Juego libre como herramienta de aprendizaje: reflexiones y desafíos en formación inicial docente a través de lesson study

Political and policy professionals responsible for the evaluation and improvement of Further Adult and Vocational Education (FAVE) are currently faced with a number of pressing problems. The first is that top-down, micro-managed approaches to the evaluation and improvement of teaching, learning and assessment in FAVE system, such as those currently used widely in England by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), incur expensive overheads which are becoming increasingly difficult to justify in terms of empirical and robust evidence of educational improvement. The second is that despite significant levels of public investment in FAVE in England, the return on this financial outlay has not yielded discernible value for public money in terms of actual improvements in the form of raised levels of achievement for learners. The former suggests that systemic approaches to the external evaluation and improvement of educational practice in FAVE are in urgent need of review. The latter draws attention to how in-house approaches to the improvement in educational practice and the continuing professional development (CPD) of teachers within organisations are also somehow missing the mark. The financial costs to the taxpayer of an expensive but failing system of educational evaluation and improvement, coupled with significant shortcomings in approaches to the continuing professional development of teachers are high. In the current economic climate, these costs are funded by taxes paid by individuals and by businesses who often find themselves in considerably reduced financial circumstances. This places a duty upon those responsible for educational research to critically investigate current approaches to educational evaluation and improvement in England, including models of teacher CPD, in order to identify how we might go about educational evaluation and the improvement of educational practice in ways which offer better value for money to the taxpayer and improved educational experiences for both teachers and their students. However, changing the way that we go about educational evaluation and improvement in the FAVE sector is unlikely to be as easy as it sounds. Voices from across the field of educational research warn that such development is hard won and that what appear to be ‘quick fixes’ seldom, if ever, ‘fix’ anything and never ‘quickly’. Furthermore, the relationship between educational research and the improvement of educational practice is complex and contested. In the UK recent proposals to reshape the landscape of educational research and its connections to teaching are placing increasing emphasis upon identifying the impact of research upon educational practice. In addition, the expensive shortcomings of approaches to the improvement of educational practice developed remotely by educational researchers/policy/political professionals, imposed upon teachers from the top-down and evaluated in terms of ‘outcomes-based’ measures are increasingly well documented in the literature. Of particular concern here is the way in which top-down approaches overlook the importance of context and teacher judgement in order to reduce and oversimplify what can and should be measured and valued in education to what can be easily measured. A further concern is that this approach is operating to inhibit real improvements in practice by overlooking subtle, complex and crucially important aspects of the realities of how educational knowledge is ‘transferred’ and how educational practice actually improves. This paper reports the findings of a programme of practice-focused research, underpinned by an inquiry-based pedagogy, to support the initial and continuing professional development of teachers in the FAVE sector. The aim of the programme is to produce significant, well-theorised and methodologically rigorous research into educational practice and educational improvement in order to generate insightful and illuminative cases of educative value, not only to the teachers engaged in the research but also to other teachers and policy professionals interested in improving educational practice.

This research aims to understand the meanings that teachers attribute to Lesson Study as a professional development strategy to improve de response to diversity in the classroom. From a descriptive interpretative approach of qualitative research and a case study design, the data was collected through semi-structured interviews in an intentional sample of teachers working in two Chilean public schools. In addition, analysis of documents prepared by the participants was performed. The findings reveal that Lesson Study is a strategy with a great potential to promote reflection and improvement of educational practices from an inclusive approach, to strengthen collaboration and learning among teachers, to develop new strategies to respond to diversity. The research also identified some critical factors necessary to take into account for the success of future applications of this methodology in training contexts. Finally, this study allows us to reaffirm the relevance of Lesson Study as an innovative and effective proposal in the field of continuous training, in order to promote changes and move towards inclusive practices in the classroom.

Teacher quality is the most important factor influencing student achievement, highlighting the key role of teachers in improving learner outcomes. Managing teacher performance is essential to enhancing teaching quality. Therefore, principals must continually develop their skills in planning, monitoring, and reviewing to effectively manage teacher performance. This study determined and described the principals’ competence in performance management of teachers in the private secondary schools in the Division of Nueva Ecija. The descriptive method of research was employed in the study. Survey instruments in the form of questionnaires were distributed to thirty-six (36) principal- respondents, thirty-three (33) department heads and two hundred one (201) teachers. The findings clearly indicate that all the respondents displayed common perceptions on the principals’ competence in managing the performance of teachers, and considered performance management as a means for quality improvement in educational practice to ensure better teaching and learning has taken place in the classroom. The findings, however, showed that there was a significant difference between and among the perceptions of the respondent- principals, department heads and teachers on the level of principals’ competence in teacher performance management only in the area of monitoring. The overall findings of the study reflected that the principals were highly competent in the three areas of performance management: planning, monitoring and reviewing performance of teachers. Hence, there is only a need to sustain principals’ competence in teacher performance management.

(1979). Theories, Policies, and the Improvement of Educational Practice. The Review of Education: Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 203-214.

Dialogical self theory is applied to describe the identity of a group of experienced Catalan teachers. Participants (N = 58) were asked about their positions and I-positions via a written survey, and the data were analysed using qualitative and quantitative procedures. The findings show a comprehensive description of nine types of positions (to educate children, to plan instruction, to support and assess learning, to promote a positive learning environment, to improve educational practice, to collaborate with colleagues, to build a relationship with families, to manage the school, and to collaborate with external professionals) as well as thirty types of I-positions. In addition, four clusters of teachers were identified, each of which emphasised different positions: instruction and school management; instruction and improvement of educational practice; education of children and teaching students; and education of children and improvement of educational practice. Comparative research on teachers’ I-positions could be conducted in different contexts.

This chapter explores the role of research in improving teaching and learning in research-intensive universities. Over the past decades, there has been a notable increase in the number of studies investigating college-level teaching and learning, both in general and in specific disciplines. Pedagogical practice no longer has to be based on anecdote or intuition. Empirical evidence can inform instructions about methods that lead to better learning. The chapter presents four cases studies from the University of Helsinki and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that describe how careful research into pedagogy contributed to improvements in educational practice in those two universities. The chapter concludes with observations about the role educational research can play in how faculty can make informed and strategic decisions about teaching and learning.

The efficiency and effectivity of the learning experience is dependent on the teacher quality, thus, enhancing teacher’s quality is vital in improving the students learning outcome. Since, the usual top-down one-shot cascading model practice for teachers’ professional development in Philippines has been observed to have much information dilution, and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization demanded the need to develop mathematics teachers’ quality standards through the Southeast Asia Regional Standards for Mathematics Teachers (SEARS-MT), thus, an intensive, ongoing professional development model should be provided to teachers. This study was undertaken to determine the impact of Lesson Study on Bulua National High School mathematics teachers’ quality level in terms of SEARS-MT dimensions. A mixed method of quantitative–qualitative research design was employed. Results of the analysis revealed that Lesson Study effectively enhanced mathematics teachers’ quality and promoted teachers professional development. Teachers positively perceived Lesson Study to be beneficial for them to become a better mathematics teacher.

The implementation of Numbered Head Together (NHT) technique through lesson study in teaching speaking for student of class XI IPA B at MA Miftahul Ulum Bettet, this study used descriptive qualitative method. the data was analyzed through:data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The research results, the implementation of the NHT technique through lesson study in teaching speaking that consists of plan, do, and see. There were 2 cycles in this research, where there was an increase the quality of teaching and learning, and the quality of teachers’ teaching competency that can fluence to the improvement of student speaking skill. Based on the research result, it can be concluded that the implementation of NHT Technique Through Lesson Study Strategy in Teaching Speaking can increase the quality of teaching and learning, and the quality of teachers’ teaching competency that can fluence to the improvement of student speaking skill.

The impact survey of report on teaching and learning mathematics and science in Rwandan schools indicated different challenges featuring teachers in implementation of curriculum. Some of the challenges in mathematics and science topics for teachers and students are; inadequate skills for conducting science practical works and lack of permanent friendly professional development programme. This paper reflects on how these challenges could be addressed through lesson study approach in Rwandan context. The interpretivism approach will be used in this study and some of the related model about the lesson study description and implementation. Data were collected from the existing literature pertaining to lesson study and the accessed writings from countries which have embraced and implemented the lesson study in mathematics and science were considered. The analyzed data confirm positive impacts of lesson study towards the quality of teaching and learning of mathematics and science by improving teachers’ teaching competences as well as students’ academic achievement in the countries that have implemented it. Based on the findings, a lesson study is urged to be implemented and spread in Rwandan primary and secondary schools and also being initiated in teacher preparation programmes as one of school community of practice to nurture teachers’ competences for implementing the curriculum.

The paper presents some key challenges in a four-year process of research and improvement of educational practices in a kindergarten. The process itself was exploratory and reflective in character in order to avoid the pitfalls that impede quality development. These pitfalls include disregard for the complexity and multidimensionality of practice, the irrelevance of research subjects to the professional life of practitioners and the mismatch between the beliefs that practitioners advocate and achievements in practice. In particular, efforts were made to strengthen the development of the institution’s capacity for change and encourage its gradual transformation into a learning organization. In the process of research and changes in practices, the development of critical reflection by educators was strongly encouraged in order for them to be able to question the fundamental beliefs that shape their daily educational work. The institution sought to develop practical critical reflection so that practitioners would be able to consider problems from different perspectives, develop a better understanding of situations and improve their practice. Strengthening the autonomy and emancipation of educators posed a challenge to the institution’s leadership given the different levels of motivation of the educators involved in the process of change. The levels of voluntariness of their participation in this process differed, which was reflected in the intensity and the outlook of the development of practices. The principal sought to achieve a balance between pressure and support in the process of developing the practices, which was hampered by a shortage of educators. The paper presents the basic dilemmas that, in this sense, the principal confronted and examines the responsibility of all staff in the institution for quality assurance and development.

Education for sustainable development is a very current field and there are lots of research on the importance of this strategy. The paper analyzes the concept and shows the ways of educating school pedagogues for sustainable development in the Republic of Serbia. The main goal of the introduction and work of the service of school pedagogues is the application of modern theoretical and practical knowledge from pedagogy in the improvement of educational practice through 11 areas that include: planning and programming of educational work; implementation of the teaching and educational process; monitoring and evaluation of school work; improvement of educational work and cooperation with teachers; work and cooperation with students; cooperation with parents; research of educational practice; work in professional institute; cooperation with professional institutions, the local community and professional development; documentation management; preparation for work. School pedagogues are obliged to include jobs from all fields in their annual work program. The results of this research show that within these areas education for sustainable development permeates, but that there is no separate area. The research is focused on the question of how we can encourage the actors of the educational process and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia about the importance of education for sustainable development.

This study aims to analyze the utilization of lesson study in improving the teaching competence of Physical Education (PE) teachers at the elementary school level. The lesson study process which consists of three main stages: planning, implementation, and collaborative reflection, was applied in the context of PE learning in several elementary schools. Participants in this study came from physical education teachers from the Palembang (Indonesia) area, totalling 10 elementary school PE teachers. The quality of learning is measured by looking at two aspects: teaching skills observed from recorded processes on how teachers managed the classroom and from students' formative class evaluation questionnaire after the learning process. The initial measurement and training on managing the classroom were given to the participating teachers before the lesson study was conducted. Furthermore, the lesson study program was carried out for four cycles. The same measurement was taken before and after the lesson study was concluded. All data in this study were processed using IBM SPSS 27 with paired sample t-test analysis and effect sizes. The results of the study found that lesson study at the before and after stages was proven to significantly improve the quality of teacher teaching (p<0.05), but not at the teaching skills (p>0.05). The results showed that lesson study effectively helped PE teachers identify and correct weaknesses in their teaching, improve pedagogical skills and facilitate more interactive and quality learning. In addition, lesson study also encourages the development of a collaborative culture among teachers, which contributes to improving professionalism and learning quality. This study concludes that lesson study is an effective strategy to improve the teaching competence of PE teachers at the primary school level, and it is recommended to be applied more widely in teacher development programs.

The study aims to develop students’ higher cognitive skills e.g. analysis, synthesis and assessment and to increase their academic successes by reflecting their cognitive skills in psychomotor skills in practice with the help of lesson study. Therefore, the aim of the study is to increase students’ English as a foreign language learning level. Action research was used in the study. “English Achievement Test” and “Semi-Structured Interview Form” developed by the researchers were used as data collection instruments. English achievement test was used as pre-test and post-test to define students’ English language levels, and semi-structured interview form was used to determine teachers’ views about lesson study practice. According to research result, lesson study has increased students’ learning levels significantly. Moreover, teachers stated that lesson study was highly beneficial and affected their professional development in a positive way. It was stated by teachers in the study that lesson study had the teachers a chance to observe and assess their teaching qualities and so, it made the students’ learning levels increase significantly. Furthermore, all of the teachers agreed that lesson study as an in-service training model could be an approach used for both other lessons and nationally.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to capitalize on the advantages of an evidence-based lesson analysis while proposing a method of research on teaching that offers opportunities for deeper reflections. The objective is to examine how well a transnational learning project such as this one can determine the cultural script of a mathematics lesson in Malaysia through the perspective of Japanese educators well trained in the lesson study approach. Emphasis here is on a cross-cultural analysis to view in depth the cultural script of teaching mathematics in Malaysia with particular focus on how teachers respond to students’ mistakes in a mathematics lesson.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on data collected by the authors in a lesson study in Malaysia that aimed to provide a cross-cultural analysis of a Malaysian mathematics lesson (grade 10) through the eyes of Japanese educators. Data retrieved should determine the cultural script of a mathematics class in Malaysia with an emphasis on Malaysian teachers’ responses to students’ mistakes in class. The cross-cultural analysis of a lesson is a comparative method that reveals the hidden factors at play by increasing awareness of characteristics in classroom situations that are self-evident to all involved members.FindingsThe findings are intended to the cultural script of Malaysia in the context of “classroom culture regarding mistakes” and “mistake management behavior.” The impact on the quality of teaching and learning also discussed in relation to how it can be improved in practice from the following perspectives: the teacher’s attitudes toward student mistakes; how mistakes are treated and dealt with in class; and how learning from mistakes is managed. The data in Table II provide a meta-analysis of evidences of “classroom culture regarding mistakes” and “mistake management behavior” of the teacher from the Malaysian researchers and practitioners’ perspective as well as from the lens of the Japanese educators.Research limitations/implicationsThis study realizes that both sets of research studies value the importance of mistakes. It is important to identify the source of students’ mistakes and further learn from them. In order to reveal the overall structure of the cultural script of lessons, we need to realize that various cultural scripts are at work in the production of any given lesson. In the future, the authors hope to develop the potential of this view of culture script of teaching through cross-cultural analysis for lesson study and curriculum research and development.Practical implicationsThis study aims to capitalize on the advantages of evidence-based lesson analysis through the lesson study process while proposing a method of research on teaching that offers opportunities for deeper reflections. The objective is to examine how well a transnational learning project such as this one can determine the cultural script of a mathematics lesson in Malaysia through the perspective of Japanese educators well trained in the lesson study methodology.Social implicationsThe authors need to obtain reflective feedback based on concrete facts, and for this reason “lesson study,” a pedagogical approach with its origins in Japan, is attracting global attention from around the world. This study focuses on the discrete nature, the progression, significance, and the context of lessons. That is, by avoiding excessive abstraction and generalization, reflection based on concrete facts and dialogue retrieved from class observations can be beneficial in the process. The mutual and transnational learning between teachers that occurs during the lesson study process can foster the building and sharing of knowledge in teaching practice.Originality/valueThere is currently little empirical research addressing “classroom culture regarding mistakes” which mostly represents how teachers and students learn from mistakes in the classroom. This study focuses on a cross-cultural analysis to view in depth the cultural script of teaching mathematics in Malaysia with particular focus on how teachers respond to students’ mistakes in a mathematics lesson. The following perspectives are examined: the teacher’s attitudes toward student mistakes; how mistakes are treated and dealt with in class; and how learning from mistakes is managed.

Lesson study, the dominant form of professional development for teachers in Japan, has spread rapidly in the U.S. since 1999. The authors discuss the growth and success of study at Highlands Elementary School in California's San Mateo-Foster City School District and identify conditions needed for scale-up. ********** IN LESSON study, teachers collaboratively plan, observe, and analyze actual classroom lessons, drawing out implications both for the design of specific lessons and for teaching and learning more broadly. Long the dominant form of professional development in Japan, study has spread rapidly in the United States since 1999. Previous Kappan articles have praised study's potential for improving instruction but questioned whether it might become one more short-lived fad. (1) Since 2000, we have followed the development of study at Highlands Elementary School, one of the first U.S. schools to adopt the practice. Serving just over 400 K-5 students in an urban/suburban district in the western U.S., Highlands School provides both an existence proof that U.S. teachers can use study to improve instruction and a window into the conditions needed for its success. (2) HISTORY OF LESSON STUDY AT HIGHLANDS SCHOOL As instructional improvement coordinator for a cluster of schools in San Mateo-Foster City (SMFC) School District in the late 1990s, Mary Pat O'Connell was looking for a professional development model that would support sustained, teacher-led improvement of classroom instruction. Lesson study, as described in The Teaching Gap, (3) seemed to fit the criteria that O'Connell and colleague Jackie Hurd (a half-time Highlands teacher and half-time district mathematics coach) had laid out. After reading about study, Hurd recalls, she felt certain we wanted to do study. How to do it was much less clear. Initially, O'Connell and Hurd teamed up with other district mathematics coaches, and O'Connell wrote an open letter inviting district teachers to try out study. (4) The initial 26 volunteers included three other Highlands teachers. With funding for substitutes and stipends for after-school work provided by the district, the Highlands group conducted two study cycles during the 2000-01 school year and presented the results to the Highlands faculty in the spring of 2001. (5) Nearly all of the Highlands faculty decided to begin study the following fall, and the remaining faculty joined the next year. Lesson study has continued ever since at Highlands and is now in its sixth year. Lesson study groups typically include three to six teachers from the same or adjacent grade levels. They conduct two cycles of study per year and share what they learn with the entire faculty at regular intervals. The faculty selects a school-wide theme (e.g., reduction of the achievement gap) that provides a common focus for the work of the study groups. Each study cycle consists of study of relevant background materials, collaborative planning of a research lesson that is taught by one team member while others observe and collect data on students, and a post-lesson discussion in which teachers share information and discuss implications. All members of the Highlands faculty now participate, and those who were initially reluctant have become active participants. Of 22 teachers currently teaching at the school, 14 have taught lessons, and six have made presentations about study outside the school. Highlands teachers have also taken the initiative to expand study from mathematics to language arts, social studies, and science. Mary Pat O'Connell became principal of Highlands in October 2001, and she has provided two hours per month within the school day for study, by reducing the number of faculty meetings and handling routine faculty business in other ways. …