Lesson Study for Language Teachers' Professional Development

Abstract

Teachers strongly need to experience quality professional development in order to improve student learning and teacher instruction. However, teacher professional development efforts are often criticized by educators for their lack of continuity and ability to produce effecting changes in teacher practice and student learning. So far, teacher professional development is seen as static, top-down and policy-oriented (Mañalac, 2010). Teachers who undergo this cascading model of training try to implement innovations but are constrained by time, materials required, and the lack of instructional or administrative support. Thus, they often go back to their former teaching approaches and habits. This study presented a teacher professional development initiative based on the Japanese lesson study model described by Catherine Lewis (1998) in “A Lesson is Like a Swiftly Flowing River”. Lesson study is an inquiry model of teacher professional development used extensively throughout Japan. Advocates, usually from the Maths and Sciences fields, say it is a powerful professional development process that can lead to stronger lesson plans and teaching practices. In describing the lesson study process undergone by English teachers from a public junior high school in Quezon City, this present study sought to investigate such process as an alternative approach to English teachers’ professional development while improving their skills in applying Communicative Language Teaching methods in their classes. The study specifically answered the following questions: (1) Is there a relationship between teachers’ participation in lesson study (LS) and their implementation of communicative language teaching (CLT) in English lessons? (2) Does LS improve the language teachers’ perception of themselves as implementers of CLT in their classes? and (3) Does LS foster a positive attitude towards collaboration among language teachers? Results of the regression analysis on the assessment made by the six teacher-participants on themselves prior and after LS cycles (through the survey), and the implementation of CLT (though cycles 1 to 6 research lesson observation guides), showed improvement in CLT implementation, As LS is practiced repeatedly in at least 5 cycles or more, there is marked improvement in the implementation of CLT in English classes. Secondly, the paired sample t-test showed a significant difference between the teacher participants’ pre-LS and post-LS scores on the questionnaire which indicated an increase in the positive perception of themselves as implementers of CLT. Lastly, as towards collaboration was promoted and fostered among the language teachers by the LS activities. Based on the analysis of data results, recommendations for language teachers, school administrators and future researchers to adopt LS as a viable continuing teacher professional development program, in the context of English language teaching-learning were also given.