The role of pupil voice as a trigger for teacher learning in Lesson Study professional groups

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on the role of pupil voice as a trigger for teacher learning and for improving teaching quality. This is investigated in the context of Lesson Study (LS), a professional development model that can incorporate pupil voice into teachers’ collaborative reflections on lessons. Data are from two LS groups of mathematics teachers in London (one primary and one secondary school). Video-recorded pupil interviews and teacher discussions were transcribed. Episodes of teacher discussions were coded for reference to pupil input and subsequent impact on future plans. Qualitative analysis of discussions examined whether some pupils’ input was favoured over others’. Results are significant in pointing to LS as a mechanism for attending to pupil voice. In so doing, it is suggested that pupil input provided a challenge for teachers in their interpretations of pupil learning, evaluating lessons and planning, and in contributing to teacher learning from LS.

KEYWORDS:

• Lesson Study
• pupil voice
• teacher learning

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank their colleagues at the Camden School Improvement Services and the teachers who participated in the study for their collaboration on the project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. In England, pupils in Year 8 (aged 12–13 years) are in secondary education.

2. Other countries of the UK have their own curricula.

3. Where LS is used as a professional development model in the UK, the Research Lesson Study model is the most prevalent structure. It is used in all UK countries but is most popular in England and Northern Ireland, following its promotion by Lesson Study UK, the National College for School Leadership, the Economic and Social Research Council’s Teaching and Learning Research Programme, and the General Teaching Council in Northern Ireland.

4. PT = primary teacher.

5. All student names that appear in this paper are pseudonyms.

6. ST = secondary teacher.

Additional information

Funding

This research was made possible through a grant of the London Schools Excellence Fund (Grant LSEFR1040).