This article was downloaded by: [Thammasat University Libraries]On: 08 October 2014, At: 13:54Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: MortimerHouse, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Journal of Research in Childhood EducationPublication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ujrc20

Mediated Lesson Study, Collaborative Learning,and Cultural Competence Among Early ChildhoodEducatorsCirecie West-Olatunji a , Linda Behar-Horenstein a & Jeffrey Rant aa University of FloridaPublished online: 03 Nov 2009.

To cite this article: Cirecie West-Olatunji , Linda Behar-Horenstein & Jeffrey Rant (2008) Mediated Lesson Study,Collaborative Learning, and Cultural Competence Among Early Childhood Educators, Journal of Research in ChildhoodEducation, 23:1, 96-108, DOI: 10.1080/02568540809594648

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02568540809594648

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”)contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensorsmake no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitabilityfor any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinionsand views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy ofthe Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources ofinformation. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands,costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly orindirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial orsystematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution inany form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

Journal of Research in Childhood Education2008, Vol. 23, No. 1

Copyright 2008 by the Association forChildhood Education International

0256-8543/08

�6

Hernandez (2004) predicts that at some time between 2020 and 2030, 50% of children in the United States will be from cultur-ally diverse backgrounds. As U.S. society becomes more diverse, early childhood educators will be working with students from various ethnic, economic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds. Teachers must develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to be effective in multicultural settings (Espinosa, 2005). In order to help all students, teachers must be able to reflect on diversity in numerous ways by respond-ing to students’ learning styles, cultural differences, developmental needs, and the personality differences among children, par-ents, community members, and other school personnel (Landerholm, Gehrie, & Hao, 2004). Such cultural knowledge and skills can aid teachers in building collaborative relationships with culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse parents (Barbour, Barbour, & Scully, 2005; West-Olatunji & Behar-Horenstein, 2005).

Teacher education programs can provide early childhood educators with a firm un-derstanding of multiculturalism. However, it may be difficult to teach specific skills that will be effective with all the diverse groups that may constitute classroom com-munities. Therefore, teacher education programs can teach students to be flexible in their thinking and teaching. One skill that can help teachers adapt and learn to be successful with students of diverse eth-nicities, socioeconomic classes, or cultures is reflective thinking. Reflection is the abil-ity to assess situations and make thought-ful, rational decisions (Landerholm et al., 2004). Fostering reflective practitioners has become a major goal of many teacher education programs (Hobson, 2001). One strategy to foster such reflectivity and in-creased cultural competency has been the use of master teachers as mentors (Doyle, 1985; King, Henington, & Ladson-Billings, 2003). Additionally, lesson study has been reported to be another tool that promotes

Abstract. Early childhood educators have competing demands that minimize their ability to utilize evidence-based practices and respond to the challenges posed by culturally diverse classrooms. Using a case study method, we studied four female early childhood teachers at a university-affiliated preschool who developed mini-research projects using a mediated form of lesson study. Findings showed that the collegial nature of a mediated form of lesson study resulted in reflective practices and increased professional collaboration among the teachers. However, there was no resultant change in the ways that the teachers used their cultural awareness in their teaching. Results have implications for teacher educators, early childhood education teachers, and preschool directors with regard to teacher efficacy and practitioner inquiry.

Cirecie West-OlatunjiLinda Behar-HorensteinJeffrey RantUniversity of Florida

Mediated Lesson Study, Collaborative Learning, and Cultural Competence Among Early Childhood Educators

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Tha

mm

asat

Uni

vers

ity L

ibra

ries

] at

13:

54 0

8 O

ctob

er 2

014

ECE ANd mEdIATEd lEssoN sTUdy

��

reflective thinking (Lewis, Perry, & Mu-rata, 2006). Moreover, early childhood teachers must contend with competing demands that challenge their ability to provide quality instruction. These demands minimize their ability to utilize evidence-based prac-tices and colleague collaboration to solve classroom problems. Little time is allotted to plan, dialogue, and collaborate with colleagues, or reflect upon evidence-based practices that may help ameliorate class-room issues. Boyer (2000) asks, “When do teachers and the school community have the time to organize and ensure that academic standards and personal excellence of stu-dents are being promoted?” (p. 52). Further, the conflict between available time and the demands on teachers draws a distinction be-tween the academic instruction and social services they provide (Meek, 2003). Early childhood teachers function as nurturers as much as they do instructors. The nature of early childhood education and the manner in which teachers are utilized often create a significant barrier to the delivery of criti-cal knowledge to students. Early childhood education can provide the building blocks for students to realize success throughout their education and into adulthood (Ameri-can Academy of Pediatrics, 2005; Kemple, David, & Hysmith, 1997). However, unsuc-cessful early childhood experiences can leave children with unmet needs relative to social competence and self-esteem (Dunn, 1999; Kemple et al., 1997). Using a narrative framework, the re-searchers conceptualized how early child-hood teachers might resolve issues through a mediated form of lesson study. The philosophical roots of narrative inquiry lie in postmodernism and social constructivism, wherein reality is viewed as subjective and based on one’s perspective that emanates from engagement in the world (Creswell, 2005, 2006; Semmler & Williams, 2000). As such, multiple realities co-exist because reality is neither absolute nor objective. O’Hanlon (1994) suggests that cultural systems also shape people’s lives and thus

must be considered when conceptualizing problems and developing solutions within a narrative context. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of a mediated form of lesson study in promot-ing collaboration and cultural competence among early childhood educators.

Review of LiteratureLesson StudyLesson study is a form of reflective teaching that uses collaborative dialogue to engage teachers in a collective assessment of their classroom practices. Many U.S. educators are interested in this Japanese method of practitioner-driven inquiry because of its inherent focus on teachers as research-ers (Lewis et al., 2006). The term “lesson study” is derivative of the Japanese word ju-gyokenkyu, in which the word jugyo (lesson) is combined with the word kenkyu (study or research). Lesson study began in the early 1900s and was used by Japanese educa-tors with children and young adolescents in math and science classes (Fernandez, 2002). Today, lesson study is widely used across the continuum from secondary to preschool settings. The process of lesson study facilitates reflection, collaboration, and collegiality among teachers as they design and evalu-ate their lessons (Lewis & Tsuchida, 1988). At the beginning of a project, the team of teachers generates a research question and creates a specific lesson plan for a particular subject that they have chosen to study. The team observes the lesson as it is taught and then re-evaluates the plan, making any necessary changes. The cycle is repeated as often as is needed throughout the period of inquiry. Follow-ing the lesson, teachers develop a report based on their findings and distribute it to the school community. The focus of the investigation could be on assisting a child who is overly anxious, developing count-ing or basic literacy skills, or targeting a particular grade level or subject area. The number of teachers on a lesson study team may vary and the scope of their interaction

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Tha

mm

asat

Uni

vers

ity L

ibra

ries

] at

13:

54 0

8 O

ctob

er 2

014

WEsT-olATUNJI, BEHAR-HoRENsTEIN, ANd RANT

�8

may be a classroom, a particular school, or it may be regional or statewide (Fernandez, 2002). Lesson study is becoming a popular profes-sional development tool in the United States (Lewis, 2000), particularly in mathematics education (Fernandez, Cannon, & Chokshi, 2003). Adapting lesson study for use in the United States presents many challenges, especially in the development of research skills. Fernandez et al. (2003) found that teachers typically had difficulty posing sound questions, conceptualizing a class-room experiment, and articulating what artifacts might serve as evidence. The ap-proach to lesson study in Japan is systematic and it promotes the formation of supportive, collaborative networks within the school. Teachers have flexible schedules that are conducive to their participation in group meetings. Such an environment is antitheti-cal to the autonomy and isolation that most U.S. teachers experience (Gonzales, 2004). More than three decades ago, Lortie (1975) characterized the climate in U.S. schools as an “impoverished understanding of one another’s abilities and activities” (p. 89). Schools today are no different. The researchers used a modified form of lesson study that allowed the participants to engage in reflection and collaboration, processes inherent in lesson study. However, we did not fully use lesson study due to limi-tations at the setting, such as high turnover among instructional teams, an emergent curriculum, and lack of exposure to teacher inquiry/teacher collaborative models of teaching. As such, teacher participants were allowed to develop mediated lesson study projects that investigated phenomena and informed the curriculum for each of their developmental instructional teams.

Collaborative LearningCollaboration is utilized widely in education-al settings throughout the world (Tsaparlis & Gorezi, 2005). Used in many different classroom settings, collaborative learning can be applied to almost every subject, rang-ing from chemistry and statistics (Davis &

Blanchard, 2004) to writing progress reports for special education students (Webre, 2005). Every level of education, from kindergarten to higher education, can employ collaborative learning (Slavin, 1990; Vermette, Harper, & DiMillo, 2004). Extant studies have shown that collaborative learning is effective with preservice teachers (Seifert, 2005), teach-ers and students (Webre, 2005), and among parents, special educators, tutors, and school administrators (Spencer, 2005). Researchers have shown that when col-laborative learning was used, students improved their problem-solving abilities (Fawcett & Garton, 2005). Collaboration has also been shown to: 1) help groups im-prove their problem-solving abilities, 2) aid teacher-student understanding and rapport building (Davis & Blanchard, 2004; Webre, 2005), 3) facilitate conflict resolution (Ste-vahn, Johnson, Johnson, Oberle, & Wahl, 2000), and 4) enhance student motivation (Shindler, 2004). Research on collabora-tion among teachers has focused primarily on ways to counteract teacher autonomy and insularity (McDonald & Klein, 2003), theorizing and reflection (Rust & Meyers, 2006), collegiality (Grunberg & Armellini, 2004; Little, 1982), and burnout prevention (Allen & Miller, 1990). Collaborative learning is a practice that involves the formation of a small group of teacher-researchers who come together to solve problems and accomplish shared goals (Capobianco, Lincoln, Canuel-Browne, & Trimarchi, 2006). Collaboration brings relationships to the foreground and helps teachers regain the personal empowerment needed to effectively address student or classroom problems (Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec, 1991; Slavin, 1990). We hypothesized that a narrative approach would assist the early childhood educators in viewing classroom issues within the cul-tural context of their school and community and would allow them to devise solutions that consider context. Moreover, because knowledge is socially constructed, teachers can benefit from the collegial nature of lesson study in which they are asked to collaborate

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Tha

mm

asat

Uni

vers

ity L

ibra

ries

] at

13:

54 0

8 O

ctob

er 2

014

ECE ANd mEdIATEd lEssoN sTUdy

��

with one another to discuss their research questions. The researchers asked the ques-tion, “Using a mediated form of lesson study, how does teacher reflection/inquiry, within a collegial context, impact the cultural re-sponsiveness of early childhood practitioners’ instructional practices?”

MethodIn this study, we utilized narrative inquiry as a qualitative method that allowed for poly-vocality and perspectivity among the teachers as they collectively verbalized their reflections on a weekly basis (Jungck, 2001). In turn, participating teachers acted on their synergistic reflections to create reflexivity in their respective classroom interactions with children. Teachers’ positioning and proxim-ity to their phenomena under investigation were central to the research process. The researchers followed the intentions of a case study in order to go beyond the descriptive questions, such as who, what, when, how much, and how many, to answer the questions of how and why (Yin, 1993, 1994). This method provided an ideal research tool to explore the participants’ worldviews. Case study research encourages researchers to focus on the context and to be receptive to multiple, interacting influences (Rubaie, 2002). Designed to investigate the rich complexities of social phenomena and the social environments in which they are situated, case study is conceptualized as a useful research strategy (MacPherson, Brooker, & Ainsworth, 2000). Furthermore, use of this heuristic methodological ap-proach allows the researchers to deepen the reader’s understanding of the participants’ phenomenology in a manner that extends the reader’s own experience (Corcoran, Walker, & Wals, 2004).

ParticipantsResearch participants included a purposeful sample of four white female teachers at a child care center/lab school. Their teaching experiences ranged from three to 20 years. In addition, a master teacher was solicited from contacts with teacher educators at the

local university. After receiving several names of potential master teachers, the research team reviewed the qualifications of each candidate. They contacted one indi-vidual, based upon her years of experience, involvement with prior research studies, and availability to participate in the weekly seminars. The master teacher was a prac-ticing white female teacher with 15 years of elementary education experience.

ProceduresAccess to the setting was facilitated by the first author’s affiliation as an advisory board member and informal consultant for early childhood mental health issues with the child care center/lab school. Following approval from the university’s institutional review board (UFIRB#2005-U-606), partic-ipants were asked to complete an informed consent form, the application form, and a cultural narrative essay. On the application form, participants were asked to provide demographic information, an explanation of their previous experience with research, a brief essay to indicate their interest in participating in the study, and a potential classroom phenomenon that they would like to investigate. All of the participants, teacher-collaborators, and the authors wrote and shared their cultural narrative essays. This process helped to illuminate how personal historiography shaped in-structional strategies and cultural aware-ness (Henry, 2006). Data consisted of the application form, cultural biographies, audiotaped weekly reflection sessions, completed lesson study forms (see Table 1), multimedia portfolios that showcased the research findings, and videotaped post-intervention interviews. A post-intervention interview was admin-istered to assess how a mediated form of lesson study process might have influenced teachers’ awareness of how cultural respon-siveness can promote effective teaching. Data were analyzed using NVIVO (v. 2.0), a qualitative analysis software tool. The study participants were oriented to the concepts of culturally appropriate

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Tha

mm

asat

Uni

vers

ity L

ibra

ries

] at

13:

54 0

8 O

ctob

er 2

014

WEsT-olATUNJI, BEHAR-HoRENsTEIN, ANd RANT

100

pedagogy, practitioner-guided research, a mediated form of lesson study, and collab-orative learning during six weekly 50-min-ute professional development workshops provided by the research team. Follow-ing the orientation period, teachers were encouraged to concretize their research questions. Subsequently, teachers engaged in nine weeks of audiotaped weekly reflec-tion sessions that lasted approximately 50 minutes each and allowed participants to present their completed lesson study forms. These sessions were held with at least one of the researchers, a process observer, the master teacher, and the study participants. The focus of these sessions was to analyze the lesson plans and identify the gaps be-tween curriculum implementation and the teachers’ research goals. When problems with implementation were revealed, the group process led the participants to ask, “What are we not doing?” and “What do we need to do instead?” In response, group members offered alternative methods that would assist each teacher in reach-ing the research goal. As an approach, lesson plan was useful in analyzing and reviewing teacher practice as they consid-ered the teachers’ objectives and reported outcomes. Following group feedback, the teacher implemented the revised lesson and recorded the outcomes. The researchers facilitated discussions and consultations about research and, to some degree, pedagogical assistance, whereas the master teacher provided specific assistance with instructional chal-lenges. Teacher knowledge and growth were evaluated using performance-based assessments, including lesson presenta-tions and portfolios. Rubrics were used to assess lesson presentations and multi-media portfolios (see Table 2). Teachers were observed to assess their ability to demonstrate: 1) reflective practice within a collegial circle, 2) application of so-ciocultural knowledge, and 3) a deeper understanding of culture, students, and learning. Final presentations of findings were shared orally during the last reflec-

tion session and electronically by using digital presentations. During videotaped 20-minute post-intervention interviews, teachers reflected on the overall research experience.

Data AnalysisData analysis was conducted simultaneously with data collection, data interpretation, and narrative report writing by thematic deconstruction and reconceptualization (Creswell, 2006). In order to strengthen the validity of our findings, two of the research-ers coded the data independently and then met weekly to discuss shared themes and to reach consensus regarding the others. The final analysis involved reviewing, coding, and analyzing the data, and then meeting as a research team to reach consensus regard-ing the themes found. In addition to the use of multiple data sources and multiple researchers in the data analysis process, verification of results was attained through ongoing member checks regarding the themes found and by sharing the findings with participating teachers. We used NVIVO (v. 2.0) to analyze relationships and to further triangulate data analysis. Our research design aided us in observing relationships and generating causal explana-tions. Use of narrative allowed us to trace patterns over time.

ResultsWe expected that the study participants would reflect on and formulate opinions about the use of culturally appropriate peda-gogy, reflective teaching, and collaborative learning and their effect on the teaching and learning process. Additionally, we anticipated that teachers would articulate the relevance and application of the master teacher as part of their overall experience. From our review of the literature, we hypoth-esized that four major themes would be pres-ent: reflectivity, professional collaboration, cultural awareness, and personal growth. A node search of the data showed that the theme of reflectivity was most prevalent (n = 57). Most reflecting occurred as a result

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Tha

mm

asat

Uni

vers

ity L

ibra

ries

] at

13:

54 0

8 O

ctob

er 2

014

ECE ANd mEdIATEd lEssoN sTUdy

101

Table 1: Completed Lesson Study Form From the StudyDate: XX/XX/XXXX_____Time: _XX:XXam___Classroom: Teacher: Mrs. X

1: Steps of the lesson: learning ac-tivities and key ques-tions(and time al-location)*

2: Student activities/ expected stu-dent reactions or responses

3: Teacher’s response to student reac-tions / things to remember

4: Goals and method(s) of evaluation

5: Notes(What Hap-pened? What have you learned?)

(*) Col-umn #1 is usually laid out in order by parts of the les-son (e.g., launch, investi-gation, congress, applica-tions, etc.), and also in-cludes the allocation of time for each of these parts.

This lesson will be open for one hour, but each student will have 10 min-utes or more if needed.

The children will use toilet paper tubes, rice, and beans. With these items, the children will make rain sticks to go along with the rainforest theme for the week.

I expect the children to be able to pour the rice and beans into the toilet paper tube. I will ex-pect that half the children will be able to place the wax paper on the end of the tube.

I expect the students to enjoy playing with the rain stick tubes by dancing with them and hearing the different sounds they make.

I also expect that 16 chil-dren will do this activity within the one hour of activity time.

I will talk to the children about the importance of rain sticks and what they are used for.

I will ask the children how the rain sticks sound.I will ask the children if it gives them a calming sensation and if it makes them want to relax.

My first goal is to have 16 children come to my activity and be able to enjoy it and be able to walk away when done to find an-other activ-ity “if they want to.”

My second goal is that the children understand that the classroom has no borders and that they can choose activities by themselves.

The children enjoyed the activity and only 15 chil-dren came to the activity. The children understood the wait-ing list and waited their turn to make a rain stick.

After meet-ing with the group on Tuesday, the following ideas were discussed. •Next, use a funnel for the children to pour in the seeds or have the children use tweezers. •Use picture cards for a new waiting list system. •Visit other classrooms to see the difference in borderless classrooms•Also see if each class-room has open com-munication to allow the borderless method to work.

Guiding Questions

Ex: How should this lesson progress? (How much time should I spend?)

Ex: What do I expect of my students? How will they respond?

Ex: Is there anything specific I want to remember to do? Any reminders for my students?

Ex: What should I look for to know that my goal(s) have been achieved?

NOTE: Adapted from the Lesson Research Group webpage, www.tc.edu/lessonstudy/, by M. Yoshida, S. Chokshi, & C. Fernandez. Copyright 2001 by Lesson Study Research Group.

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Tha

mm

asat

Uni

vers

ity L

ibra

ries

] at

13:

54 0

8 O

ctob

er 2

014

WEsT-olATUNJI, BEHAR-HoRENsTEIN, ANd RANT

102

of the professional collaboration (n = 40) provided by the collegial circle. Therefore, it appeared that reflectivity and professional collaboration were closely linked. The theme of cultural awareness presented 30 times. Presenting 22 times, empowerment seemed to be related to personal growth (n = 20). In the following section, we will discuss three salient themes: reflectivity/professional col-laboration, cultural awareness, and personal growth/empowerment.

Reflectivity and Professional CollaborationAll teachers reported that working as a team was important to them.

That’s one thing I liked about this because in our classroom, we are either a three-member teacher team or a four-member teaching team. So I think it would be really beneficial if we had that ability to come together and kind of work toward a common goal. Be able to observe each other, to teach each other, and ultimately it would make the classroom a better place for you and the children.

We also found that reflectivity and profes-sional collaboration were rarely independent of one another once the study began. One goal of lesson study is to create reflective practitioners, and this was evident in the findings.

The project has altered my teaching methods in looking at my program, my lesson plans. And when I’m looking at students to evaluate and research, I look further. I look more in-depth and look at how I can get students more involved in the activities.

A significant finding was the degree of professional collaboration that occurred as a result of a mediated form of lesson study. During our analysis of the transcripts, we observed that solidarity and collegiality increased among the team. The teachers became more involved with one another, and relied less on the research facilitator to lead the discussions. We observed that it was during these discussions that the

teachers became most reflective and in-quisitive about what they were doing and how it was working.

You get good feedback. If I got stuck on a problem or if I got stuck with something, I had people to help me through it and help me come up with ideas and vice-versa. If they got stuck on something, whether it was good criticism or bad criticism, we had somebody making us think and pushing us along a little bit more and it was real helpful. I liked it.

The reflections and subsequent feedback were constructive and positive. As the teachers became more comfortable with the process of collegial inquiry, they became more open and trusting, and that led to more reflection and collaboration.

They were good at making suggestions on how, like teaching one little aspect, how it might work better or how I might incorporate language that would make it come across in a clearer fashion to the kids. So we critiqued each other, but it was always very positive.

Cultural AwarenessIn this study, participants viewed them-selves as teachers of culturally diverse stu-dents and did not articulate that they saw themselves as cultural beings in their own right. Although we discussed the concept of culturally appropriate pedagogy, it was ob-served that the teachers’ cultural narratives lacked an in-depth exploration of culture. Although teachers recognized cultural dif-ferences, they lacked an awareness of how an understanding of culture impacts learning. For example, teachers addressed the issue of culture in their narratives.

The school was 90% minority and I was one of the only white people in the aftercare program. That was my first experience in a position where I was the odd man out. It ended up being one of the most positive experiences that I’ve been in.

This teacher expressed an awareness of dif-ference, but did not articulate how these dif-

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Tha

mm

asat

Uni

vers

ity L

ibra

ries

] at

13:

54 0

8 O

ctob

er 2

014

ECE ANd mEdIATEd lEssoN sTUdy

103

Table 2 Rubrics for Assessing Teacher Outcomes

Principles. The purpose of using these rubrics is for you to determine the extent to which your lesson(s) have incorporated the principles of our research grant. Please use the chart below to indicate evidence of your incorporation of the principles shown on the left.

Principles of Mediated Lesson Study Inquiry Evidence

1. Centering: There is a connection between the subject mat-ter and the student’s cultural background. The subject matter incorporates a perspective that integrates culturally diverse resources, including those from the student’s family and com-munity.

2. Ethical Considerations: The lesson demonstrates a sensitiv-ity to ethical considerations. Dignity, respect, integrity, and concern for the student’s welfare should be reflected in the lesson(s) at all times.

3. Authentic Assessment: Assessment is authentic, age-appro-priate, and addresses a variety of developmental needs, concep-tual abilities, and curriculum outcomes.

4. Collaborative Study and Reflection: The inquiry process(es) included collaborative collegial/peer observations and “public” observation(s) of a lesson(s) or review of student work. “Public” observation(s) can include other colleagues, administrators, parents, elders, or a university-based colleague. Such collabora-tion has been incorporated in a mediated lesson study-reflec-tion-improvement of instruction activities.

5. Use of Student Work: The inquiry process generated data about student work that was used to re-teach the lesson(s) or to improve instruction in some way(s).

6. OTHER: (Please specify)

NOTE: Adapted from “A researcher/practitioner online collegial learning circle: Animating improved practice/digitizing {multi)cultural knowledge,” by J. King, M. Henington, and G. Ladson-Billings, 2003, Final Report submitted to the Spencer Foundation, Appendix 2. Copyright 2003 by Martha Henington.

ferences might impact classroom dynamics, teaching strategies, and learning. Another teacher focused her mediated lesson study on a child who was fretful and was uncooperative during nap times. This child’s behavior was a daily challenge for this teacher. At the onset of the experience, this teacher shared her frustration with the child because nothing she did seemed to be effective in getting the child to lie down with the other children in her cot during nap pe-riod. Toward the middle of the experience,

the teacher began to hypothesize about the child’s behavior and ask questions of the other practicing teachers about what she could do that might be more effective. At the end of the experience, the teacher pon-dered how the familial and cultural norms might influence the child’s expectations about sleep time and the role of caretak-ers in that process. She was then able to hypothesize about the child’s family system and eventually decided to engage the parent in the problem-solving strategies. While a

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Tha

mm

asat

Uni

vers

ity L

ibra

ries

] at

13:

54 0

8 O

ctob

er 2

014

WEsT-olATUNJI, BEHAR-HoRENsTEIN, ANd RANT

10�

mediated form of lesson study process as-sisted the teacher in becoming more reflec-tive about integrating the child’s familial values into instruction, this teacher did not articulate awareness of these teaching strategies as cultural competence. As such, while teachers would often consider culture as a factor, they did not pose research ques-tions in their lesson studies that centered on cultural awareness. Overall, cultural awareness played a less prominent role in our findings than we expected.

Personal Growth/EmpowermentThe teachers reported feeling empowered by participating in a mediated form of lesson study experience. The goal of lesson study is to create reflective practitioners who can collaborate with colleagues to discover ways to effectively teach their students. This was exemplified by the following:

It made me communicate more with my team about problems, and it has enabled me. I think that in the future I can use the lesson [study] template to work with my team on issues and problems that occur in the classroom and I think that it will help me more in the future.

This mediated lesson study experience provided teachers with the skills to view problems in new ways. Asking teachers to develop a research question allowed them to reflect on questions they had or problems that they were experiencing in the classroom or during instruction. This process forced the teachers to conceptualize problems dif-ferently. In addition to mediated lesson study and collaboration, teachers became more effective and thoughtful about the importance of planning for instruction (Be-har-Horenstein, 1994).

I think the one thing that has changed is my preparation skills. This allowed me to really look ahead and think more precisely [about] what I want to do and, as a result, I think I got a more desirable outcome.

All participants in the study gained an

understanding of how a mediated form of les-son study could be a useful tool for improving their teaching practices. Teachers reported feeling empowered by their participation in the study. They stated that the collegial nature of the project increased collabora-tion, and the constructive feedback that they received increased their overall teaching abilities. Counter to our expectations, teach-ers did not articulate any acknowledgement of the master teacher as relevant to their growth and development.

SignificanceLesson study allows teachers to engage in collegial inquiry so that they can thoroughly and efficiently reflect upon their practices (Fernandez & Chokshi, 2002; Hiebert & Stigler, 2000). We found that by engaging teachers in collaborative learning, a support system evolved whereby they felt safe enough to disclose and share classroom challenges and receive peer assessment. Over time, the teachers acquired a re-searcher-practitioner identity. Initially, they deferred authority regarding their research questions to the principal investigators. The nature of the weekly discussion changed from a more didactic exchange between an individual teacher and the researchers to discourse among the team. Current re-search investigating teacher inquiry focuses on encouraging teachers to problem solve about challenges in their classrooms. This is of particular importance in culturally diverse classrooms because of the poorly aligned expectations, insufficient commu-nication, and minimal cooperative efforts between children’s home cultures and that of the school (Barbour et al., 2005). There were no outcomes from using a master teacher to facilitate discussions and to problem solve about classroom or instructional challenges. The research-ers hypothesized that this may have been due to several factors. First, the master teacher was not known to the participants prior to the study and was not a member of the faculty/staff at the child care center. Second, the master teacher often arrived

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Tha

mm

asat

Uni

vers

ity L

ibra

ries

] at

13:

54 0

8 O

ctob

er 2

014

ECE ANd mEdIATEd lEssoN sTUdy

105

10 minutes after the start of each reflection session due to her teaching responsibilities and travel time to the center. Third, the master teacher was unable to participate in the six weeks of orientation prior to the onset of their research projects. These inhibitors may have prevented the master teacher from establishing trust and credibility with the participating teachers. As such, participants may not have used the master teacher as a resource as expected. One benefit of the collaborative learning and reflective inquiry that was greater than we anticipated was teacher empowerment. At the outset of the study, the teachers fo-cused their discussion on the demands in their classrooms and mentioned not receiv-ing enough support or instruction. They even suggested that participation in the study might have been an imposition. How-ever, over time, they described the benefits of the time away from their daily work tasks to sit and reflect, theorize, and pose solutions to their own instructional challenges as well as those of others. The results of this study have implications for teacher educators who seek to improve candidates’ understanding of multiple reali-ties, critical thinking and reflective teaching skills, and use of collaborative learning ap-proaches. Core teacher-education courses can promote teachers’ abilities to inquire into their own teaching practices and stu-dent learning (Behar-Horenstein, 1994; Valli, van Zee, Rennert-Ariev, Mikeska, Catlett-Muhammad, & Roy, 2006). This process can enhance teaching practice as well as student outcomes. Professional de-velopment centered on inquiry will serve as a mechanism to promote teacher efficacy and individual agency (Snow-Gerono, 2005). The study is relevant to early childhood educators who seek to promote teacher empowerment. The findings suggest that early childhood teachers benefit when provided the opportunity to creatively and collaboratively design curricula that meet students’ needs. Vali et al. (2006) found that practitioner inquiry empowers teach-ers to become leaders.

Results showed that teachers felt em-powered and were able to more effectively address problems collectively. Teacher collaboration on problem solving and cur-riculum development will enhance pre-school instruction and student learning. The findings also have significance for preschool center directors, who regularly deal with supervision and administration of curriculum development and instruction for diverse student populations.

DiscussionThe success of lesson study in Japan may be due to the culturally embedded characteris-tics in the practice. Lesson study is a cultur-ally centered professional development tool that stresses group rather than individual goals and outcomes. Interest in lesson study has increased recently in the United States. Further research examining its impact on U.S. teacher professional development is likely to continue to show its benefits (Lewis, Perry, & Murata, 2006). The current plethora of master teacher education programs and certification cri-teria suggests that teacher educators have accepted the master teacher concept as a proven resource to augment teacher inquiry, reflection, and professional development. This study found no observable outcomes as a result of using a master teacher with early childhood educators. Future research in this area should focus on the significant characteristics of a master teacher that have positive outcomes for early childhood practitioners. Additionally, investigation into the tasks that influence the teacher-mentor relationship is warranted. Finally, it is important to conceptualize and clarify relevant teacher-mentor interactions that yield positive outcomes for early childhood educators, as well as for teachers at the pri-mary, middle, and high school levels. Tice (1999) has suggested a similar paradigm shift, reporting that 1) there is an increasing focus on knowledge construction rather than the banking concept of learning, 2) faculty are becoming less autonomous and thus building more cross-disciplinary

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Tha

mm

asat

Uni

vers

ity L

ibra

ries

] at

13:

54 0

8 O

ctob

er 2

014

WEsT-olATUNJI, BEHAR-HoRENsTEIN, ANd RANT

106

partnerships, 3) educational researchers are becoming less individualistic in their work and more collaborative, and 4) isolated research is moving toward greater research in the public interest (Popkewitz, 2006). Educators need to consider alternative modes of scholarship in which they conduct collaborative research in and with school communities. This form of engaged scholar-ship can transform the role of teacher educa-tors. Faculty who are engaged in research as partners with school communities foster a mutually beneficial relationship (Boyer, 2000). This is possible when the univer-sity puts its research into action, thereby allowing schools an opportunity to receive additional resources that may not have been available otherwise. When early childhood educators can function effectively in conceptualizing and responding to the needs of young children, particularly when working in culturally di-verse classrooms, they are able to serve as catalysts for children’s intellectual growth and development. Further, investment in the professional development of early childhood practitioners places emphasis on prevention rather than rehabilitation of students’ educational problems that often become evident during the adolescent years. As stated above, while current efforts to ex-plore the utility of lesson study in the United States have focused on mathematics educa-tion at the middle and high school levels, the first author of this article gained knowledge about lesson study from early childhood educators while providing teacher training in Japan, where it is widely used among practitioners working with young children. More research using lesson study with early childhood educators in the United States can aid teacher educators in understanding how collaboration, reflection, and mentor-ing can influence teacher efficacy, which, in turn, can augment student achievement, especially for underachieving populations. In sum, this study examined whether or not early childhood teachers would become more culturally aware, reflective practitio-ners when they used a mediated form of

lesson study within a collegial environment. A case study method was employed to inves-tigate four female, early childhood teachers at a preschool, who developed mini-research projects. Findings showed that reflective practices increased collaboration among the teachers. The collaborative process also yielded teacher empowerment. Subsequent areas of interest in this study and oppor-tunities for future research are the use of master teachers, the benefit of engaged scholarship for faculty, and the investment of professional development for early childhood educators.

ReferencesAllen, K. K., & Miller, M. S. (1990). Teacher-

researcher collaboratives: Cooperative pro-fessional development. Theory Into Practice, 29, 196-203.

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2005). Qual-ity early education and child care from birth to kindergarten. Pediatrics, 15, 187-192.

Barbour, C., Barbour, N. H., & Scully, P. A. (2005). Families, schools, and communi-ties: Building partnerships for educating children. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Behar-Horenstein, L. S. (1994). What’s worth knowing for teachers? Educational Horizons, 73, 37-46.

Boyer, W. A. R. (2000). Care for the caregivers: An interpersonal journey. The International Journal of Early Childhood, 32(1), 41-47.

Capobianco, B. M., Lincoln S., Canuel-Browne, D., & Trimarchi, R. (2006). Examining the experiences of three generations of teacher researchers through collaborative science teacher inquiry. Teacher Education Quar-terly, 33(3), 61-78.

Corcoran, P. B., Walker, K. E., & Wals, E. J. (2004). Case studies, make-your-case stud-ies, and case stories: A critique of case-study methodology in sustainability in higher edu-cation. Environmental Education Research, 10, 7-21.

Creswell, J. W. (2005). Educational research: Planning, conducting and evaluating quanti-tative and qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Creswell, J. W. (2006). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Tha

mm

asat

Uni

vers

ity L

ibra

ries

] at

13:

54 0

8 O

ctob

er 2

014

ECE ANd mEdIATEd lEssoN sTUdy

10�

Davis, N. T., & Blanchard, M. R. (2004). Col-laborative teams in a university statistics course: A case study of how differing value structures inhibit change. Social Science & Mathematics, 104, 279-287. Retrieved 10/26/05.

Doyle, W. (1985). Effective teaching and the concept of the master teacher. Elementary School Journal, 86, 27-33.

Dunn, J. (1999). Introduction: New direc-tions in research on children’s relationships and understanding. Social Development, 8, 137-142.

Espinosa, L. M. (2005). Curriculum and as-sessment considerations for young children from culturally, linguistically, and economi-cally diverse backgrounds. Psychology in the Schools, 42, 837-853.

Fawcett, L. M., & Garton, A. F. (2005). The effect of peer collaboration on children’s problem solving ability. British Journal of Education Psychology, 75, 157-169. Retrieved 11/11/05.

Fernandez, C. (2002). Learning from Japanese approaches to professional development: The case of lesson study. Journal of Teacher Education, 53, 393-405.

Fernandez, C., Cannon, J., & Chokshi, S. (2003). A U.S.-Japan lesson study collabo-ration reveals critical lenses for examining practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 19, 171-185.

Fernandez, C., & Chokshi, S. (2002). A practical guide to translating lesson study for a U.S. setting. Phi Delta Kappan, 84, 128-134.

Gonzales, L. D. (2004). Sustaining teacher leadership: Beyond the boundaries of an enabling school culture. Lanham, MD: Uni-versity Press of America.

Grunberg, J., & Armellini, A. (2004). Teacher collegiality and electronic communication: A study of the collaborative uses of email by secondary teachers in Uruguay. The Brit-ish Journal of Educational Technology, 35, 597-606.

Henry, A. (2006). Historical studies: Groups/Institutions. In G. Camilli, P. Elmore, & J. Green (Eds.), Complementary methods for research in education (pp. 271-293). Wash-ington, DC: American Educational Research Association.

Hernandez, D. (2004, September). Children in newcomer families. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Early Childhoood Funders, San Francisco.

Hiebert, J., & Stigler, J. W. (2000). A proposal for improving classroom teaching: Lessons from the TIMSS video study. Elementary School Journal, 101, 3-20.

Hobson, D. (2001). Action and reflection: Nar-rative and journaling in teacher research. In Burnaford, G., Fischer, J., & Hobson, D., Teachers doing research: The power of action through inquiry (2nd ed., pp. 7-27). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., Holubec, E. J. (1991). Cooperation in the classroom. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Co.

Jungck, S. (2001). How does it matter? Teacher inquiry in the traditions of social science research. In G. Burnaford, J. Fischer, & D. Hobson, Teachers doing research: The power of action through inquiry (2nd ed., pp. 329-344). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Kemple, K. M., David, G. M., & Hysmith, C. (1997). Teachers interventions in preschool and kindergarten children’s peer interac-tions. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 12, 34-47.

King, J., Henington, M., & Ladson-Billings, G. (2003). A researcher/practitioner online collegial learning circle: Animating improved practice/digitizing {multi)cultural knowl-edge. Final Report submitted to the Spencer Foundation, Chicago, IL.

Landerholm, E., Gehrie, C., & Hao, Y. (2004). Educating early childhood teachers for the global world. Early Childhood Development and Care, 174, 593-606.

Lewis, C. (2000). Lesson study: The core of Japanese professional development. AERA annual meeting, New Orleans. www.lesson-research.net.

Lewis, C., & Tsuchida, I. (1988). A lesson is like a swiftly flowing river: Research lessons and the improvement of Japanese education. American Educator, Winter, 14-17 & 50-52.

Lewis, C., Perry, R., & Murata, A. (2006). How should research contribute to instructional improvement? The case of lesson study. Educational Researcher, 35, 3-14.

Little, J. (1982). Norms of collegiality and experimentation: Workplace conditions of schools success. American Educational Re-search Journal, 19, 325–340.

Lortie, D. C. (1975). Schoolteacher: A so-ciological study. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

McDonald, J. P., & Klein, E. J. (2003). Net-working for teacher learning: Toward a

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Tha

mm

asat

Uni

vers

ity L

ibra

ries

] at

13:

54 0

8 O

ctob

er 2

014

WEsT-olATUNJI, BEHAR-HoRENsTEIN, ANd RANT

108

theory of effective design. Teachers College Record, 105, 1606-1621.

MacPherson, I., Brooker, R., & Ainsworth, P. (2000). Case study in the contemporary world of research: Using notions of purpose, place, process and product to develop some principles for practice. The International Journal of Social Research Methodology Theory and Practice, 3, 49-62.

Meek, C. (2003). Pathways to effective teach-ing. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 18, 104-120.

O’Hanlon, B. (1994). The third wave. Family Therapy Networker, 18, 19-29.

Popkewitz, T. S. (2006). Hopes of progress and fears of the dangerous: Research, cul-tural theses, and planning different human kinds. In G. Ladson-Billings & W. F. Tate (Eds.), Research in the public interest: So-cial justice, action, and policy (pp. 119-140). New York: Teachers College Press.

Rust, F., & Meyers, E. (2006). The bright side: Teacher research and the context of educational reform and policy making. Teachers and Teaching, 12, 69-86.

Rubaie, T. A. (2002). The rehabilitation of the case study method. European Journal of Psy-chotherapy, Counseling & Health, 5, 31-47.

Seifert, K. (2005). Learning about peers: A missed opportunity for educational psychol-ogy. Clearing House, 78, 239-243. Retrieved 10/26/05.

Semmler, P. L., & Williams, C. B. (2000). Narrative therapy: A storied context for multicultural counseling. Journal of Mul-ticultural Counseling & Development, 28(1), 51-62.

Shindler, J. V. (2004). “Greater than the sum of the parts?” Examining the soundness of collaborative exams in teacher education courses. Innovative Higher Education, 28, 273-283. Retrieved 11/11/05.

Slavin, R. E. (1990). Cooperative learning: Theory, research and practice. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Snow-Gerono, J. L. (2005). Naming inquiry: PDS teachers’ perceptions of teacher re-search and living an inquiry stance toward teaching. Teacher Education Quarterly,

32(4), 79-95. Retrieved 11/21/06.Spencer, S. A. (2005). Lynne Cook and June

Downing: The practicality of collaboration in special education service delivery. Inter-vention and School and Clinic, 40, 296-300. Retrieved 10/26/05.

Stevahn, L., Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., Oberle, K., & Wahl, L. (2000). The effects of conflict resolution training integrated into a kindergarten curriculum. Child Develop-ment, 71, 772-784. Retrieved 11/11/05.

Tice, T. (1999). Service learning. The Educa-tion Digest, 64, 38-39.

Tsaparlis, G., & Gorezi, M. (2005). A modifi-cation of a conventional expository physical chemistry laboratory to accommodate an inquiry/project-based component: Method and students’ evaluation. Canadian Jour-nal of Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, 5, 111-131. Retrieved 11/11/05.

Valli, L., van Zee, E., Rennert-Ariev, P., Mikeska, J., Catlett-Muhammad, S., & Roy, P. (2006). Initiating and sustaining a culture of inquiry in a Teacher Leadership Program. Teacher Education Quarterly, 33(3), 97-114.

Vermette, P., & Harper, L., & DiMillo, S. (2004). Cooperative & collaborative learn-ing …with 4 – 8 year olds: How does re-search support teachers’ practice? Journal of Institutional Psychology, 31(2), 130-134. Retrieved 10/26/05.

Webre, E. C. (2005). Enhancing reading suc-cess with collaboratively created progress charts. Intervention in School and Clinic, 40, 291-295.

West-Olatunji, C., & Behar-Horenstein, L. (2005). Teaching and learning in fact-based pedagogy. Curriculum professors debate multicultural/pluralistic issues in standards based curriculum (pp. 7-14). Al-exandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Yin, R. K. (1993). Applications of case study research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Pub-lications.

Yin, R. K. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Tha

mm

asat

Uni

vers

ity L

ibra

ries

] at

13:

54 0

8 O

ctob

er 2

014