Beyond Collaboration: An Appreciative Inquiry Into Lesson Study

This study uses appreciative inquiry into lesson study in which the overall design is governed by qualitative inquiry focus on: (a) stories and images that helped teachers in doing lesson study in a new and constructive light; and (b) qualities of lesson study would help make it sustainable. Appreciative inquiry is adopted as a method based on the assumption that researches which apply this are participative in nature and recognizes that teachers learn collaboratively by adapting their knowledge to their experiences.

Appreciative inquiry was born from the positive psychology and organizational change movement in the 1980's which was originally developed by David Cooperrider and his colleagues. Drawing on findings using appreciative inquiry, the study highlights how the process of lesson study helped teachers fully utilize the activity and the materials in the lesson so that students generate mathematical ideas. The use of appreciative inquiry to get feedback about lesson study helped generate stories and images that enable teachers to do lesson study in a new and constructive light. Teachers involved in this study internalized the disposition associated with content pedagogy, which triggered their realization that they have the responsibility to understand content deeply, and prompted them to exert effort to study the materials and available resources, consulted colleagues, and continued reflecting on what should be done for students to think and understand the concepts being taught. This study finds that lesson study in this particular school has a greater possibility to sustain collaboration among teachers and continually effects change because: (1) it builds relationships and enables teachers to be known in relationship rather than in roles; (2) it creates an opportunity for teachers to be heard; (3) it generates opportunities for teachers to dream, and to share their dreams; and (4) it creates an environment in which teachers are able to choose how they contribute.

Note: The full paper is one of the chapters of the book titled “BOOK 1.  LESSON STUDY: PLANNING TOGETHER, LEARNING TOGETHER” which will be published in print form by UP NISMED this first quarter of 2013.

By Allan Canonigo