Lesson study: how do we know it works and how do we design research to demonstrate that it does work?
Marie Joubert
Geoff Wake
Lesson study: how do we know it works?
Many small studies
Focus on teachers
Teacher learning and attitudes are important
What about the student outcomes?
How do we extract the influence of lesson study from everything else?
2
This talk
A study that addresses the research concerns:
How was the research designed?
3
Research context: England
At 16, large numbers of students do not achieve a ‘pass’ in national examinations
Funding to continue studying (usually at a Further Education college) requires them to re-take mathematics
One year course – effectively 8 months
National focus on Mastery in mathematics
4
Our research : �Mastering Mathematics �– a randomised controlled trial
Research design
6
Lesson study
Mastery Key Principles
Mastery Lessons
Lead teachers
Full intervention teachers
Part intervention teachers
Control teachers
Professional development
Teaching
Knowledge and practice
Professional development
Professional development
Teaching
Teaching
Teaching
Knowledge and practice
Knowledge and practice
Student learning and scores
Student learning and scores
Student learning and scores
Knowledge and practice
University of Nottingham
Collaborative Lesson Research (lesson study) process
7
Research question
Plan the research lesson
Teach the research lesson
Post-lesson discussion
Summarise
research findings
Research Theme
Question: in the context of a randomised control trial …
Students: should have the same experience of mastery
Teachers: should have the same understanding of mastery (both groups)
and the same lesson study experience (full intervention)
Lead teachers: should run collaborative lesson research in the same way
8
How do you provide a lesson study experience?
What we did
CLR (lesson study) process
10
Research question
Plan the research lesson
Teach the research lesson
Post-lesson discussion
Summarise
research findings
Research Theme
Lessons
Research theme
11
Mastering Maths: �Five Key Principles
5. Develop a collaborative culture �in which everyone believes everyone �can succeed
2. Value and build on students’ �prior learning
4. Develop both understanding �and fluency in mathematics
1. Develop an understanding of mathematical structure
3. Prioritise �curriculum coherence and connections
Mastering Mathematics in FE: about the lessons
Define and inform an approach to Mastering Mathematics
Designed in alignment with, and exemplify, the Key Principles
12
Algebraic thinking
13
14
An example: Algebraic thinking
Rationale
Phases of the lesson
Context
Models and representations
Misconceptions
14
Student activity
15
Mastering Maths: the lessons
16
CLR process
17
Research question
Plan the research lesson
Teach the research lesson
Post-lesson discussion
Summarize
research findings
Research Theme
Research questions
Pedagogic focus: In what ways does the teacher develop and bring the lesson to a close to support a culture where everyone believes everyone can succeed?
Maths focus: In what ways do students use representations to access the structure of mathematical problems?
18
Observing the lesson – to answer the research questions
CLR process
19
Research question
Plan the research lesson
Teach the research lesson
Post-lesson discussion
Summarize
research findings
Research Theme
Research questions
Pedagogic focus: In what ways does the teacher develop and bring the lesson to a close to support a culture where everyone believes everyone can succeed?
Maths focus: In what ways do students use representations to access the structure of mathematical problems?
Lead teachers
Professional development
Running cluster meetings
20
CLR (lesson study) process
21
Research question
Plan the research lesson
Teach the research lesson
Post-lesson discussion
Summarise
research findings
Research Theme
Lessons
Research theme
Lead teachers
Introduction to the next lesson
22
Conclusion: Lessons for Lesson Study�
For lesson design:
For Lesson study
What did we find?
Implementation
Teachers in both intervention groups report that the PD intervention programme and using the exemplary Teaching for Mastery materials
25
Impact
26
In line with Education Endowment Foundation reporting, these effect sizes suggest
Business as usual
Partial intervention
Months of teaching
8
Full intervention
9
Full intervention disadvantaged
10
Lesson study
??
Mastering Maths Effectiveness trial
Research design
Lesson study
Mastery Key Principles
Mastery Lessons
Lead teachers
Intervention teachers
Control teachers
Professional development
Teaching
Knowledge and practice
Professional development
Teaching
Teaching
Knowledge and practice
Student learning and scores
Student learning and scores
Knowledge and practice
University of Nottingham
Lead Teacher Key Principles
Where are we now?
13 Lead Teachers recruited
5 days of professional development for Lead Teachers
161 teachers recruited
50% randomly allocated to each group
Lead teachers to run professional development for intervention teachers in October 2024
5 cycles of lesson study between November 2024 and March 2025
29
Back at WALS 2025
To tell you what happened!
30