Template preview · Education
Lesson study
Plan, observe, and improve a lesson through a focused teaching inquiry.
A lesson study cycle for a fictional teaching team.
Sample purpose
Plan, observe, and improve a lesson through a focused teaching inquiry.
Audience: Teacher, Instructional coach- Structure
- 4 sections
- Criteria
- 12
- Sources
- 6
- Watches
- 4
- Default approach
- Review first
Set the purpose first. Then change every section, criterion, and agent setting before anything runs.
Fictional sample
Structure and criteria
Sample content shows the shape of a useful document. Copying it is optional.
01 Review firstLearning question
For this lesson study, frames a student-learning question tied to curriculum.
Criteria
- Names a specific misconception, such as comparing fractions by numerator only, not just the topic.
- Ties the question to an observable explanation students will give, like why 3/4 is greater than 2/3.
- States grade, topic and the progression stage being probed (procedural or conceptual).
Sources
- Common Core: Grade 6 mathematics thecorestandards.orgGrade 6 standards the question must sit inside.
- OpenAlex fraction comparison research api.openalex.orgRecent studies on student misconceptions with fractions.
Watches
- Checks api.openalex.org monthly
Sample content
Bayview Middle is planning a fictional Grade 6 fraction-comparison lesson study. Bayview Middle’s fictional Grade 6 team asks: which comparison prompt helps students explain why 3/4 is greater than 2/3? Teacher Ari Kim leads the Oct 21 research lesson.
02 Review firstResearch lesson design
For this lesson study, states lesson sequence and anticipated student thinking.
Criteria
- Anticipated student thinking lists at least two plausible responses, for example numerator only and equal units.
- Each lesson moment has an observable checkpoint, not just a topic.
- Each teacher move can be changed next cycle, such as estimate before drawing.
Sources
- Understanding by Design overview ascd.orgBackward design from evidence to lesson moments.
- Lesson study exemplars (fictional) api.bayview-middle.exampleFictional prior cycles on fractions.
Watches
- Follows Learning question
Sample content
Moment Teacher move Look for Launch Ask students to estimate before drawing Uses benchmark or model Compare Pair students with different models Explains common unit 03 ManualObservation evidence
For this lesson study, records student work and observable responses.
Criteria
- Records at least three student samples with different outcomes, anonymized as S1, S2, S3.
- Each sample is a quote or drawing with the lesson moment, not a teacher summary.
- At least one sample contradicts the anticipated thinking and is kept.
Sources
- Bayview observation protocol (fictional) api.bayview-middle.exampleFictional structured observation form.
Watches
- Follows Research lesson design
Sample content
Fictional observation Response Question to test S1 Uses numerator only Does prompt direct attention to whole? S2 Draws equal-sized bars Can student explain denominator? 04 Review firstReflection and revision
For this lesson study, uses evidence to revise the next lesson.
Criteria
- Links a named student sample to the learning question and says which teacher move likely caused it.
- Proposes one testable change for the next cycle, such as asking how big each piece is.
- Names a limitation like single class, absences or two observed samples.
Sources
- Education Endowment Foundation teaching toolkit educationendowmentfoundation.org.ukEvidence base for the revised move.
Watches
- Follows Observation evidence
Sample content
- ☐ Revise prompt to ask students to compare equal-sized wholes
- ☐ Ari brings two anonymous work samples to reflection
- ☐ Do not infer class-wide mastery from two observed examples