A student-centred approach to teaching mathematics usually includes a strong emphasis on teaching through problem-solving (TTPS). Within a TTPS classroom environment, students work independently and collaboratively on challenging and open-ended tasks that help them to acquire a deep understanding of mathematical concepts and procedures.
Teachers complement this by providing students with opportunities to ask questions and seek answers, to recognise problems and seek solutions, to identify patterns, and to conjecture and seek generalisations. Essentially, TTPS is about creating a classroom environment that is characterised by carefully designed lessons that promote critical thinking, discussion and creativity.
Lesson study, which is still in its infancy in Malta, can be used to sustain a TTPS approach. It is a professional development initiative whereby teachers work collaboratively to conduct an investigation of their classroom practices. They start by identifying a difficulty that students have in learning mathematics. Then, teachers study curriculum materials and conduct research so that they can come up with a suitable lesson that can address the identified difficulty.
TTPS is about creating a classroom environment that is characterised by carefully designed lessons that promote critical thinking, discussion and creativity
This ‘research lesson’ is taught by one of the teachers and is observed by others who focus on student learning. Based on the data gathered by observers, a post-lesson discussion is then held to revise and improve the lesson. Nowadays, notwithstanding its challenges, lesson study is increasingly recognised worldwide as a key tool for teachers to improve their practices and ultimately students’ learning.
Collaborative Lesson Study Malta (CLeStuM – www.clestum.eu) was set up in 2017 within the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta. CLeStuM works with schools and teachers across different school subjects, levels and educational sectors. Mathematics lesson studies supported by CLeStuM have been implemented mostly in secondary schools. For most of the mathematics teachers involved, lesson study was their first experience of working collaboratively with colleagues on a TTPS approach and to share, discuss and reflect upon their classroom practices within a supportive environment.
The reports, which are compiled by participants at the end of their lesson-study experience, suggest that local mathematics teachers view lesson study as an opportunity to move away from traditional textbook teaching. Indeed, the indications are that lesson study helps teachers to involve students in discussing mathematical knowledge, to think deeply about content and its application, and to learn how to work independently of their teacher. The CLeStuM lesson study reports can be accessed here.
Sound Bites
• During the 2021-2022 scholastic year, five mathematics teachers at St Theresa College Birkirkara middle school participated in a lesson study that was led by their head of department. They investigated the teaching of ‘Changing the subject of the formula’ with a Year 8 class, using a teaching-through-problem-solving approach.
• Opportunities: Teachers perceived lesson study as a professional learning experience that ultimately benefits students’ learning. They concurred that the embedded and prolonged processes of teacher collaboration facilitated the sharing of ideas and good practices, led to the planning of a high-quality lesson, improved their teaching skills, and deepened their understanding of how and what students learn.
• Challenges: Since it was their very first experience, teachers found problems to understand and follow the steps and processes involved in lesson study, and to write a detailed lesson plan. In their view, lesson study can only succeed in schools where teachers are already accustomed to working together and are willing to work outside school hours. The length of the lesson-study process, which was four months in their case, was also seen as an issue.
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DID YOU KNOW?
• Lesson study, which is today’s fastest-growing form of professional development for teachers, originated in Japan in the 1860s.
• Lesson study reached China in the 1940s and gradually became popular across Asia.
• It was only in the 1990s that lesson study arrived in the USA, and from there it continued to spread across the globe.
• The World Association of Lesson Studies organises annual conferences and publishes the International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies.
For more trivia, see www.um.edu.mt/think.