International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies

Developing problem-solving skills in mathematics: a lesson study

Zoe Bradshaw, Amanda Hazell,
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IJLLS
6,1
32
Received 22 September 2016
Revised 19 October 2016
Accepted 26 October 2016
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International Journal for Lesson
and Learning Studies
Vol. 6 No. 1, 2017
pp. 32-44
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2046-8253
DOI 10.1108/IJLLS-09-2016-0032
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2046-8253.htm
Developing problem-solving skills
in mathematics: a lesson study
Zoe Bradshaw and Amanda Hazell
Ormiston Victory Academy, Norwich, UK
Abstract
Purpose – Problem solving is a skill in mathematics which although always relevant has
heightened priority due to the changes in the new mathematics GCSE (Department for Education, 2013).
It has previously been a skill which is deemed underdeveloped within mathematics and therefore is a
theme which teachers are seeking to improve and nurture in order to align with the new changes. The GCSE
is the formal qualification that students take at the end of Key Stage 4 (KS4) in the UK. The paper aims to
discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach – The focus of the enquiry was to explore, using lesson studies, the
differences in students’ approaches to problem solving. Consequently, key themes relating to the mediation of
gender, ability, and academic motivation surfaced. Considering these themes, the paper subsequently reflects
upon pedagogical practices which might effectively develop students’ ability to problem solve. The study
took part in a mixed gender comprehensive secondary school with students taking part in the observation
lesson ranging in age from 11 to 12 years old. The authors are the teachers who took part in the lesson study.
The teachers implemented observation techniques in the form of video and peer observation with the
accompanying teacher. In addition, students provided feedback on how they approached the problem-solving
tasks through a form of semi-structured interviews, conducted via the use of video diaries where no teachers
were present to prevent power bias. Following this, a thematic analysis of both the observations and student
video diaries generated conclusions regarding how said key themes shaped the students’ approaches to
problem solving.
Findings – Students’ frustration and competitive need to find a specific answer inhibited their ability to
thoroughly explore the problem posed thus overseeing vital aspects needed to solve the problem set. Many
students expressed a passion for problem solving due to its freedom and un-rigid nature, which is something
teachers should nurture.
Originality/value – Generally, teachers are led by a culture in which attainment is the key. However, an
atmosphere should be developed where the answer is not the key and students can explore the vibrant
diversity mathematics and problem solving can offer.
Keywords Lesson study, Mathematics, Problem-solving skills, Video diaries
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Mathematical problem solving has become an important aspect of the new
mathematics GCSE in the UK and it is therefore imperative that we equip our students
with the skills needed to tackle such problems (Department for Education, 2015). From
both experience and research, problem solving poses many difficulties to both students
and adults and does not seem to be a skill that is widely practised and nurtured within
classrooms. Through this lesson study we aimed to identify how students approach
mathematical problem solving, barriers they face and whether we can develop this
skill over time.
We first encountered lesson study as part of our Masters at UEA where we undertook a
module run by Professor John Elliott. Lesson study is a form of collaborative research that is
used to support and advise professional development. It has been part of Japan’s teacher
training and professional development for over 100 years and has recently reached Western
countries. Lesson study sees “the teacher as a researcher” and is described as being a
“system for building and sharing practitioner knowledge” (Lewis et al., 2009, pp. 142-154;
Stenhouse, 1975, pp. 142-165). It is cyclical in design and each stage of the cycle is clearly
depicted in Figure 1.
 Problem-
solving skills
Between Stages 4 and 1
Additional teaching after Set Goals Between Stages 1 and 2 in mathematics
revising the lesson, review video Research, brainstorm, go off
Identify specific student
documentation, reflect on the on valuable tangents, explore
needs and formulate
process after the excitement of the mathematics concepts as teachers
curricular goals
public-lesson activities

33
Plan
Debrief
Analyze data Lesson Develop
lesson plans
collected Devise data-
Discuss student
learning, teacher Study collection strategies
Rationalize
learning, pedagogical
the approach
content learning
Cycle Anticipate
student responses
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Implement
One or two
members of the
team teach/co-teach
Between Stages 3 and 4 the “public” lesson; Between Stages 2 and 3
other members
Reflect on actions, make Plan pre- and post-lessons in the
observe and collect
possible lesson adjustments, sequence, carefully considering
data, such as video
develop comments from notes student groupings, conducting
documentation and
made, experience feelings of
accomplishment
work samples exploratory lessons, acclimatizing
students to presence of video camera
Figure 1.
Illustration of
the lesson study
Source: Bruce and Ladky (2009)

Background research
Process model
After researching various different educational models of learning, the process model
(Stenhouse, 1975, pp. 84-97) struck a chord in relation to our research and in particular the
objectives of our lesson study. The process model has a clear emphasis on the “means” of
the learning rather than the learning outcome. Learning in the process model is not about
necessarily about getting from A to B, rather the journey that you take, even if that journey
does not end with you arriving at the B ( James, 2011, pp. 61-83).
In a review of the process model, James reviews Stenhouse’s work and, in our opinion,
summarises the importance of the process model with reference to learning and understanding:
Viewed as the growth of understanding, learning is not a target to be hit but something to be
broadened, deepened, enhanced, enriched -and it may take the learner in unexpected but important
new directions ( James, 2011, p. 64).
Problem solving should theoretically embody this principle. Problem solving is a skill in
which you could formulate a variety of unique ways to solve a problem. This means that
you might not always end at the correct answer or the person sat next to you may have a
completely different method of arriving at an answer. However, that is the beauty of the
skill. It is a versatile, flexible skill where the outcome of the problem is the last concept to
consider. It is this consideration that led us to draw out the concept for our lesson study.

Methodology
Participants
The authors (both teachers of mathematics) were in our first year of qualified teaching
(newly qualified teachers (NQTs)), having trained as teachers through a university-based
 IJLLS Post-Graduate Certificate in Education. The students used for the study were two classes of
6,1 32 students in parallel ability sets from Year 7 (11-12 year olds). The sets chosen can be
described as high achieving students, on track to gain higher than average grades at their
GCSE’s. From each set a sample of six students were selected for feedback after the
completed lesson study cycle.

34 Lesson study design

According to Stigler and Hiebert (1999, pp. 120-125), a lesson study should essentially follow
eight steps:
(1) defining and researching a problem;
(2) planning the lesson;
(3) teaching and observing the lesson;
(4) evaluating the lesson and reflecting on its effect;
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(5) revising the lesson;

(6) teaching and observing the revised lesson;
(7) evaluating and reflecting a second time; and
(8) sharing the results.
These steps give the lesson study its cyclical nature and the constant ability to review and
improve the teaching and learning in the study. Stage one saw the mutual decision of
problem solving and what causes the differences in student’s ability to problem solve as the
key aspect of the lesson study. Once this had been decided at stage two the lesson planning
was carried out by the researching teachers in relation to a key learning goal. At stage three
each teacher taught the jointly planned lesson to one of the classes while the other observed.
Stages three and four were carried out in a small window so that ideas and observations
from the lesson were strong in the minds of the observers. During the observations, a log
recording critical moments involving the students and their learning was kept and then
reflected upon alongside the video recording of the lesson in discussion with the teacher.
Stage five saw jointly agreed amendments being made to the original lesson plan based, on
the evidence gathered and discussed, with the revised lesson being taught shortly after this.
The evaluation of the revised lesson was conducted in a similar way to the previous lesson
with video footage being used to help strengthen any observations. The video recordings
were captured using the schools star learning software to further our observations and aid
our reflections. The final stage of the lesson study saw the results being shared amongst
members of the MA Module and Academic Staff at UEA in order to gain additional insights
into the lesson study by hearing a variety of different opinions.

Data collection
For the data collection, six students were selected from each different lesson study class
based on ability and gender. To gather impartial opinions and feedback from the students,
the school’s diary room was used. The diary room is a room in school where a camera
records the students talking to gain feedback on particular aspects of school life from the
student’s perspective. Only the students were present in the room in their pairs with no staff
there, limiting the bias that we would create. The students went in in pairs to give feedback
with each pair consisting of one student of the same gender and of similar prior attainment
from each of the research classes. We designed the interview questions given to the students
in response to certain observations and discussions we had made throughout the whole
 lesson study process. More information regarding the interview questions asked and results Problem-
from these are outlined below in the next section. solving skills
Before the lesson study, ethical consent was gained with the decision for an opt out in mathematics
consent form to be given to the parents of the participants in the study.

Aim of research lessons

The concept explored in the lesson study was to gain an insight into problem solving and 35
how students approach problems and how this can be improved. Prior to the research
lessons, students experienced two different problem-solving lessons whereby initial ideas
regarding some differences that occur in student’s approaches were identified. The key
themes that identified themselves during the pre-tests, were the role that gender seemed to
play and the role of prior attainment. Additionally, we noticed that difficulties arose from
students not spending enough time thinking about the problem and formulating questions
to help solve the problem.
In each research lesson, students were given four timed problems to solve in succession
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in groups of three to four students. These groups were selected based upon ability and
gender, due to identification of themes from the pre-tests. An example of the worksheets
that were given to the students can be seen in Appendix 1. However, it is important to note
this was only one of the several worksheets and the questions did vary. As can be seen on
the worksheet, a section is dedicated to students exploration of the problem before a
solution is found.

Lesson A
Aim: students to solve four problems, with importance being placed on students coming up
with the questions needed to solve the problem.
Students were given the problems and a time limit to solve these problems. We chose
these questions, as they needed a variety of different mathematical skills to solve
these selected problems. Students attempted these problems in a number of ways and
solved the problems differently. As previously mentioned students were placed into groups
due to prior attainment and mixed gender. When referring to groups, we shall refer to high
prior attaining students as HAPS, middle prior attaining students as MAPS and low prior
attaining students as LAPS.
All of the groups were very quick to get started on the tasks; perhaps this was due to
excitement of something different occurring in the lesson. However, what we started to
notice was a desire to get the answer as quick as possible, with little time spent considering
the problem. This was something we needed to try and change for the next lesson as
problem solving is not always about getting the correct answer.
With reference to how different abilities and genders attempted the problems, there were
some interesting observations noticed. The HAPS were overcomplicating the problems and
when they had arrived at an answer, were unable to explain the answer and how they had
arrived at said answer. They also struggled to answer our questions such as “is that a
sensible question?” When looking at the questions students asked on the worksheets, they
were very brief and rushed. These students in particular were very driven to find the
answer. All students were engaged in the tasks and expressed a passion for completing the
task. This group of students expressed some frustration in that there was not an exact
answer to their problem.
The LAPs struggled to formulate questions to solve the problems, however when given
some more clues started to think of some questions to solve the problem. Observations of the
LAPS led us to consider whether they did not have the correct subject knowledge to attempt
some of the problems.
 IJLLS The MAPs were some of the most successful problem solvers. These students took their
6,1 time to formulate questions in the beginning to solve the problem. Their worksheets were
the ones with the most questions and the most interesting questions. The very interesting
observation about these groups was their inventive ways to solve problems. They, unlike
the HAPS or LAPS used physical methods to solve the problems such as modelling for one
of the tasks.
36 The girls in the groups usually teamed together and were the ones slowing down the
pace; asking more questions. Their behaviour in the tasks was a lot safer and the girls were
less confident to try different methods to solve the problems whereas the boys in the groups
tended to have some quite interesting brave suggestions to solve the problems, such as
physically getting up to model the room and measure.

Adaptations
Looking at all of the observations made during the initial research lesson, adaptations to the
second lesson needed to be made. First, we wanted to explore further the impact of gender
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on a student’s ability to problem solve. Furthermore, we thought that keeping the groupings
based on ability would further highlight differences in approaches to problem solving.
The issue faced by all students was that they wanted to find the answer, with some
groups being more driven towards this focus. However at the beginning of each task, each
group were very quick to start talking about the answer rather than the way to get the
answer. To try and lessen this, we decided to give students a five-minute period to just ask
questions needed to solve the problem and not to actually start solving the problem.
The next research lesson needed further emphasis from the teacher that the answer is not
the whole reason for the task and that in some cases the answer may be an approximation
and not an exact value.
The final adaptation was in response to the struggle that some of the lower achieving
students faced in getting started with solving the problem. There seemed to be a sense of
students not knowing where to start. There were not enough clues in some of the problems
and therefore we decided we would add clues for students to the second lesson so students
could have more scaffolding to solve the problem.

Lesson B
The specific time frame for questioning that was given to the students was effective in
getting them to think carefully about the information they needed and the questions they
needed to ask. This may be an implication that can be embedded into mathematics lesson;
students should learn to allocate time to discuss and explore problems before attempting to
solve them. However, the class on the whole did seem less answer driven and took more time
enjoying solving the problem.
The two HAP’s boy’s groups were highly competitive with each other and consequently
rushed their solutions. This unfortunately meant that they would miss critical points and
make silly mathematical mistakes. Whilst, these students are very mathematically able,
they are very used to quick, numerical questions that they can solve quickly and efficiently.
Emphasis needs to be put on these students to ensure they are thorough and careful with
their problem solving. In comparison, the MAPS were far more thorough with their
questions and explorations of the problems and thrived with the additional clues. Had the
students have had more time; I believe they would have produced some brilliant
mathematical solutions to the problems.
The LAPS boys groups were very disengaged on most of the tasks, with the exception of
the task that involved physical activity. Their disengagement could be a result of feeling
unconfident and defeated by the size of the problem provided, or could be simply that they
could not be bothered!
 There was one task where most students were able to identify the information they Problem-
needed to answer the question but did not have the mathematical skills to solve the problem. solving skills
This showed us that it is important for the problem to be pitched at the right level so in mathematics
that when given a sufficient amount of time to solve it, they would have the mathematical
skills to do so.

Diary room results 37

As previously discussed, we decided to use the schools diary room to obtain students
feedback. We strategically designed the groups based on both ability and gender and also
mixed the students from both classes in an attempt to compare their experiences. We asked
each group five interview questions; the questions we designed to gauge their feelings
regarding certain issues that we had picked up on during our analysis.
(1) Did your confidence grow throughout the tasks?
The order that each student conducted this task seemed to influence the answers
to this question, whereby, those who started off with the less mathematically
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demanding problems said they felt less confident when they reached a task they
could not access mathematically. Here reiterating our finding that problems be
pitched at an accessible mathematical level.
Many students mentioned the importance of questioning in problem solving and
said that this was easier to do in some tasks than others, but in general their
confidence in breaking problems down had grown.
(2) Which was the hardest question and why?
A recurring comment throughout almost all of the videos was that the “Twitter”
task was the hardest because “you could not get an exact answer”.
(3) Which was the easiest question and why?
As expected, especially given the previous point, students expressed that they
found the “Printer” task the easiest because “it was easy to get a correct answer”.
(4) Did you find it easy to think of the questions you needed to ask in order to be able to
solve the problems?
The HAPS and MAPS groups said they found it relatively easy to think of questions
and felt that they were a lot more confident than they used to be at doing this.
(5) Do you enjoy problem solving?
Most students expressed an enjoyment for problem solving with some claiming that
they think they are very good at it and that it was easy. Many students explained that they
enjoyed the freedom and independence of the tasks. Several students also demonstrated
their awareness of curricular changes stating the importance of learning these skills. The
LAPS boys expressed their distaste for it as they preferred “having numbers to work with
rather than words”.

Conclusion
After watching the video footage and discussing the observations, some interesting
conclusions and ideas arose. It seemed that all students were driven by finding the answer
as quickly as possible. However some were more competitive where this was concerned then
others. This is something that seemed to affect their problem-solving ability as they were
too concerned with getting to the answer first and they did not allow time to explore the
problem, consequently missing vital considerations. This, unfortunately, is a trait of
mathematics that appears in students, as many people perceive mathematics to be a subject
where the end goal is always getting the correct answer.
 IJLLS This desire seemed to be more apparent in higher ability students, possibly because they
6,1 are more used to being correct and therefore enjoy finding the correct answer, feeling a
sense of achievement. For this to change, classroom environments and cultures should move
towards one in which students understand it is okay to make mistakes and that sometimes
being wrong is not always a bad thing.
Prior attainment did seem to have an effect on students ability to problem solve,
38 however, not in the ways we initially assumed. All different ability groups seemed to pose
different advantages and disadvantages whilst solving the problems. The HAP’s were very
driven and competitive and rushed the problems, sometimes overlooking their depth.
Although the mathematics to them was very easy and they were very competent at that, the
formulation of questions and exploration of the problems was something needing to be
developed. They were very answer driven. The LAP’s did express some dislike for the task
due to its unrigged nature and being too “wordy”. Some detailed observations by the
authors concluded that they did have a good skill set to solve the problems as after some
guidance, they started to ask good questions and explore the problem more deeply.
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However, perhaps the mathematical concepts in the problems were ones they struggle with
or had not yet covered. This led us to realising that problems, whilst students are developing
problem-solving skills, need to be very appropriate for their mathematical level. If this is not
the case, their confidence can drop and they might start to view problem solving as a
negative part of mathematics.
The students in the middle ability groupings were the most inventive in solving the
problems. There was no extreme urge to find the answer and there was not such a strong
competitive nature to them. The students were using abstract ways to solve the problems,
such as physical methods.
It also seemed that in many cases gender did affect students’ ability to problem solve. We
concluded that the ability between genders to problem solve was not necessarily different.
However, there were gender differences with respect to the motivation and methods use to
tackle the problems. When the groups were mixed sex, there was a lot more discussion
relative to what they should do to solve the problem. However, a trait seen across all of the
male groups was just to get started and finish the problem. There also seemed to be a larger
sense of disengagement in males to problem solve, especially when they were placed together.
After the lesson study was completed, different avenues were left unexplored in which
we felt a large amount of research could be conducted. Below is an outline of these concepts:
• Working with different ability – how would we help and aid students of a lower
ability?
• HAP’s – why are these students more focussed on finding the answer? How do we
develop the sense that the answer is not always the final outcome?
• LAP’s – exploration on how do we get these students to be more motivated and be
able to think of more questions to answer the problem? Is this related to confidence
and mathematical ability?
• Joint subject research – to collaborate with another subject to see how students tackle
problem-solving in a cross-curricular setting.
• Gender divide – why is it that the boys tend to be more disengaged and less
motivated as opposed to the girls?
In conclusion, we observed that a student’s ability to problem solve seems to vary due to a
multitude of reasons. Ability, gender, motivation, confidence are to name a few. However,
problem solving is a very key aspect to mathematical education and its development
needs more focus and drive from teachers. Problem solving gives students a set of
 skills that are life long and apply not only to mathematics. It can also show students the Problem-
way in which mathematics can be vibrant and free and not a rigid set of principles in solving skills
which only one answer and one method is correct. Teachers and students need to develop in mathematics
an atmosphere where the answer is not the key and there are multiple ways to gain an
answer sometimes.
Throughout the time spent involved taking part in the lesson study, we both felt we had
developed reflective skills and a collaborative work ethos. These are skills that we would 39
like to continue to develop and apply in our academic careers in the future, and embed all
discovered conclusions in our lessons:
If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes
thinking about solutions (Albert Einstein).
For a summary of our lesson study please see out research poster in Appendix 2.

Reflections on the lesson study process

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The path of educational progress more closely resembles the flight of a butterfly than the flight of a
bullet ( Jackson, 1968, p. 167).
Whilst the above quote is referring to educational progress in terms of a young student in a
traditional classroom, it can also speak for the broader sense of educational progression,
including that gained through lesson study in a professional environment. Lesson study, as
a means of deepening professional and pedagogical practise, resembles just that, “a flight of
a butterfly” as opposed the direct, “flight of a bullet”. Through lesson study you discover
aspects of practise that otherwise may not arise in your day to day routines, thus giving
way to insightful and inspiring developments.
Lesson study was a foreign concept to us the authors at the start of our journey, its
innovative and collaborative nature unbeknown to us as NQTs. When approached by a
colleague at our school, who spoke of her own personal experiences of lesson study, followed
by an invitation to partake in a coming module at the UEA, we were instantly intrigued.
Even as NQTs we could see the great value that was to be obtained through working
collaboratively to improve and develop areas of educational practise in need of attention and
rejuvenation. We took up the opportunity readily and were excited to begin our journey with
introductory sessions led by Professor John Elliott.
Excitement aside, we had a couple of reservations about starting our lesson study. First,
the concept of observation was one we instantly related to fear; a fear of being judged and
ultimately graded on the lesson we produce in that moment. Whilst we were aware that this
was far from the objective of lesson study, where the purpose of observations was for a
stereotypical, “OFSTED”[1]-like observation, it was difficult to elevate these embedded
feelings. Fortunately, the fear was lessened as we were working together as friends as well
as colleagues, therefore enabling us to overcome this reservation, eventually allowing us to
see that our initial worry was unnecessary.
Our second reservation was time related. As NQT’s, we were first experiencing the
pressures of a full teaching timetable, along with additional responsibilities we were quick
to acquire, and the idea of finding extra time to work on the lesson study seemed impossible.
However, with carefully planned timings we were able to complete our lesson study without
“losing” a great deal of time, in fact, it could be argued it saved us time. The collaborative
planning meant the initial lesson plan came together faster and more effectively that if it had
been planned alone. The reflection and adaption time was so insightful that the time taken to
complete it did not feel like it had been detrimental to our time management of other
responsibilities, given the profound impact it had on us as practitioners. We soon realised
that the time constraints was significantly outweighed by the gains.
 IJLLS Deciding on a focus was easy, given the profound changes to the UK mathematics
6,1 curriculum, we knew exactly what we wanted to explore and develop. Once we had decided
to focus upon “problem solving”, we wanted to refine our focus more, which is where our
pre-test came in. Our pre-test was extremely helpful in narrowing down our focus and
completing the initial planning stage as it gave us great insight into where the issues with
problem solving lie.
40 We enjoyed the initial planning stage as it was enjoyable to bounce ideas off of each
other and it undoubtedly helped increase creativity and innovativeness. Lesson planning
can be quite a lonely activity where sometimes you can feel completely lost and unsure of
how to progress with a topic or how to increase student engagement, so it was extremely
novel (in a completely positive sense) to collaboratively plan. We came up with ideas
together that individually we may not have thought of alone.
Lesson A was an interesting experience and soon highlighted how wrong we had been
with our initial reservations. We had planned every aspect of the lesson together so if
something did not work, it was not the fault of the teacher delivering the lessons, nor was it
a “failure” in our planning. In fact, it was a point of discussion and reflection that could only
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improve areas of our practise, something you do not get in a usual lesson environment.
It was also novel to be take part in an observation where the focus is not on the teaching,
but on the learning that was taking place, with all attention on the students and their
involvement with what we had planned.
After the first lesson we immediately sat to discuss our feelings on how it had gone in
both classes and to reflect upon the video footage we had recorded. Collaboratively
reflecting upon the lesson was a rich experience as we had some very different ideas of how
to improve certain aspects, bringing up matters and questions the other would not have
considered otherwise. Consequently, our adaptions were carefully thought out and included
in our planning for Lesson B. Lesson B was a huge improvement, allowing us to successfully
implement our adaptions and see the impact on these. Despite the success of these
adaptions, there were elements we felt could still be improved, given us further points for
reflective discussions and consequently forming part of our focus for our next lesson study.

Impacts of the lesson study

We felt that conducting the lesson study could be separated into four key categories: impact
on teaching problem solving, impact on our everyday teaching in general, impact on being a
reflective practitioner and the impact on our further involvement with lesson studies.
We shall briefly outline these, showing our differing and joint reflections in each category.

Reflection on impact on problem solving

Conducting the lesson study enabled us to reflect upon the importance of problem solving
and how we can further develop the skills students need to become efficient, fluent problem
solvers. Although we both were aware of the need for students to be able to problem solve
and develop skills of being autonomous learners, the lesson study highlighted some key
features that we knew we needed to focus upon. Key features we both agreed upon were the
importance of asking questions before solving problems and students being able to think
about ways to solve problems that might be outside their comfort zones. There were
reflections that differed too, one of us was more reflective on the role gender played in
problem solving whereas the other, really was interested in the role that ability had upon the
student and therefore the effect that had on student’s confidence to problem solve.
During one conversation, we both wondered whether, without taking part in the lesson
study, our passion to develop student’s problem skills would have continued? Were the
reflections and consistent attention to the student’s skills something that might have been
overseen had we not taken part in the lesson study?
 Reflection on impacts on teaching Problem-
Throughout the process of taking part in the lesson study, we frequently mentioned how solving skills
much we enjoyed it. There were a multitude of reasons; however, one of the most prevalent in mathematics
was the way it enabled us to truly engage in conversations about our teaching and ways to
further improve our teaching to better the students’ learning. The culture in teaching is to
always have the desire to have those conversations; however, everyday tasks present
themselves in school-based settings, which can inhibit this. Lesson studies, in our opinion, 41
help to move away from that culture. There is an allotted time whereby you and other
practitioners can sit and collaboratively plan lessons that in turn have a positive impact
towards the students learning and understanding. The conversations that occur during
these times are something that are unique and truly beneficial to not only the lesson study,
but to further teaching. Interesting ideas present themselves, such as the different opinions
of what the questions asked by the teacher should be and what different teachers might feel
is an effective method to measure the student’s progression in lessons.
Our opinions about the impact of lesson study on our teaching do not differ hugely as we
can both see the positive impact it has had on our everyday teaching. We both spoke of the
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way it made us consider deeper the learning of the students and how our teaching can
further this. We both recognise it gave us time to consider the effectiveness of teaching in
lessons, and now we apply this consideration to every lesson we teach.

Reflection on the impacts on being a reflective practitioner

One of the most important impacts we both found lesson studies had was the ability to further
our development as reflective practitioners and ground these reflections with research. Prior
to the lesson studies, we both aligned ourselves as being reflective practitioners. Having only
recently qualified as teachers when taking part in the lesson study, we were both used to the
constant reflections after teaching lessons, usually with mentors or other teachers. However,
to continue with that ethos is sometimes hard as there can always be a sense of thinking,
what’s next with lessons rather than thinking about what can I use from that lesson. The time
constraints of teaching build this culture, and we both feared that after years of teaching,
would we still have that reflective nature? Taking part in the lesson study helped us to see that
we would. The enjoyment gained from both of us on being able to spend time reflecting, and
reflecting in a non-judgemental sense, proved the importance we held of reflecting in our
practice. Even now, three years into teaching, we both state that being reflective as one of the
most important features a teacher should have. These beliefs have been relayed when we
recently mentored two trainee teachers, to whom we emphasised the importance of reflection
as a basis for adapting practice to meet the needs of learners.
The lesson study provided us both jointly and individually with new ways to become
reflective teachers, with one of the key ways being that of collaborative reflection. Being
observed often sparks negative feelings in the teaching environment, and really, we
understand why. During those moments, someone is making a judgement upon you and
however long you have been teaching, the ability to detach yourself from viewing this in
personal terms is hard. The lesson study changes this, inasmuch as observation is a
reflective non-judgemental tool that is mutual and done together within a professional
learning community. Together, you reflect upon the lesson and pick our features that
worked in the lesson and others that did not, detaching that sense of judgement.
Collaboratively reflecting upon a lesson that is jointly taught introduces you to new
concepts you might not have previously considered.

Reflection on the impact of a lesson study on further involvement with the process
Not only did lesson studies invoke all of the above but it also made us passionate to continue
and not stop at just one lesson study. We both went on to become advocates of lesson
 IJLLS studies at our school, trying to engage other members of staff in the concept and gain
6,1 insight into the positives of it. We took part in the school wide lesson studies continued
professional development whereby this time we engaged with other subjects outside of
mathematics. Furthermore, we attended the World Association of Lesson Studies
conference, immersing ourselves within the world of lesson studies further. Our passion for
taking part in lesson studies continues now and we both agree that we know this will be the
42 case for the rest of our career.
To briefly summarise, lesson study was an invaluable experience and one where we
gained many new insights into the teaching and learning process. For us, the chance to plan,
reflect and implement the lesson collaboratively meant we saw different aspects of the
process. Since taking part in the lesson study, we have continued to work with lesson
studies in some aspect and will continue to do so in the future. Lesson studies gives
practitioners a chance to ground their teaching with research and further develops the
teacher becoming a reflective practitioner.
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Note
1. OFSTED – The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.

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Jackson, P. (1968), Life in Classrooms, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, New York, NY, pp. 166-167.
James, M. (2011), “An alternative to the objectives model: the process model for the design and
development of curriculum”, in Elliott, J. and Norris, N. (Eds), Curriculum, Pedagogy and
Educational Research: The Work of Lawrence Stenhouse, Routledge, London and New York, NY.
Lewis, C., Perry, R. and Friedkin, S. (2009), “Lesson study as action research”, in Noffke, S.E. and
Somekh, B. (Eds), The SAGE Handbook of Education Action Research, Sage Publications,
London and Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi.
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Improving Education in the Classroom, Free Press, New York, NY.
 Appendix 1. Example worksheet Problem-
solving skills
in mathematics

43
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 IJLLS Appendix 2. Research Poster
6,1

44
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Corresponding author
Zoe Bradshaw can be contacted at: Z.Bradshaw@ormistonvictoryacademy.co.uk

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