[MOSAIC] comprehension lesson study
Hello friends on the Mosaic list, Since we have been so quiet, I thought I would share some more of what I have been doing... I have been posting recently about the experiments we have been doing with lesson study in teaching the comprehension strategies. For those of you unfamiliar with lesson study, it is a process originating in Japan where teachers take a lesson plan from an expert and refine it to meet the needs of their students. One colleague takes this lesson plan that you have worked on together and teaches it in front of the other colleagues taking part. Then you meet to debrief. Once you have debriefed and adjusted the plan, another colleague teaches then new, refined lesson while the others watch and the process repeats itself. It is mostly been used for math and science lessons, less often for language arts. I have talked a little here on the list about the lesson we have been teaching for our first cycle...Tanny's Reading Salad and how we plan to teach Debbie Miller's file folder lesson for schema for the second cycle. What has been interesting for us is the professional learning that has taken place from following a lesson study cycle. It has been something of a pain for me to find people to cover my colleague's classrooms so that we can watch each other teach, but the learning that is resulting has been wonderful and is so worth the effort! This started as a way for us to learn how to best teach comprehension strategies at the early childhood level but has evolved into a powerful learning experience. The ah-hah's for me so far include: 1. The importance of narrowing your focus for the most effective lessons...and carefully choosing your evaluation piece. I know this sounds like teaching 101...but until you experience what happens when you tighten up your lesson objective to what is essential and then have the opportunity to plan and replan the lesson to meet that objective, you can't imagine how much you improve student learning. 2. The powerful impact of including Every Pupil Response techniques to ensure engagement and understanding of the comprehension strategy. 3. How much trust is required to really make this work...it takes guts to teach a lesson in front of colleagues and then tear it apart together to determine what works and what doesn't. But a side benefit is the powerful feeling of community you get from taking this journey together. It is simply an amazing professional development experience. If you have a small island of teachers at your school learning to teach strategies, this would be a great way for you to support each other! 4, We are a little unusual because we are teaching the same strategies at different grade levels...so part of how we refine the lesson revolves around making the strategies approachable at K, 1 and 2. We are seeing a bigger picture of how kids learn the comprehension strategies at different age levels. 5. I am also starting to see how this process can shape your own personal vision for what you want for your students. I noticed that the levels of interest and motivation decrease as the grade levels increase. What came into sharp focus for me was the importance of helping kids to stay motivated and interested in reading...text selections, classroom furniture arrangements, opportunities to turn and talk to classmates all seem to help build the level of engagement for kids...but now as I plan lessons, I am not just thinking about objectives that will be on the state test, but the bigger picture...how to create lifelong readers. I have shared a little about how the salad lesson worked for us, but really, the impact comes not from having this product...this 'perfect' lesson... that has been refined by teaching it over and over. The impact comes from the process...the learning that comes from working together to a common goal. Giving you the lesson plan isn't be the same as going through the process yourselves. I can't sell this technique enough to you all...it is just a great way to become a better teacher. I haven't learned so much since I went through the National Board process and we have only gone through one cycle. It is an intensely personal form of staff development. Hope some of you find a colleague or two to try it out ... Oh...and by the way, if you haven't seen Tanny McGregor's book Comprehension Connections it is a must read! Her lessons are fantastic and very motivating! Jennifer Maryland ** See what's new at http://www.aol.com ___ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
Re: [MOSAIC] comprehension lesson study
Jennifer, What you share here is exactly what my colleagues and I found going through lesson study. it was hard to communicate to administrators and other teachers how important and essential the study process itself is--not so much the product or final lesson. We found the repeated close examination of a lesson, combined with colleague conversation and trust, that is what led to a deep personal learning about instruction. The lesson and observation was just the vehicle. We also found that our learning infected all other areas of our instruction-so it really is not about designing the perfect lesson at all. And, just like you describe, the Japanese teachers claim it makes them well versed in all grade levels of instruction. I am so glad to hear you are having as positive a professional development experience as we had. Thank you for sharing it with us. :)Bonita > I have shared a little about how the salad lesson worked for us, but really, > the impact comes not from having this product...this 'perfect' lesson... > that has been refined by teaching it over and over. The impact comes from the > > process...the learning that comes from working together to a common goal. > Giving > you the lesson plan isn't be the same as going through the process > yourselves. > > I can't sell this technique enough to you all...it is just a great way to > become a better teacher. I haven't learned so much since I went through the > National Board process and we have only gone through one cycle. It is an > intensely personal form of staff development. Hope some of you find a > colleague or > two to try it out ... > > Jennifer ___ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
Re: [MOSAIC] comprehension lesson study
thanks for the recommendation for Tanny McGregor's book Comprehension > Connections motivating! > Jennifer > Maryland> Would it be helpful for kindergarten?? Thanks, Susan in Madison > > > > ** See what's new at > http://www.aol.com > ___ > Mosaic mailing list > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > ___ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
Re: [MOSAIC] comprehension lesson study
In a message dated 9/22/2007 11:46:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Would it be helpful for kindergarten?? Thanks, Susan in Madison YES! YES! YES! She gives concrete ways to introduce each strategy. Once you introduce them, you can always refer back to the activity. For example, I made a chart of what they know about our playground and what they know about the playground at my elementary school (in another town). I wrote everything they told me. Then in big marker, I wrote "Background knowledge" across the part where they told about our school playground. I hung the chart up and refer back to it often when we talk about using background knowledge when we read. Jane in SC/Kindergarten :-) ** See what's new at http://www.aol.com ___ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
Re: [MOSAIC] comprehension lesson study
Absolutely! We are using her lessons there now, with some small modifications. Jennifer In a message dated 9/22/2007 11:46:48 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: thanks for the recommendation for Tanny McGregor's book Comprehension > Connections motivating! > Jennifer > Maryland> ** See what's new at http://www.aol.com ___ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
Re: [MOSAIC] comprehension lesson study
Jennifer, As a newly appointed literacy coach for our corporation, I am interested in learning more about this model of professional development. Can you please elaborate on the "Every Pupil Response"? I must have missed that in previous emails. Thanks for sharing your expertise. Have a wonderful day! Carol Carol A. Mauer BCSC Literacy Coach Lincoln School, Home Base (812) 376-4447 "It is not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing." >>> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 9/22/2007 7:42 PM >>> Hello friends on the Mosaic list, Since we have been so quiet, I thought I would share some more of what I have been doing... I have been posting recently about the experiments we have been doing with lesson study in teaching the comprehension strategies. For those of you unfamiliar with lesson study, it is a process originating in Japan where teachers take a lesson plan from an expert and refine it to meet the needs of their students. One colleague takes this lesson plan that you have worked on together and teaches it in front of the other colleagues taking part. Then you meet to debrief. Once you have debriefed and adjusted the plan, another colleague teaches then new, refined lesson while the others watch and the process repeats itself. It is mostly been used for math and science lessons, less often for language arts. I have talked a little here on the list about the lesson we have been teaching for our first cycle...Tanny's Reading Salad and how we plan to teach Debbie Miller's file folder lesson for schema for the second cycle. What has been interesting for us is the professional learning that has taken place from following a lesson study cycle. It has been something of a pain for me to find people to cover my colleague's classrooms so that we can watch each other teach, but the learning that is resulting has been wonderful and is so worth the effort! This started as a way for us to learn how to best teach comprehension strategies at the early childhood level but has evolved into a powerful learning experience. The ah-hah's for me so far include: 1. The importance of narrowing your focus for the most effective lessons...and carefully choosing your evaluation piece. I know this sounds like teaching 101...but until you experience what happens when you tighten up your lesson objective to what is essential and then have the opportunity to plan and replan the lesson to meet that objective, you can't imagine how much you improve student learning. 2. The powerful impact of including Every Pupil Response techniques to ensure engagement and understanding of the comprehension strategy. 3. How much trust is required to really make this work...it takes guts to teach a lesson in front of colleagues and then tear it apart together to determine what works and what doesn't. But a side benefit is the powerful feeling of community you get from taking this journey together. It is simply an amazing professional development experience. If you have a small island of teachers at your school learning to teach strategies, this would be a great way for you to support each other! 4, We are a little unusual because we are teaching the same strategies at different grade levels...so part of how we refine the lesson revolves around making the strategies approachable at K, 1 and 2. We are seeing a bigger picture of how kids learn the comprehension strategies at different age levels. 5. I am also starting to see how this process can shape your own personal vision for what you want for your students. I noticed that the levels of interest and motivation decrease as the grade levels increase. What came into sharp focus for me was the importance of helping kids to stay motivated and interested in reading...text selections, classroom furniture arrangements, opportunities to turn and talk to classmates all seem to help build the level of engagement for kids...but now as I plan lessons, I am not just thinking about objectives that will be on the state test, but the bigger picture...how to create lifelong readers. I have shared a little about how the salad lesson worked for us, but really, the impact comes not from having this product...this 'perfect' lesson... that has been refined by teaching it over and over. The impact comes from the process...the learning that comes from working together to a common goal. Giving you the lesson plan isn't be the same as going through the process yourselves. I can't sell this technique enough to you all...it is just a great way to become a better teacher. I haven't learned so much since I went through the National Board process and we have only gone through one cycle. It is an intensely personal form of staff development. Hope some of you find a colleague or two to try it out ... Oh...and by the way, if you haven't seen Tanny McGregor's book Comprehension Connections i
Re: [MOSAIC] comprehension lesson study
Every pupil response is a technique used to keep more kids involved in a lesson and also to help the teacher monitor understanding. One thing you can do is just ask kids to "put their thumbs up" if they agree and "thumbs down" of they don't. You can use pinch cards (which are simply index cards) labeled yes on the top and no on the bottom (or any other either or words) and kids hold them up with pinching them with their fingers on top of the answer they think is correct. I just saw a great use of them in K with our salad lesson. The teacher had popsicle sticks one side green for "thinking" and the other side red for "text" and the kids held up the color to represent what part of real reading they thought the teacher was using. What more do you want to know about lesson study/ how can I help you with this? Jennifer In a message dated 9/24/2007 9:48:52 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Jennifer, As a newly appointed literacy coach for our corporation, I am interested in learning more about this model of professional development. Can you please elaborate on the "Every Pupil Response"? I must have missed that in previous emails. Thanks for sharing your expertise. Have a wonderful day! Carol ** See what's new at http://www.aol.com ___ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
Re: [MOSAIC] comprehension lesson study
Jennifer, Thanks for the explanation. As you come across other means of student response, would you post them if time allows? I will do some research on lesson studies before I ask more questions. Have a super day! Carol Carol A. Mauer BCSC Literacy Coach Lincoln School, Home Base (812) 376-4447 "The secret to enjoying life is to have an interest in it." Carol A. Mauer BCSC Literacy Coach Lincoln School, Home Base (812) 376-4447 "The secret to enjoying life is to have an interest in it." >>> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 9/24/2007 8:09 PM >>> Every pupil response is a technique used to keep more kids involved in a lesson and also to help the teacher monitor understanding. One thing you can do is just ask kids to "put their thumbs up" if they agree and "thumbs down" of they don't. You can use pinch cards (which are simply index cards) labeled yes on the top and no on the bottom (or any other either or words) and kids hold them up with pinching them with their fingers on top of the answer they think is correct. I just saw a great use of them in K with our salad lesson. The teacher had popsicle sticks one side green for "thinking" and the other side red for "text" and the kids held up the color to represent what part of real reading they thought the teacher was using. What more do you want to know about lesson study/ how can I help you with this? Jennifer In a message dated 9/24/2007 9:48:52 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Jennifer, As a newly appointed literacy coach for our corporation, I am interested in learning more about this model of professional development. Can you please elaborate on the "Every Pupil Response"? I must have missed that in previous emails. Thanks for sharing your expertise. Have a wonderful day! Carol ** See what's new at http://www.aol.com ___ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:2.1 X-GWTYPE:USER FN:Mauer, Carol EMAIL;WORK;PREF;NGW:[EMAIL PROTECTED] N:Mauer;Carol TITLE:Literacy Coach END:VCARD ___ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
