Ed blogs have pointed me recently to Lesson Study, which is pretty much what it sounds like: the detailed examination, by a small group of teachers, of a particular lesson with specific learning goals.
If you are unfamiliar with the field of education, the fact that this is a cutting edge Japanese import, and not standard practice, will surprise you. If you are a teacher, you know how little attention is paid to developing the basic tools of teaching in ed schools and in professional development.
Examining a lesson and improving upon it is not revolutionary. In fact, it is pretty much necessary to educate well. South Korea, I once read, has a national database of lesson plans that are evaluated and updated by every teacher who uses them. If we in the U.S. are to improve the art of teaching, this is the way we need to go.
No comments:
Post a Comment