Step 3 - Choosing a Subject Area
| Choosing a subject area may be an activity that is determined by the team
or may be pre-determined by some other factor. Though most Lesson Study teams
choose a subject area in which students have difficulty learning or teachers
have difficulty teaching, others are governed by different factors. For
instance, Lesson Study teams may focus on new curricula or standards. |
Module 2: Focusing the Research
Lesson |
A Lesson Study team’s subject area may be pre-determined by the nature of
the team (all mathematics teachers, for instance), or available grant monies.
When teams are from different schools or districts, the subject area may be
determined chiefly by shared weakness, so that all participants may benefit
from the outcomes.
Once the general subject area is established, the team begins to focus the
subject area on a specific topic, and finally, on a specific lesson.
Diagnostic or achievement tests may identify potential target areas. Detailed
discussion will further hone potential target areas. The team may discuss how
a potential lesson fits within the unit and addresses the unit’s goals; the
instructional sequence for the unit, and whether it addresses the research
theme previously agreed upon.
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