Step 4 - Planning the Research Lesson

Once again, the team will spend a great deal of time discussing all salient issues within the specific Lesson Study framework. What are the goals of this lesson? What should students know at the end of class? How is this lesson related to the larger goals previously established? How do different curricula espouse teaching this material? What has been tried? What has succeeded? What has not? Once the team understands the lesson in terms of the larger Lesson Study framework, it proceeds to planning the actual lesson.

Typically, the team will consider many factors when planning a research lesson. From the lesson’s introduction to close, the team will outline the steps of the lesson including use of learning tools (the blackboard, manipulatives, visuals, etc.) to the use of techniques (small or large group work, rules or directions, vocabulary, etc. For each step of the lesson, the team will document how that step meets the learning goal. They will hypothesize expected student reactions and anticipate the teacher’s responses to those reactions. Finally, they will document those evaluation points that the observers should focus upon during the lesson.