A theory-driven evaluation of Lesson Study as a model of professional development to support Irish teachers to enact the new primary mathematics curriculum
Creators: name: Author, Unknown
Publisher: name: University of Lincoln
Year: 2023

description: It is widely accepted in the literature that Lesson Study is an effective model of PD (Cavey and Berenson, 2005; Hart, 2009; Lewis et al., 2009; Matthews et al., 2009; Perry and Lewis, 2011; Suh and Fulginiti, 2011) and curriculum reform tool (Lewis and Tsuchida, 1997; Stigler and Hiebert, 1999; Fan Yang, 2013; Lewis and Takahashi, 2013; Olander and Sandberg, 2013; Takahashi et al., 2013; Tan-Chia et al., 2013; Ní Shúilleabháin and Seery, 2017).Notwithstanding, Lesson Study is still relatively new in Ireland and there is a paucity of research investigating Lesson Study in Irish schools, particularly at primary level. This research investigated the merit of Lesson Study as a model of professional development to support Irish teachers to enact the new primary mathematics curriculum. A multi-site case study theory-driven evaluation (TDE) of Lesson Study was conducted in three Irish primary schools (N=9). Over three cycles of Lesson Study, teachers focused on two key research themes related to the new primary mathematics curriculum. To guide and frame the evaluation of Lesson Study, participating teachers were facilitated to generate a programme theory (Donaldson, 2013; Chen, 2015) which made explicit their implicit views and assumptions as to how, why, and in what ways Lesson Study ought to work to support them to enactment this new curriculum. Guskey’s (2000) five critical levels of professional development evaluation served as an important conceptual tool for developing the programme theory and evaluating Lesson Study. The test model of Lesson Study implemented in the study was also evaluated, as was the TDE approach itself. The study found that Lesson Study provided a transformative space where participating teachers could interrogate and try out the new primary mathematics curriculum. The teachers’ engagement in Lesson Study resulted in enhancements to their knowledge for teaching mathematics, gains for children’s learning, as well supporting them to meet the demands of curriculum reform and change. Moreover, findings from objective measures of the impact of Lesson Study showed positive changes in teachers’ questioning as well as statistically significant improvements in children’s understanding of Place Value and reasoning skills. In explaining these outcomes, Lesson Study was found to effectively address both internal challenges and inhibitors to curriculum change. It is aimed that these overall findings will contribute to the knowledge base and academic discourse on Lesson Study, curriculum reform and evaluation of teacher PD in Ireland; and in doing so, minimise the gap between theory, research and practice (Murata et al., 2012). In terms of its original value, this paper is the first academic empirical source to shed light on Lesson Study as a model of PD to support Irish primary teachers to enact the new primary mathematics curriculum. It is also the first known theory-driven evaluation of Lesson Study conducted in the Irish context.