Mathematics Teachers’ Views of Accountability Testing Revealed through Lesson Study

Abstract

The practice of lesson study, a professional development model originating in Japan, aligns well with recommendations from research for teacher professional development. Lesson study is also an inductive research method that uncovers student thinking and, in parallel, grants teacher-educators the opportunity to study teachers’ thinking about related issues. One issue for teachers in North America is the focus on student achievement measured through accountability testing. The purpose of this article is to describe how lesson study elicits teachers’ views, knowledge, and practices. To illustrate how teachers’ thinking emerges during lesson study activities, the paper will outline four different views of accountability testing revealed by grades 6-10 mathematics teachers from nine different independent school districts in West Texas during various phases of lesson study. In addition, how each view influenced the teaching of students, as noted by teachers during postlesson discussions from three different lesson studies during 2006 – 2009 is reported. Descriptions of interactions among these teachers and higher education faculty housed in mathematics and teacher education departments at a local university and teachers’ self-reported reflections along with changes in practice are included.