Reimagining professional development in secondary schools: shaping literacy instruction through lesson study

ABSTRACT

This research is a constructivist collaborative study between a university and middle/high school districts. It uses Lesson Study as a framework to meet the challenges of disciplinary content instruction. Research questions become: How does Lesson Study impact teacher practice? What is the impact of university and school collaboration on practice? Data is interpreted using a qualitative approach. Findings demonstrate the positive impact of Lesson Study on administrator effectiveness and teacher practice, resulting in greater awareness of student potential. Findings also show the power of collaboration within and across multiple school contexts and with university faculty coaches.

KEYWORDS:

• Lesson study
• adolescent literacy
• professional development
• student centered

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Valarie G. Lee

Valarie G. Lee, EdD, received her doctorate in Literacy and Research Methods from the University of Northern Colorado. She brings 15 years of secondary English teaching experience and 15 years of university to the teaching of literacy. She now teaches and supervises undergraduate and graduate students teaching in a reading clinic on campus. She co-developed The Literacy Consortium, now in its fifteenth year. TLC provides yearly symposiums for school districts around various literacy topics. Dr. Lee’s research focuses on adolescent literacy and constructivist professional development. She recently co-authored an article on cognitive coaching and lesson study for high school principals in the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) bulletin.

Marjorie E. Madden

Marjorie E. Madden, PhD, received her PhD in Reading, Writing and Literacy from the University of Pennsylvania. She brings over 35 years of school experience to the teaching of literacy. Dr Madden now teaches early childhood literacy courses, undergraduate clinical courses in the undergraduate and graduate courses in the reading specialist program. She co-developed The Literacy Consortium, now in its fifteenth year. TLC provides yearly symposiums for school districts around various literacy topics. Dr Madden’s research also extends to global education initiatives. She has conducted teacher institutes in schools in Guatemala, training teachers in effective literacy instruction. Additional research interests focus on innovative approaches to literacy instruction, constructivist professional development, and teacher leadership. She recently co-authored articles on Life Histories in the Language Arts and Learning Landscapes journals.