ABOUT LESSON STUDY

About LA-STEM Project

LA STEM project was initiated by an interdisciplinary team in 2018 at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The overall goal for this project is to develop new methods of instruction and associated curricular change with an explicit focus on the intersection of academic literacy and content competencies. In Spring 2019, we began conducting our first Lesson Study cycle by forming two innovative cross-disciplinary partnerships between STEM (i.e., Physics and Engineering) and Education instructors to create interdisciplinary professional development Lesson Study groups. 

The LA-STEM framework drives how new pedagogical practices that examine and emphasize the development of STEM literacies and its integration into courses using a validated professional development model called Lesson Study for improving instruction. Our proposal combines a redesign of the curriculum, in particular with respect to pedagogical approaches taken in the classroom that connect past experiences, current content, and future applications related to STEM literacy. Our ultimate aim is to support sustained change in learning in key STEM areas, particularly with the intent of enhancing the academic achievement and experiences of underrepresented minorities.

For more information on the LA-STEM framework, please refer to our Research Plan.

What is Lesson Study?

Lesson Study (LS) is a model of professional development that aims for the improvement of teacher practice by engaging instructors in classroom action research. Faculty collaboratively plan, teach, & observe target lessons, with the goal of improving student learning.

The LS model used in the LA STEM project centers on the importance of understanding how students learn disciplinary knowledge in higher education contexts rather than what students learn (Cerbin, 2013; Cerbin and Kopp, 2006); that is, the focus is on how students develop academic literacy in STEM courses by studying the learning context of students, from the perspective of students.

Figure 1. The LA-STEM Framework

The LA-STEM framework will drive how new pedagogical practices focused on STEM literacy will be examined and integrated into courses using a validated professional development model for improving instruction. Research on the lesson study model of professional development meets the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse evidence standards (Perry and Lewis, 2011). Professional development lesson study groups will engage in a situated and rigorous form of professional development as they review course syllabi and redesign courses using the LASTEM framework. More specifically, professional development lesson study groups will form teams and adapt the familiar Lesson Study Cycle (see Figure 1). Lesson Study members will consist of core faculty in selected Engineering and Science courses, graduate teaching assistants from selected lab and recitation sections, and faculty pedagogical coaches from the College of Education and Human Development.

While the lesson study model has been used widely for improving K-12 education, particularly in STEM education, the use of lesson study is emerging as a promising pedagogical reform model within the growing scholarship on teaching and learning in higher education (Becker, Ghenciu, Horak, and Schroeder, 2008; Cerbin and Kopp, 2006; Christiansen, Klinke, and Nielsen, 2007; Dotger, 2011; Kamen, Junk, Marble, Cooper, Eddy, Wilkerson, and Sawyer, 2011; Mokhele, 2017; Stombaugh, Sperstad, VanWormer, Jennings, Kishel, and Vogh, 2013; Tight, 2017; Wood and Cajkler, 2017). The importance of modeling collaborative learning communities in higher education is a challenging, yet valuable aspect of promoting learning communities with students in higher education contexts, especially struggling students. The lesson study model used in this project focuses on the importance of understanding how students learn disciplinary knowledge in higher education contexts rather than what students learn (Cerbin, 2013; Cerbin and Kopp, 2006); that is, the focus is on guiding instructors in grappling with how students learn in STEM courses by studying the learning context of students, from the perspective of students. There is some evidence also that STEM graduate teaching assistants similarly benefit from this model as they become familiar with pedagogical challenges and strategies for supporting student learning (Dotger, 2011).

The project will draw from an adapted higher education version of the lesson study model, which emphasizes the use of student interviews related to a lesson to gain insight into student learning experiences (Wood and Cajkler, 2017). In this higher education lesson study version, critical attention is given to student perspectives and ways of sustaining changes in target courses often noted as a major challenge in higher education teaching and learning reforms (Tight, 2017).

StageFocusActivities
1Identify a learning challenge related to STEM literacyThe team discusses and agrees on a student learning issue related to academic literacy that will be the focus of their lessons. Instructors share experiences, materials, and assignments from earlier versions of a related target lesson.
2Plan a target lessonInstructors create new assignments, materials, activities and/or routines for a lesson. Changes are shared within the team and refined.
3Teach a focal lesson and collect student dataInstructors teach a revised lesson while other team members observe students in the course.
4*Complete student interviewsMembers of the team complete interviews of selected students to gain insight into changes made to the lesson.
5Evaluate student dataThe lesson study team evaluates student interviews and observations to consider how the lesson addresses the student learning issue.
6Consolidate and connect knowledge to new practicesTeam members consider if new teaching practices are supported by the data collected.
Table 2. The proposed LS cycle for UTSA STEM Undergraduate courses
* Due to COVID-19, this step has been adapted to “Complete student reflective surveys”.

First, teams will study existing undergraduate curricular materials and goals, including how to adapt and use new LA-STEM tools and practices (i.e., video-recorded lessons and revised assignments). Second, instructors will plan together a specific focal lesson that incorporates LA-STEM practices while doing research on possible challenges and opportunities for student learning. Part of this step includes designing lesson templates and classroom interactional routines that model the intervention. Third, instructors will implement their target lessons and collect student work samples from each lesson. This phase includes video-recording each lesson. Lastly, instructors will reflect on the target lesson and student data collected. This reflection will focus on three aspects of the lesson study cycle including the development and implementation of instructional practices, student comprehension and learning, and efficacy/use of tools and materials. Research on video-based professional development in STEM teaching shows promise for improving learning for underrepresented communities (Santagata, 2009; Sherin and Van Es, 2005), see Table 2.

In terms of sustaining changes to courses over time, the lesson study process will guide the instructors (professors and graduate research assistants) as to how each course will be restructured over one semester and academic year. Each course will be adapting course activities and assignments that will be carried forward to ensuing semesters (Stage 6 of each cycle, see Table 2). Two cycles of the lesson study will be completed each semester (see Table 3).

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To implement the LS project, we form a highly competent and experienced Senior Leadership Team and external Advisory Board, both characterized by intellectual and disciplinary diversity. UTSA’s University College leads this project in collaboration with faculty in the College of Engineering, College of Education and Human Development and the College of Sciences. The University College supports the undergraduate education of the academic colleges at UTSA and reports to the Provost. Oversight for the project is included in the administrative duties of the Dean of University College, who reports directly to the Provost. The team has the combined administrative experience and research expertise to oversee every facet of the project and ensure its success. The senior leadership team assists in the implementation of the proposed project’s objectives and goals, fosters relevant relationships between UTSA and outside communities, manages reporting and compliance, ensures that research projects progress according to plan, and verifies the sustainability of the project after the grant period has ended. (For more information on the team members, please refer to About Our Team).

Also, throughout the semester, the LA-STEM team members are expected to meet once a week (approx. 11-15 hours in total) to discuss and implement activities in correspondence to each stage in the adapted LS model, see Figure 2.

Figure 2. Lesson Study Review