Lesson Study and the longitudinal impact on the development of teacher community

A Centre for Research in Mathematics Education Collaborative Lesson Research Seminar

Speaker: Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, University College, Dublin, Ireland

Teacher communities are a powerful vehicle for educational reform, but require particular structural and environmental elements in order to develop. Research has demonstrated the value of Lesson Study in supporting the development of teacher communities, where teachers’ work is fundamentally anchored in teaching and learning and where school-based collaboration is encouraged. In this presentation we will examine research on the development of teacher community through Lesson Study, based on a framework by Grossman et al. (2001). We review a case study of mathematics teachers in a school participating in successive cycles of Lesson Study and, returning to the school six years later, we look at the longitudinal impact of teachers’ participation in Lesson Study. As part of the research findings, we will consider the features that contributed to this teacher community. The discussion will consider further avenues of research considering Lesson Study and the development and sustainability of teacher community.

Biography

Aoibhinn is an Assistant Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics where she is director of the BSc Mathematics, science and education initial teacher education programme in the College of Science. Her research investigates issues in mathematics education, with particular focus on teacher education and Lesson Study. She is the Irish representative on the WALS (World Association of Lesson Study) Council and is a member of the STEM Education Policy Review Group and Gender in STEM group at the Department of Education. A former post-primary teacher, she is committed to making mathematics and science subjects more accessible for those who have historically been left out, whether because they are underprivileged economically or because they are female.