Lesson Study Follow-up

We had a fantastic week in Orlando. The weather was frigid, but the work was powerful. I hoped I would be able to blog each day about the fantastic things we were learning. Unfortunately, I was too exhausted at the end of each day to post a single a thing.

My colleagues and I spent the whole week facilitating lesson studies with fabulous teams of teachers at Cypress Creek High School, Dream Lake Elementary School, and Shingle Creek Elementary School. While we learned an enormous amount from this work, one thing in particular stands out. 

At the end of the week, we got the chance to debrief our work with a group of teacher leaders, administrators, and Orange County Public Schools curriculum service staff. At the conclusion of that meeting I asked the group, "What was one thing you are going to take away from this week?" There were lots of interesting takeaways. The concluding comment still lingers for me. One person said, "I am really struck by the importance that the adult community plays in the success of the lesson study. We saw examples this week of teams of teachers who really pushed one another's thinking. They did this thoughtfully and respectfully. They actually followed the norms they set. I often work in schools where teachers in the same department won't even talk to one another. I learned that we have to first work on their relationships before we can start to worry about their professional growth."

She's right, of course. We can't expect teachers to take risks with their thinking and teach in front of one another if they don't care for one another. When we mandate reform in schools, sometimes we forget that the first step is to build community.

More posts will come on this work—we go back in April.