th grade case students, and a mentor teacher working in the Turkish state school, where the study was carried out. In line with the principles of lesson study, a research lesson focusing on teaching the present perfect tense was jointly prepared by the experienced teacher and the preservice teachers. The research lesson was firstly taught by the experienced teacher and observed by the pre-service teachers and the mentor teacher. Then, the lesson was retaught to another group of students by one of the pre-service teachers after the lesson was revised in the post-lesson meeting. The qualitative content analysis of the post-lesson meeting, which was conducted in the form of a focus-group interview following the first lesson revealed the strengths and weaknesses of the research lesson while the post-lesson meeting after the revised lesson did not uncover any lessonrelated issues. This finding shows that the experienced teacher-led lesson study has improved the lesson plan. At the end of the lesson study application, the pre-service teachers and the mentor teacher were given an open-ended survey aiming to collect their opinions about whether lesson study is an effective pre-service teacher development approach. They agreed on the effectiveness of lesson study, and the findings are discussed in line with relevant literature.

">

An Exploration of Lesson Study for Pre-Service English as a Foreign Language Teacher Education

Abdullah Coskun*
Department of English Translation and Interpretation, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey.
Periodicity:September - November'2019
DOI : https://doi.org/10.26634/jsch.15.2.16541

Abstract

This study aims to incorporate lesson study into the teaching experience of pre-service English language teachers. The participants of the study are three pre-service English language teachers who completed the pedagogical formation certificate program, an experienced English language teacher, seven 6th grade case students, and a mentor teacher working in the Turkish state school, where the study was carried out. In line with the principles of lesson study, a research lesson focusing on teaching the present perfect tense was jointly prepared by the experienced teacher and the preservice teachers. The research lesson was firstly taught by the experienced teacher and observed by the pre-service teachers and the mentor teacher. Then, the lesson was retaught to another group of students by one of the pre-service teachers after the lesson was revised in the post-lesson meeting. The qualitative content analysis of the post-lesson meeting, which was conducted in the form of a focus-group interview following the first lesson revealed the strengths and weaknesses of the research lesson while the post-lesson meeting after the revised lesson did not uncover any lessonrelated issues. This finding shows that the experienced teacher-led lesson study has improved the lesson plan. At the end of the lesson study application, the pre-service teachers and the mentor teacher were given an open-ended survey aiming to collect their opinions about whether lesson study is an effective pre-service teacher development approach. They agreed on the effectiveness of lesson study, and the findings are discussed in line with relevant literature.

Keywords

Lesson Study, Pre-Service Language Teacher Education, Teaching The Present Perfect Tense.

How to Cite this Article?

Coskun, A. (2019). An Exploration of Lesson Study for Pre-Service English as a Foreign Language Teacher Education. i-manager’s Journal on School Educational Technology, 15(2), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.26634/jsch.15.2.16541

References

[1]. Angelini, M. L., & Alvarez, N. (2018). Spreading lesson study in pre-service teacher instruction. International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, 7(1), 23-36. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLLS-03-2017-0016
[2]. Bayram, İ., & Bıkmaz, F. (2018). Exploring the lesson study experience of EFL instructors at higher education: A pilot study. Journal of Qualitative Research in Education, 6(3), 313-340.
[3]. Büyükkarcı, K. (2014). Formative microteaching in teaching and foreign language anxiety. Anthropologist, 18(2), 505-511. https://doi.org/10.1080/09720073.2014. 11891568
[4]. Cajkler, W., & Wood, P. (2016). Lesson study and pedagogic literacy in initial teacher education: Challenging reductive models. British Journal of Educational Studies, 64(4), 503-521. https://doi.org/10. 1080/00071005.2016.1164295
[5]. Cajkler, W., Wood, P., Norton, J., & Pedder, D. (2013). Lesson study: Towards a collaborative approach to learning in initial teacher education? Cambridge Journal of Education, 43(4), 537-554. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 0305764X.2013.834037
[6]. Cerbin, B., & Kopp, B. (2011). Lesson Study Guide. Lesson Study Project. Retrieved from http://www.uwlax.edu/ sotl/lsp/guide
[7]. Chokshi, S., & Fernandez, C. (2004). Challenges to importing Japanese lesson study: Concerns, misconceptions, and nuances. Phi Delta Kappan, 85(7), 520-525. https://doi.org/10.1177/003172170408500710
[8]. Coenders, F., & Verhoef, N. (2019) Lesson study: Professional development (PD) for beginning and experienced teachers. Professional Development in Education, 45(2), 217-230. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 19415257.2018.1430050
[9]. Coşkun, A. (2016). Exploring the microteaching component of an EFL teacher education program. Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 16(3), 810- 829.
[10]. Coşkun, A. (2017). The application of lesson study in teaching English as a foreign language. İnönü Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 18(1), 151-162. https://doi.org/10. 17679/inuefd.297845
[11]. Coşkun, A. (2019). A 'Lesson Study' approach to pre-service English language teacher education. In 3rd International Congress on Science and Education, Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi, Afyon.
[12]. Coşkun, A., & Daloğlu, A. (2010). Evaluating an English language teacher education program through Peacock's model. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 35(6), 24- 42.
[13]. Cruickshank, K., & Westbrook, R. (2013). Local and global - conflicting perspectives? The place of overseas practicum in preservice teacher education. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 41(1), 55-68. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/1359866X.2012.753989
[14]. Çakır, I. (2011). A problematic tense to teach: Present perfect tense. ELTWeekly, 3, 8-18.
[15]. Darling-Hammond, L. (2006). Constructing 21st century teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 300-314. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487 105285962
[16]. Darling-Hammond, L., & McLaughlin, M. W. (1995). Policies that support professional development in an era of reform. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(8), 597-604.
[17]. Ducrey Monnier, M., & Gruson, B. (2018). Lesson study research and initial teacher education: How to teach interactive speaking in English as a foreign language (EFL) in primary school? Research in Subject-matter Teaching and Learning, 1, 118-133.
[18]. Dudley, P. (2014). Lesson Study: Handbook. Retreived from http://lessonstudy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/ 2012/03/new-handbook-revisedMay14.pdf
[19]. Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. NY: Random House Publishing Group.
[20]. Elghotmy, H. E. A. (2012). Investigation into the Microteaching Practices of Egyptian Pre-service Teachers of English in an EFL Teacher Preparation Programme: Implications for Curriculum Planning and Design (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation), The University of Exeter, the UK.
[21]. Fernandez, M. L. (2010). Investigating how and what prospective teachers learn through microteaching lesson study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(2), 351-362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.09.012
[22]. Furlong, J. (2000). School mentors and university tutors: Lessons from the English experiment. Theory into Practice, 39(1), 12-19. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421 tip3901_3
[23]. Goh, R., & Fang, Y. (2017). Improving English language teaching through lesson study. Case study of teacher learning in a Singapore primary school level team. Journal of Lesson and Learning Studies, 6(2), 135–150. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLLS-11-2015-0037
[24]. Haberman, M. (2004). Can star teachers create learning communities? Educational Leadership, 61(8), 52- 56.
[25]. Hargreaves, D. H. (2012). A Self Improving School System: Towards Maturity. National College for School Leadership. Retrieved from https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/15804/1/ a-self-improving-school-system-towards-maturity.pdf
[26]. Intrator, S. M. (2006). Beginning teachers and the emotional drama of the classroom. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 232-239. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022 487105285890
[27]. Johnson, K. E. (2009). Second Language Teacher Education: A Sociocultural Perspective. NY: Routledge.
[28]. Köksal, D., & Genç, G. (2019). Learning while teaching: Student teachers' reflections on their teaching practicum. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 15(3), 895-913.
[29]. Korthagen, F. A. J., & Kessels, J. P. A. M. (1999). Linking theory and practice: Changing the pedagogy of teacher education. Educational Researcher, 28(4), 4-17. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X028004004
[30]. Lee, J. F. K. (2008). A Hong Kong case of lesson study: Benefits and concerns. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(5), 1115-1124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2007.10. 007
[31]. Lewis, C. (2002). Lesson Study: A Handbook of Teacher-Led Instructional Change. Philadelphia, PA: Research for Better Schools.
[32]. Martínez Agudo, J. D. (2016). What type of feedback do student teachers expect from their school mentors during practicum experience? The case of Spanish EFL student teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41(5), 36-51.
[33]. Merç, A. (2015). Assessing the performance in EFL teaching practicum: Student teachers' views. International Journal of Higher Education, 4(2), 44-56.
[34]. Nami, F., Marandi, S. S., & Sotoudehnama, E. (2015). CALL teacher professional growth through lesson study practice: An investigation into EFL teachers' perceptions. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 29(4), 658-682. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2015.1016439
[35]. Öztürk, G., & Aydın, B. (2019). English language teacher education in Turkey: Why do we fail and what policy reforms are needed? Anadolu Journal of Educational Sciences International, 9(1), 181-213. https://doi.org/10.18039/ajesi.520842
[36]. Parks, A. N. (2009). Collaborating about what? An instructor's look at preservice lesson study. Teacher Education Quarterly, 36(4), 81-97.
[37]. Pella, S. (2012). What should count as data for data driven instruction? Toward contextualized data-inquiry models for teacher education and professional development. Middle Grades Research Journal, 7(1) 57-75.
[38]. Richards, J. C., & Farrell, T. S. C. (2005). Professional Development for Language Teachers. NY: Cambridge University Press.
[39]. SchÖn, D. (1987). Educating the Reflective Practitioner. Toward a New Design for Teaching and Learning in the Professions. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
[40]. Sims, L., & Walsh, D. (2009). Lesson study with preservice teachers: Lessons from lessons. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(5), 724-733. https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.tate.2008.10.005
[41]. Shulman, L. S., & Shulman, J. H. (2004). How and what teachers learn: A shifting perspective. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 36(2), 257-271. https://doi.org/10. 1080/002202 7032000148298
[42]. Stigler, J., & Hiebert, J. (1999). The Teaching Gap: Best Ideas from the World's Teachers for Improving Education in the Classroom. NY: The Free Press.
[43]. Taber, K.S. (2014). Methodological issues in science education research: a perspective from the philosophy of science. In M. R. Matthews (Ed.), International Handbook of Research in History, Philosophy and Science Teaching (Vol. 3, pp. 1839-1893). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.
[44]. Tasker, C.T. (2014). Exploring EFL teacher Professional Development through Lesson Study: An Activity Theoretical Approach (Unpublished Doctoral Thesis), The Pennsylvania State University.
[45]. Tomlinson, P. (1995). Understanding mentoring: Reflective strategies for school-based teacher preparation. Buckingham & Philadelphia: Open University Press.
[46]. Tsui, A. B. M., & Law, D. Y. K. (2007). Learning as boundary-crossing in school-university partnerships. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23(8), 1289-1301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.06.003
[47]. Vygotsky, L. S. (1962). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
[48]. Warford, M. K. (2011). The zone of proximal teacher development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(2), 252-258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.08.008
[49]. Yalcın Arslan, F. (2018). The role of lesson study in teacher learning and professional development of EFL teachers in Turkey: A case study. TESOL Journal, 10(2), e00409. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.409
If you have access to this article please login to view the article or kindly login to purchase the article

Purchase Instant Access

Single Article

North Americas,UK,
Middle East,Europe
India Rest of world
USD EUR INR USD-ROW
Pdf 35 35 200 20
Online 35 35 200 15
Pdf & Online 35 35 400 25

Options for accessing this content:
  • If you would like institutional access to this content, please recommend the title to your librarian.
    Library Recommendation Form
  • If you already have i-manager's user account: Login above and proceed to purchase the article.
  • New Users: Please register, then proceed to purchase the article.