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 effective changes in teacher practice and student learning. So far, teacher professional development is seen as static, top-down 2nd policy-oriented (Marialac, 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 app~oach to English teachers' professional development while improving their skills in applying Communicative Language Teaching methods in their classes.