Pre-Service Teachers as a Part of Lesson Study Team

Nisakorn Boonsena,Maitree Inprasitha,Anake Sudjamnong

doi:10.4236/ce.2019.106095

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate how pre-service teachers work as a part of the lesson study team. Participants were the first grade lesson study team which consisted of one teacher, two graduate students, two university professors, and two pre-service teachers (2017-2018 academic year) in Mathematics Education Program, Faculty of Education, Khon Kaen University, Thailand. The lesson study team implemented open approach lesson study weekly cycle in the school. Data were collected from two sources. The first, by observing the pre-service teachers during: 1) classroom at school, 2) reflection at school and 3) six reflection meetings during the academic year. Secondly, according to the process outlined by open approach lesson study (Inprasitha, 2017c; 2018), by reviewing the documents from lesson plan, students’ work sheets, the reflection of pre-service teachers and lesson study team, and the observation notes from their classes. The results revealed that 1) in order to collaboratively design problem situations; two pre-service teachers solved the task in the textbook. They and the lesson study team created two word problems and anticipated four students’ ideas. Moreover, they prepared the main materials as well as the supplementary materials such as blocks. Furthermore, they planned the teacher’s role for each step in open approach, 2) pre-service teacher taught by following the open approach, and they changed to post four word problems instead of two problems. The lesson study team observed and took note about students’ ideas. Pre-service teacher asked the question such as how you know during the student’ problem solving and the classroom discussion in order to encourage students to explain their ideas. Every student used the blocks to support their thinking, 3) pre-service teachers and lesson study team reflected about students’ ideas that they were anticipated such as drawing the blocks, using blocks. They also reflected some ideas that they did not anticipate such as using the arrows. Moreover, the pre-service teachers observed the student’ difficulty about place value and their number of blocks. The pre-service teachers and lesson study team developed a broader understanding of their students’ ideas from the various perspectives given by the lesson study team.

Highlights

Teacher was the most important element in an education system because the quality of the teacher and teaching influence the quality of education and students’ learning (Inprasitha, 2015d; Takahashi, 2015; Yeap, Foo, & Soh, 2015)
Participants were the first grade lesson study team which consisted of one teacher, two graduate students, two university professors, and two pre-service teachers (2017-2018 academic year) in Mathematics Education Program, Faculty of Education, Khon Kaen University, Thailand
When the pre-service teachers go to school, they start to attend the lesson study team that follows the open approach lesson study weekly cycle

Summary

Introduction

Teacher was the most important element in an education system because the quality of the teacher and teaching influence the quality of education and students’ learning (Inprasitha, 2015d; Takahashi, 2015; Yeap, Foo, & Soh, 2015). There was the gap between pre-service teachers and in-service teachers (Office of the Education Council of Thailand, 2015; Inprasitha, 2006, 2017a). Even though the pre-service teachers learned many courses in the university, it was very difficult for them to learn and think from the perspective of teachers (Isoda, 2007). Many pre-service teachers who expected to encourage students in learning regressed to teach in lecture style (The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future [NCTAF], 1996 cited in Fernandez, 2005). Some pre-service teachers thought the courses in university were not sufficient to understand teaching (Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education [CBSSE], 2000 cited in Fernandez, 2005). The transition period from pre-service teacher to in-service teacher was not easy. Ovens, Garbett and Hutchinson (2016) mentioned that learning to think and act in ways expected of teachers was a difficult process, in the sense of being able to enact effective actions in situations that were dynamic, ever-changing and require complex professional decision making

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