Embedded Files
Lesson Study
As a lesson study group, we wanted to dive into the topic of student engagement and the ability to follow classroom norms. We thought this was an important topic to highlight because students are adjusting to a new grade, boundaries and social norms. Students are also needing more explicit direction (unexpected vs expeced behaviors) and revisitng classroom norms before beginning an activity. We all work with students around the same age range and found an interest in exploring a likewise struggle most teachers face entering into a new school year.
This lesson took place in Ms. Beth's 2nd grade classroom at High Tech Elementary in Point Loma. The lesson we designed was that of implementing a growth mindset when approached with difficult tasks. As a lesson study group we hoped to spark curiosity, get students actively engaged right away and help students understand the purpose and process of what they will be doing during the lesson.
Lesson Planning/Research
Lesson Planning/Research
Research Theme: We will empower students to be independent learners not only to academic excellence but also to their personal growth and development as responsible, self-reliant individuals.
Students will be able to understand that they might not be able to do something yet, but with practice, time and help from knowledgeable others, they will be able to work towards it!
Lesson Goals: Students will understand that they might not be able to do something yet, but with practice, time and help from knowledgeable others, they will be able to work towards it!
SS Learning Goal: Students will be able to apply what they've learned to give advice to someone having a hard time acquiring a new skill.
Task: Students will identify something they can’t do yet, and what they can do to work towards it.
Theory of Action: If we employ Growth mindset while students are making sense of understanding that they might not be able to do something yet, but with practice, time and help from knowledgeable others, they will be able to work towards it, then students will be able to develop a growth mindset that they can do things rather than having a fixed mindset that they can’t do things. We’ll see if it’s working by looking at lesson observation data, student artwork.
Your Problem of Practice: How can we instill independence and a self-starter mindset in our students (with academics and social emotional learning) in order to help them become active participants in their learning?
PDSA Cycles
PDSA Cycles
As part of our Lesson Study, we worked on a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle twice. We ame together as a group to determine what we were noticing in our classrooms and our individual students. We were planning mini lessons and behavior charts for students that needed help to get them into their self-starter mindsets. After conducting our first cycle of observations and getting different ideas as to what we can be doing in the classroom. You will be able to find the link for both PDSA cycles below.
Focus Students
Focus Students
Focus Student #1: This year is this student’s first year at our school. His family and himself have moved around the country for the past few years. Students have assets in his love to share his thoughts, take on class responsibilities, and partake in music-related activities. He needs support with regulation while on the carpet (i.e. flexible seating), being a whole-body listener (he makes noises, gets into student space bubbles and continues when students ask him repeatedly to stop). This affects his ability to get his work done as he spends a lot of time/energy on the people around him. This affects his relationship-building with other students as they have had a negative schema (this person doesn’t respect my boundary and is “annoying”) of him so far.
Focus Student #1: This year is this student’s first year at our school. His family and himself have moved around the country for the past few years. Students have assets in his love to share his thoughts, take on class responsibilities, and partake in music-related activities. He needs support with regulation while on the carpet (i.e. flexible seating), being a whole-body listener (he makes noises, gets into student space bubbles and continues when students ask him repeatedly to stop). This affects his ability to get his work done as he spends a lot of time/energy on the people around him. This affects his relationship-building with other students as they have had a negative schema (this person doesn’t respect my boundary and is “annoying”) of him so far.
Focus Student #2: This student has a love for drawing, video games (Roblox), and reading. He is a strong reader and mathematician. He needs support with staying with the group, being engaged in a way that allows him to work/listen, and participating with the whole-group plan. This student often says or does unkind things that affect his relationships with others.
Focus Student #2: This student has a love for drawing, video games (Roblox), and reading. He is a strong reader and mathematician. He needs support with staying with the group, being engaged in a way that allows him to work/listen, and participating with the whole-group plan. This student often says or does unkind things that affect his relationships with others.
Lesson Flow
Lesson Flow
Guess who activity to introduce visiting teachers and launch lesson
Each teacher will provide Beth with a photo of them trying to do something that they can’t do yet. Beth will block out teacher faces so we can see them doing but not see who. The students will try and guess which teacher is trying to do that specific “yet”.
Students will engage in an interactive read aloud. Beth will ask her stduents to think of "mirrors and windows" while she is reading the book.
Students will create a drawing of what thier "yet" would look like (relating to something they want to learn)
I am a doer, hoper, dreamer, schemer, tryer, maker, gotta fly higher
The sentence frame students will use is "My Yet is a ____"
Students will choose an adjective that caputes thier growth mindset voice (their Yet)
"What will you tell yourself when things are hard?"
Students will use the artist chair in order to share their "Yet" artworks with the class
How it went
How it went
Focus students needed reminderas about following the group plan, and getting started right away
Direct language has sort of helped, needs further support for the transition
Visuals are working well and allow group to engage in independent work for longer amounts of time
Reinforcing students modeling expectations
Celebrating models of behaviors and growth towards them helps kids to feel
Focus student one turned in his "yet" to the teacher
Student work
Student work
Focus student 2 did not submit his drawing but was working on it in class
Reflection
Reflection
The lesson study process was a bit challenging for me to underamd from the beginning but after further clarification from my group and instructors it became more clear to me. Additionally, the lesson study helped me see teaching from an outsiders point of view and really tune in on stuff that may be missed while teaching. For instance, I was able to focus my attention on the focus students and how they were interacting with other stduents, enagaging with the lesson and how they were overall behaving in class. Oftentimes when were actively teaching we are focused in on the whole class and small noticings may not be as obvious to us. However the purpose of the lesson study was for us educators of similar age levels, to focus in on an ongoing issue were noticing across our students and build off of one another for a solution. The process was engaging and exciting to work with other educators to get their input on common situations we all experience.
The lesson study helped me learn as an educator that the best form of teaching is to accept that were not all perfect and have something to learn from one another. I found it interesting that although we all come from different backgrounds, from different educational roles, ages and experiences, we all have something valuable to bring to the table in regards to brainstorming off one another. I learned that teaching is a team effort. It takes a village to raise children and suppor their learning. This cycle helped me understand that all children are coming into the classroom with different funds of knowledge and an effort to navigate this world with us educators as role models.
Research
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