

LJMU partners engage in Lesson Study, a Japanese model of professional development

In January, LJMU launched a new project for partner schools called Lesson Study. Originating in Japan, Lesson Study is where teachers collaboratively plan, teach and evaluate their lessons, with the help of pupils. Lesson Study UK guru himself, Dr Pete Dudley, talked school and university staff through the process (above) and many schools were inspired to try it for themselves! Here’s how they got on…

Netherton Moss Primary School has been using peer coaching for a few years but will ‘re-christen’ it Lesson Study next year as additions such as speaking to children has been a real eye-opener! The beauty of it is that rather than being focused upon teaching, it’s the learning you’re interested in. Deputy, David Hird, told of how student teachers and SLT have been involved.

Brookhurst Primary School focused upon pupil premium high, middle and low attainers. Head Teacher, Liz Davidson, told of how it was a way for teachers to discover the impact of new ideas. Just focusing upon a few pupils was really illuminating, she said. They found that lessons were ‘losing’ middle attainers. Studying the lesson allowed them to see not what they did but what they didn’t do, resulting in mixed ability groupings of four in the future. The project gave the opportunity to look at mixed ability teaching across the school with student teachers too.

Irby Primary School grouped together based upon research questions: guided reading, brain breaks for ADHD, processing and memory. It has been a useful way to share good practice.

Waterloo Primary School had been using co-coaching at first but felt it could be more strategic. They wanted research-based practice so this was the perfect opportunity for that. Ella, an outstanding practitioner in Year 1, piloted the project, picking her own research question about independence and resilience. Together with Maths Lead, Tanasha, and Deputy Head, Sarah, they devised a grouping strategy whereby mixed-ability pairs worked in groups of six. Ella said she felt redundant by the end because they were working so well together! The groupings had to be carefully crafted and it was felt that LS allows you to see your class from a different point of view.

Archbishop Blanch Church of England High School trialled it in their English Department initially and now the Science Department are interested! The English team started teaching GCSE Literature to Year 9 using Mike Hughes’ Magenta Principles. In trios, each got a chance to teach and see group dynamics that wouldn’t ordinarily have been seen. Staff were a bit scared at first but soon realised that their colleagues are watching learning, not judging their teaching. It was actually really beneficial for wellbeing as planning together alleviated pressure and as the focus was on the creativity of lessons, it was really useful to bounce ideas off each other.

What’s next? Jean Lang, from Higher Order Learning, has been guiding partner schools throughout the project and has been impressed with what has been achieved so far. She hopes to establish a Lesson Study UK Hub here in Liverpool, perhaps with some of our partners as Lesson Study Leaders. There’s also the possibility of presenting at the World Association of Lesson Study (WALS), which is in Amsterdam in September 2019! This conference rarely comes to Europe so it would be a great opportunity! In the meantime, here’s what our participating partners have planned…

Gina Gretton from ITE is also interested in how it can be used with mentors and students within partnerships. Get in touch if you’d like to get involved!

St Hilda’s Secondary School heard about LS reducing workload at a Chartered College of Teaching Conference so will be launching it whole school on the first INSET day and subject leaders will be given specific training. They will work in departments and just have it as a focus in the autumn and summer terms to avoid the super busy periods!

Fazakerley High School are starting next year with cross-curricular CPD trios, including student teachers, with the general focus of engagement.

Jan Rowe, Head of School of Education – it has facilitated conversations about teaching and learning and has re-energised participants. LJMU would like to involve student teachers as it will be valuable learning for them.

Get involved with these TOP TIPS from participants: Irby Primary – the quality of the research question is important. Brookhurst – put a senior leader in each group if you can. Give time for pupils to discuss experience before asking questions so they have examples to hand. Netherton Moss – you have to be flexible. Waterloo – observe regular practice (e.g. grouped ability) first. use cover supervisor to free up teachers for planning and evaluation time as well as observations. Archbishop Blanch – doing it during gained time helped. The pack provided by LSUK was self-explanatory You can download a free copy of the LSUK handbook here to find out more: http://lessonstudy.co.uk/2015/11/download-a-free-copy-ofthe-lesson-study-handbook/

Masters: The Next Steps?

In our previous edition there was information about the MA in Educational Practice that is offered here at LJMU and is tailored for NQTs or RQTs. Here at Partnership Matters we decided to visit a teaching day and find out what these newly qualified teachers were researching, how they manage to fit their studies around a full time job and why they decided to carry on their studies.

Mohammed Seedat, NQT.

Mohammed completed his PGCE training as part of a salaried School Direct programme. He stated how he got a job in Leicester but wanted to continue his studies at LJMU as he really loved the university.

Antra Balcona, NQT.

Antra completed her training via the School Direct programme at The Heath school. She recalls how undertaking her MA makes you really think about your own practice.

Nansi Say, NQT.

Nansi completed her Primary with PE PGDE at LJMU. She wanted to complete her MA in Educational Practice as she feels it will open up other avenues in her future career. Nansi finds that the MA goes hand in hand with her NQT year as it allows her to gain more understanding about her practice and use this to inform and guide learning within the classroom. For her action research she looked at interventions which could engage low motivated pupils in mathematics.

John Healy, NQT.

John previously taught English in Dubai which inspired him to study English for his undergraduate programme and then completed his Primary PGDE at LJMU. He enjoys the MA course and finds that the lectures and assignments are distributed well throughout the year. He feels that by completing the course it will give him more of an edge and that he is constantly learning something new.

Laura Unsworth, RQT.

Laura completed her undergraduate degree at LJMU and then undertook her PGCE training via a School Direct programme at Liverpool Hope University. After a successful NQT year, Laura recalls how she wanted to complete her MA in Educational Practice at LJMU as she has enjoyed her time as an undergraduate. She explains how she found the experience quite difficult at first as she doesn’t have a subject specialism as a primary school teacher. However, Laura feels that because of these assignments she has been able to improve her own practice as she focused on science and this guided her to reflect on aspects of the curriculum.