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LEEF grants in action in classrooms

Euthecia Hancewicz observes as students in Elaine Weiner's first grade class work on sorting rocks during a math lesson developed through lesson study. Lesson studies came about at the elementary schools through a LEEF grant. Reminder Publications photo by Courtney Llewellyn
By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



LONGMEADOW The Longmeadow Educational Excellence Foundation (LEEF) awarded $94,635 in grants to 22 different educational projects within the Longmeadow school system, this fall. Last week, Reminder Publications had the opportunity to see one LEEF grant in action.

"Two years ago we were looking to expand the math curriculum," Center School teacher Tracy Bradshaw explained. "We were looking to expand the teachers' knowledge of math as well."

Teacher Donna Hutton wrote a grant application to LEEF for the schools to focus on lesson study -- a century-old idea imported from Japan that leads to a student-centered focus for schooling. Teachers work together to come up with lesson plans and one teacher will test out the plan while the others observe. After the lesson, the group will come together for a "de-briefing" and discuss what worked and what didn't work with the students. If changes need to be made, they will be, and another teacher will try the adapted plan.

"All education majors in college today learn about lesson study," Bradshaw said. "The idea is to brainstorm and create a lesson then observe what the students are thinking and understanding."

There are currently two lesson study groups for each grade, kindergarten through fifth, at every elementary school in Longmeadow. The money from the LEEF grant was used to hire Euthecia Hancewicz, one of the authors of "Literacy Strategies for Improving Mathematics Instruction," as a lesson study consultant.

The lesson being covered by first-grade teacher Elaine Weiner involved rocks, and this was the second time the lesson had been taught. Karen Rafferty, part of the lesson study group for Center School, said the first lesson had been more science focused while the adapted lesson was a mix of science and math.

Weiner first talked with her class about the different words used to describe rocks and the different ways they could be sorted -- by color, shape, size, texture, etc. She then explained the lesson to them, telling her students they needed to find different ways to classify their rocks. She used the example of big and small, but told her class they would have to come up with original examples.

The lesson tied into math by allowing students to tally the number of rocks in each classification and it also covered geometry. One pair of students classified their rocks as "rectangular" and "not rectangular."

When the lesson had ended, Weiner again reviewed how rocks were sorted with her class.

The teachers observing the lesson took notes on the taught vocabulary and cooperation (equal participation, classification and decision of attributes).

"I think they [the students] did great," Weiner said afterward.

"It's heartening to see it [lesson study] working," Rafferty added.