Utilizing Virtual Lesson Study for Agriculture Teacher Professional Development and Social Support Goals
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v66i1.140Keywords:
lesson study, school based agricultural education, social support, professional development, virtualAbstract
Lesson study is a form of teacher professional development designed to improve instructional techniques by collaborating with teachers to develop and test a lesson plan and examine its effect on learners. Lesson study is designed for in-person meetings and observation. School-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers often do not have enough same-subject peers in one school to facilitate a lesson study group. This study attempts to determine if lesson study, led in a virtual environment, is an effective professional development technique, leading to increased knowledge related to instructional practices and course content and increased social support for SBAE teachers. Twenty-six SBAE teachers participated in six lesson study groups. A comparison of pretest and posttest surveys, as well as participant interviews, revealed that participants perceived some change in knowledge related to instructional practices and content. Group members added more individual variation to their lesson teaching than is usually found in lesson study. The video-recording process provided a unique opportunity for self-reflection. Social network analysis revealed few additional contacts to support teachers. However, participants specifically mentioned that a benefit of lesson study was engaging with teachers from other areas of the state with whom they might not usually interact, especially those with alternative teaching licenses. Recommendations include further research on how lesson study can provide in-depth professional development experiences and other ways to support relationship building for alternatively licensed teachers.
Downloads
References
Allen, R. & Sims, S. (2017). Improving science teacher retention: Do National STEM Learning Network professional development courses keep science teachers in the classroom? Wellcome Trust. https://wellcome.org/sites/default/files/science-teacher-retention.pdf
Bjuland, R., & Mosvold, R. (2015). Lesson study in teacher education: Learning from a challenging case. Teaching and Teacher Education, 52, 83–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2015.09.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2015.09.005
Brill, S., & McCartney, A. (2008). Stopping the revolving door: Increasing teacher retention. Politics and Policy, 36(5), 750–774. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2008.00133.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2008.00133.x
Cavey, L. O., & Berenson, S. B. (2005). Learning to teach high school mathematics: Patterns of growth in understanding right triangle trigonometry during lesson plan study. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 24, 171–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2005.03.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2005.03.001
Coleman, B. M., Bunch, J. C., & Thoron, A. C. (2020). Identifying agriscience teachers’ instructional practice professional development needs by certification type. Journal of Agricultural Education, 61(3), 86–100. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2020.03086 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2020.03086
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2007). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Sage Publications Inc.
Desimone, L. M. (2009). Improving impact studies of teacher professional development: Toward better conceptualizations and measures. Educational Researcher, 38(3), 181–199. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x08331140 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X08331140
Duncan, D. W., Cannon, J., & Kitchel, A. (2013). Teaching efficacy: A comparison of traditionally and alternatively certified CTE teachers in Idaho. Career and Technical Education Research, 38(1), 57–67. https://doi.org/10.5328/cter38.1.57 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5328/cter38.1.57
Easterly III, R. G., & Myers, B. E. (2019). Professional development engagement and career satisfaction of agriscience teachers. Journal of Agricultural Education, 60(2), 69–84. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2019.02069 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2019.02069
Figland, W., Blackburn, J., Stair, K., & Smith, E. (2019). What do they need? Determining differences in the professional development needs of Louisiana agriculture teachers by years of teaching experience. Journal of Agricultural Education, 60(2), 173–189. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2019.02173 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2019.02173
Godfrey, D., Seleznyov, S., Anders, J., Wollaston, N., & Barrera-Pedemonte, F. (2019). A developmental evaluation approach to lesson study: Exploring the impact of lesson study in London schools. Professional Development in Education, 45(2), 325–340. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2018.1474488 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2018.1474488
Groth, R. E., Bergener, J. A., Weaver, S. D., & Welsh, G. S. (2020). Using Japanese lesson study to merge inservice professional development and preservice clinical experiences. The Clearing House, 93(2), 93–99. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2020.1729082 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2020.1729082
Gutierez, S. B. (2016). Building a classroom-based professional learning community through lesson study: Insights from elementary school science teachers. Professional Development in Education, 42(5), 801–817. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2015.1119709 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2015.1119709
Harris, L. M., Halvorsen, A-L, Doorrnbos, L., Missias, M. T. (2021). Lesson study in the United States: Possibilities and challenges through a case study in social studies education. In J. Kim, N. Yoshida, S. Iwata, & H. Kawaguchi (Eds.) Lesson study-based teacher education: The potential of the Japanese approach in global settings, (pp. 143–154). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003036852-9
Huang, R., & Shimizu, Y. (2016). Improving teaching, developing teachers and teacher educators, and linking theory and practice through lesson study in mathematics: An international perspective. ZDM Mathematics Education, 48, 393-409. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-016-0795-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-016-0795-7
Jacob, A., & McGovern, K. (2015). The mirage: Confronting the hard truth about our quest for teacher development. TNTP. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED558206
Jhang, F. H. (2020). Teachers' attitudes towards lesson study, perceived competence, and involvement in lesson study: Evidence from junior high school teachers. Professional Development in Education, 46(1), 82–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2019.1585383 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2019.1585383
Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2017). The use of cooperative procedures in teacher education and professional development. Journal of Education for Teaching, 43(3), 284–295. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2017.1328023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2017.1328023
Joubert, J., Callaghan, R., & Engelbrecht, J. (2020). Lesson study in a blended approach to support isolated teachers in teaching with technology. ZDM-Mathematics Education, 52, 907–925. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-020-01161-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-020-01161-x
Karlsen, A. M. F. (2019). Investigating teacher learning in Lesson Study: the important link between reported observations and change of plans. Professional Development in Education, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2019.1685564 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2019.1685564
Kuno, H. (2015). Evolving the curriculum through Lesson Study in Japan. In P. Dudley (Ed.), Lesson study: Professional learning for our time (pp. 128–144). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203795538-6
Kvam, E. K., & Munthe, E. (2021). Strengthening knowledge development in teachers’ conversations in lesson study. In A. Murata & C. K.-E. Lee (Eds.), Stepping up lesson study: An educator’s guide to deeper learning (pp. 68–75). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003002536-7
Lehmann, D. R., & Hulbert, J. (1972). Are three-point scales always good enough? Journal of Marketing Research, 9(4), 444–446. https://doi.org/10.2307/3149313 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002224377200900416
Lewis, C. C., & Hurd, J. (2011). Lesson Study Step by Step: How Teacher Learning Communities Improve Instruction. Heinemann Publishers.
Lewis, C., & Perry, R. (2017). Lesson study to scale up research-based knowledge: A randomized, controlled trial of fractions learning. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 48(3), 261–299. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.48.3.0261 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.48.3.0261
Lieberman, J. (2009). Reinventing teacher professional norms and identities: The role of lesson study and learning communities. Professional Development in Education, 35(1), 83–99. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674580802264688 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13674580802264688
Myers, J. (2012). Lesson study as a means for facilitating preservice teacher reflectivity. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 6(1), Article 15. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2012.060115 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2012.060115
McMahon, M. T., & Hines, E. (2008). Lesson study with preservice teachers. Mathematics Teacher, 102(3), 186–191. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ813434 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5951/MT.102.3.0186
Moser, E. M., & McKim, A. J. (2020). Teacher retention: A relational perspective. Journal of Agricultural Education, 61(2), 263–275. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2020.02263 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2020.02263
Parks, A. N. (2008). Messy learning: Preservice teachers’ lesson-study conversations about mathematics and students. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 1200–1216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2007.04.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2007.04.003
Pomaki, G., DeLongis, A., Frey, D., Short, K., & Woehrle, T. (2010). When the going gets tough: Direct, buffering and indirect effects of social support on turnover intention. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 1340–1346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.03.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.03.007
Roberts, T. G., & Dyer, J. E. (2004). Inservice needs of traditionally and alternatively certified agriculture teachers. Journal of Agricultural Education, 45(4), 57–70. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2004.04057 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2004.04057
Roberts, R., Wittie, B. M., Stair, K. S., Blackburn, J. J., & Smith, H. E. (2020). The dimensions of professional development needs for secondary agricultural education teachers across career stages: A multiple case study comparison. Journal of Agricultural Education, 61(3), 128–143. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2020.03128 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2020.03128
Roseler, K., & Dentzau, M. W. (2013). Teacher professional development: A different perspective. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 8, 619–622. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11422-013-9493-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-013-9493-8
Saldaña, J. (2016). The coding manual for qualitative researchers, 3rd Ed. Sage Publications Limited.
Schipper, T., Goei, S. L., de Vries, S., & van Veen, K. (2018). Developing teachers’ self-efficacy and adaptive teaching behaviour through lesson study. International Journal of Educational Research, 88, 109–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2018.01.011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2018.01.011
Smalley, S., Hainline, M. S., & Sands, K. (2019). School-based agricultural education teachers’ perceived professional development needs associated with teaching, classroom management, and technical agriculture. Journal of Agricultural Education, 60(2), 85–98. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2019.02085 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2019.02085
Smalley, S. W., & Smith, A. R. (2017). Professional development needs of mid-career agriculture teachers. Journal of Agricultural Education, 58(4), 282–290. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2017.04283 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2017.04283
Smith, A. R., Foster, D. D., & Lawver, R. G. (2022). National Agricultural Education Supply and Demand Study: 2022 Executive Summary. https://www.naae.org/naae/assets/File/public/advocacy/nsd-data/2022-NSD-Executive-Summary.pdf
Sorensen, T. J., Lambert, M. D., & McKim, A. J. (2014). Examining Oregon agriculture teachers’ professional needs by career phase. Journal of Agricultural Education, 55(5), 140–154. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2014.05140 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2014.05140
Stepanek, J., Appel, G., Leong, M., Mangan, M. T., & Mitchell, M. (2007). Leading lesson study: A practical guide for teachers and facilitators. Corwin Press.
Stokes, L. R. E., Suh, J. M., & Curby, T. W. (2020). Examining the nature of teacher support during different iterations and modalities of lesson study implementation. Professional Development in Education, 46(1), 97–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2019.1634623 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2019.1634623
Takahashi, A. & McDougal, T. (2016). Collaborative lesson research: Maximizing the impact of lesson study. ZDM Mathematics Education, 48, 513–526. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-015-0752-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-015-0752-x
Teele, S., Maynard, D. F., & Marcoulides, G. A. (2015). The lesson study process: An effective intervention to reduce the achievement gap. US-China Education Review, 5(4), 229–243. https://doi.org/10.17265/2161-623x/2015.04a.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17265/2161-623X/2015.04A.001
Thierbach, C., Hergesell, J., & Baure, N. (2020). Mixed methods research: Foundational entries. Sage Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/9781529750843
Tippens, A., Ricketts, J. C., Morgan, A. C., Navarro, M., & Flanders, F. B. (2013). Factors related to teachers’ intention to leave the classroom early. Journal of Agricultural Education, 54(4), 58–72. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2013.04058 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2013.04058
Thornton, K. M., Coleman, B. M., Bunch, J. C., & Roberts, T. G. (2020). Professional life phases: Identifying professional development needs for Florida agriscience teachers. Journal of Agricultural Education, 61(4), 283–295. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2020.04283 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2020.04283
Touchstone, A. J. L. (2015). Professional development needs of beginning agricultural education teachers in Idaho. Journal of Agricultural Education, 56(2), 170–187. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2015.02170 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2015.02170
Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1994). Social network analysis: Methods and applications. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511815478.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815478.003
Xu, H., & Pedder, D. (2015). Lesson study: An international review of the research. In Dudley, P. (Ed.) Lesson study: Professional learning for our time, (pp. 29–58). Routledge Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203795538-2
Yoshida, N., Matsuda, M., & Miyamoto, Y. (2021). The landscape of lesson study: A methodology for teachers’ professional development and educational research. In J. Kim, N. Yoshida, S. Iwata, & H. Kawaguchi (Eds.). Lesson study-based teacher education: The potential of the Japanese approach in global settings (pp. 29–50). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003036852-3
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
