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Teaching a study lesson

Teaching a study lesson

Teachers and observers can find advice to help them organise, plan and conduct a study lesson, and watch two videos, which show how study lessons are taught in mathematics and literacy.

You can use the Study Lesson planning, observation and discussion sheet (DOC-73 KB) Attachments to help you plan, teach and discuss pupil learning within each study lesson. During the study lesson, add your observations of the pupils’ learning to this plan in the 'How they are observed to respond' columns.

Preparing the lesson

To help prepare for the study lesson, it’s important for teachers and observers, as a group, to make a level judgement (low, secure, high) on how the three case pupils are working. You can use the Using the assessment guidelines in Assessing Pupils' Progress to help you make a level judgement.

The group of teachers/observers should clearly identify:

  • what they want each pupil to do in the focus strand by the end of the lesson
  • what evidence they will be looking for in relation to this.

Observing the lesson

The study lesson is jointly planned and jointly owned by the group. This means the focus for the observers is less on the teacher and more on the learners – the case pupils. The observers can focus more on the learning rather than the teacher.

Teachers should try to start each observation as if ‘zooming in’ on the case pupil and then regularly ‘panning out’ to allow a bigger group or the whole class to come into frame.

Observers should try to capture the case pupils’ responses at different stages in the lesson and how they match or differ from what was predicted. They can note these in the 'How they are observed to respond' columns and the 'What were the case pupils able to do' row. Observers can also note any critical incidents, or common patterns in the 'patterns/issues' column. For example, all the case pupils misunderstand something in the same way. Observers can also add the time they made the observations to the sheets.

After the lesson

At the end of the study lesson, observers and teachers should look for:

  • evidence of progress for each pupil against what was planned
  • the extent to which goals have been achieved.

Observers and teachers may also want to ask the questions below and jot down their answers in the ‘initial thoughts’ section at the bottom of the discussion sheet.

  • What are the key points for the next lesson for the case pupils, their groups or the class?
  •  What might you want to ask them in their post-lesson interview?

Examples of how to conduct study lessons

Watch these videos which show Lesson Study in action. The mathematics video shows an upper Key Stage 2 teacher teaching Lesson Study while a leading teacher observes. The literacy video shows a group of teachers teaching the Lesson Study, and children, in pairs, writing and revising sentences, while the teachers observe them.

Sheena
This week, we've been looking at clauses and improving our writing by adding clauses to simple sentences.
Presenter
Having planned with her colleagues, and with the agreed learning outcomes clearly in mind, Sheena teaches the first study lesson, trying out the pedagogies they hope will be effective.
Sheena
Today, we're going to watch a short video clip, and whilst you're watching it, I want you to be aware that afterwards, in your tasks, I'm going to ask you to add some clauses to simple sentences that we're taking from the video clip. So I'm going to ask for groups to specifically focus on one thing whilst they're watching the clip. I'm going to ask you here to look at what the girl in the clip can see, and I'm going to ask you to do the same. What can she see?

Okay, now we've had a chance to watch the video, I'm going to give you a little opportunity to talk on your tables. Off you go.

[students talking]

Sheena
First of all, I'm going to ask you to think about what you heard in that video clip. Who thinks they heard something that would be really interesting for us to add? Maggie, what did you hear?
Maggie
Um, when she walked in the room with the wardrobe in it, you could hear the fly buzzing in the corner.
Sheena
That's a really interesting detail. That's great, Maggie.
Student 2
I think mine would work better at the, at the start, because trembling in fear, comma.
Student 3
Yeah.
Student 2
It's, it just makes more sense and it's got better effect.
Student 4
I think my one sounds better at the beginning than it did at the end, because the girl walked into the vast room, taking a deep breath, doesn't really make the words flow into like a clear sentence. But if it was at the beginning, then I think it sounds better.
Presenter
During the lesson, Emma and Kate focus on observing the target children.
Student 5
Then we had the fly buzzing.
Student 6
I liked the pitter-patter on the window of rain.
Student 5
Yeah.
Student 6
And then...
Student 5
In the wardrobe, the clothes, when she...
Student 6
Rustling.
Student 5
Yeah.
Student 6
And then when she like, came into the snow, I think she heard like, footsteps of the snow, and stuff.
Student 5
Yeah. And, and that, um, boy counting in the background.
Presenter
They watch carefully, to see how each of the target children reacts in the different learning contexts: in whole-class sessions, whilst interacting with others, in guided writing and when working independently.
Sheena
What we've got, is almost the same as the video clip that we watched, and if we look at the very first sentence, the girl walked into the large room, we'll see it's almost the same as the one we used. What I want you to do now is to think to yourself, if you could choose any clause to add to that first simple sentence, what would you choose? Maybe it would be one of the ones we have on our green cards, or maybe it would be something different, thinking about what you saw on that video clip. Have a think, and perhaps you'd like to talk just to each other a moment. What clause do you think you might add?
Student 6
[inaudible]. I don't know. What would you say? Silently?
Student 5
Yeah. Could do, or in amazement, or, um...
Presenter
They asses how well or otherwise the target children are learning, and whether the desired outcomes are being achieved. They make careful notes, not on the quality of the teaching as such, but on the effectiveness for these children of the pedagogies they have helped to plan.
Sheena
Well, well done. You’ve all worked really, really hard. Tidy up the bits and pieces whilst we’re doing it, because it is lunch time, and we could all do with our lunches now, couldn’t we?

Video playlist

Playing video 1 of 2

  1. Chapter 1: Literacy study lesson: Conducting the lesson

    Length 04:34

  2. Chapter 2: Mathematics study lesson: Conducting the lesson

    Length 06:08

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