Abstract:
Critical factors for sustaining Lesson Study as a platform for school-wide teacher professional development in a Singapore School
The article aims to explore the critical factors for sustaining Lesson Study as a platform for school wide teacher professional development, in a primary school in Singapore. The school’s Lesson Study journey started in 2004 in a modest way with one lesson study team which was led by a passionate teacher along with a supportive leader. Though the school has been able to sustain LS for over a decade now, it has not been an easy journey. In this paper, an attempt is made to trace the school’s highs and lows in its journey to implement LS as a tool for school wide teacher professional development. The sources of data for this study include interviews with leaders, middle managers, teachers, focus group discussions with lesson study teams , teacher survey, lesson observations and artefacts collected over a period of one year. Our data shows that having an advocate to create grassroot interest among the teachers can be a critical factor to sustain LS in a school. In addition, having a supportive leadership also plays critical role in sustaining Lesson Study as a school wide professional development platform
The article aims to explore the critical factors for sustaining Lesson Study as a platform for school wide teacher professional development, in a primary school in Singapore. The school’s Lesson Study journey started in 2004 in a modest way with one lesson study team which was led by a passionate teacher along with a supportive leader. Though the school has been able to sustain LS for over a decade now, it has not been an easy journey. In this paper, an attempt is made to trace the school’s highs and lows in its journey to implement LS as a tool for school wide teacher professional development. The sources of data for this study include interviews with leaders, middle managers, teachers, focus group discussions with lesson study teams , teacher survey, lesson observations and artefacts collected over a period of one year. Our data shows that having an advocate to create grassroot interest among the teachers can be a critical factor to sustain LS in a school. In addition, having a supportive leadership also plays critical role in sustaining Lesson Study as a school wide professional development platform