Drawing as a tool to assess the efficacy of Lesson Study

Abstract

Lesson Study (Murata, 2011; Lewis, 2011) is never easy to assess. The usual tools are interviews and questionnaires. Morago and Grigioni Baur (2017) have been using drawing for many years to measure change in preservice teachers taking part in a year-long lesson study process involving 4-5 cycles and constructivist-based facilitation (Morago & Grigioni Baur, 2020). Drawing has been used by many researchers to assess people’s views on scientists, teaching, etc… and the latest contribution to this strand is by Thomas et al. (2001), who designed the Draw-A-Science-Teacher-Teaching (DASTT) test. This test asks the participant to draw themselves teaching and state by writing what the teacher and students are doing. The result is a categorization of teaching styles on a scale from teacher-centered to student-centered (Grigioni Baur & Hoznour, 2019; Hoznour & Grigioni Baur, 2019). It has been in use widely around the world (Markic & Eilks, 2010; Morago, 2015; Morago & Grigioni Baur, 2017; Thomas et al, 2001; 2003) since then, and some of its features have been adapted by others (Markic & Eilks, 2010; Morago & Grigioni Baur, 2017). While using this test for a Master’s thesis on LS (Hoznour, 2019) and a LS cycle in secondary maths teaching (Grigioni Baur & Hoznour, 2019), the authors noticed that the results neglected some important features (e.g. the teacher/the students are not drawn). They analyzed the scoring rubric in detail and modified it by eliminating overlapping or irrelevant items, adding relevant items that were frequently found in Swiss drawings, and modifying the phrasing of some of the items. Revising the rubric brought a complete makeover of both the items and the scoring scale. The authors tested the new analysis of the drawings not only on the LS results they already had, but on a wider set of data. The result is a rubric that allows to score what people are doing in the classroom, and how the furniture and tools are used, rather than their mere presence or absence, as in Thomas et al. (2001). It also takes into account the presence/absence of teacher and students in the classroom, or how they are drawn. What that rubric brings to light is a style of teaching that is more or less centered not on the teacher or the student, but on conceptual learning or transmitting knowledge, which, while close enough, are two widely different ways of seeing teaching. Used in the context of a Lesson Study, this test now shows how the teaching style has evolved thanks to the Lesson Study. Combined with the other three parts of the test (a self-assessment table that was also modified (Hoznour, 2019), a teaching scenario (Morago, 2015, modified) and a questionnaire, it gives the most complete picture of change that a pre- and post test can provide, without being too invasive in terms of time for the participants. It thus allows to assess the efficiency of the constructivist- based facilitation that took place within that Lesson Study cycle.

This presentation relates to the conference strands with both LS efficiency and research. It is about sharing research on a tool that can help assess the efficacy of a LS process, therefore allowing not only analysis of the participants’ change, but also of the facilitation, leading to revise the facilitating questions or positions for the next LS. Sharing such a tool with the scientific community is paramount to any researcher’s work.

Sources

Grigioni Baur, S., & Hoznour, P. I. (2019, September). Impact of learning-centered facilitation on teachers professional development during a LS. Paper presented at the WALS, Amsterdam, Pays Bas. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12162/3554

Hoznour, P. I., & Grigioni Baur, S. (2019, September). LS as a tool for developing reflective thinking in science pre-service teachers. Paper presented at the Wals, Amsterdam, Pays Bas. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12162/3555

Hoznour, P. I. (2019). Impact d'un processus de Lesson Study sur les conceptions de l'enseignement et la pratique réflexive des étudiants HEP en science de la nature au secondaire I. Mémoire professionnel, HEP VD. Markic, S. & Eilks, I. (2010). First-Year Science Education Student Teachers’ Beliefs about Student- and Teacher-Centeredness: Parallels and Differences between Chemistry and Other Science Teaching Domains. Journal of Chemical Education, 87 (3), 335-339. Morago, S. (2015). Understanding the Thoughts and Actions of Three Science Undergraduates Related to Teaching and Learning During a One-year Program Working with Diverse Youth. (Doctoral dissertation) Retrieved from: https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/1774020095.html?FMT=AI&pubnum=10036023 Morago, S. & Grigioni Baur, S. (2020). Learner-centered facilitation in Lesson study groups in Lee, C. & Murata, A. (2020, eds). Springer Morago, S.& Grigioni-Baur, S., (2017). Intercultural Competence and Teaching Diverse Learners in Gilles, J.-L. (Eds.) ‘Linking Research and Training in Internationalization of Teacher Education with the PEERS Program: Issues, Case Studies and Perspectives. (pp. 247-266). Peter Lang Murata, A. (2011). Introduction: Conceptual Overview of Lesson Study. In Hart, L. C. et al. (Eds., 2011), Lesson Study Research and Practice in Mathematics Education. Springer Science + Business Media.