2024 Lesson Study Summer Institute

Teaching through Problem-Solving

On-line workshop for teams
July 8 – 12, 2024
and
July 29 – August 2

This has been the best Professional Development I have ever done in my career as a teacher. I understood and grew so much…. I have ideas on how to improve student to student discourse and how students can learn from their mistakes and the mistakes of their classmates. This is the PD I want to commit to doing the rest of my career.
—Zeynep Brockett, Santa Rosa French-American Charter School

Do not miss it. It will change the way you approach math instruction.
—Angela Norcik, Kilmer Elementary

Do you wish your students were persistent problem-solvers? Would you like to see more active discussions in your classes, with students formulating arguments and critiquing the reasoning of others?

Teaching Through Problem-solving (TTP), an approach to teaching math that is widely used in Japan (mondai kaiketsu gakushuu,) is a way to teach the content you need students to know while developing their ability to solve novel problems and communicate their thinking. Teachers in Chicago, San Francisco, and around the world are using this approach; their students learn more and their math lessons are more fun for everyone!

Since 2006, Dr. Akihiko Takahashi, Tom McDougal, and Chicago teachers experienced with Teaching Through Problem-solving have provided this summer workshop to help teams of 3-6 educators learn the principles of TTP. A core element of the workshop is Lesson Study, a powerful structure for professional learning, which supports on-going, school-wide improvement. By the end of the workshop, your team will have a draft “research lesson proposal” – a detailed lesson plan – for your first TTP lesson and clear ideas about how to implement TTP in other lessons.

The workshop will focus on mathematics, but science teams are encouraged to participate as well. Leaders with expertise in science education and lesson study will support you.

This workshop will be online so that anyone can attend regardless of location! But to make your time most productive and enjoyable, you will work in person with your colleagues, avoiding “Zoom fatigue”.

Dates and times

Two sessions are available: July 8 – 12 and July 29 – Aug 2.

Each session will run Monday – Thursday 9:00 – 2:30 and Friday 9:00 – 12:30, Central Daylight Time.

Accelerated program for experienced teams

Teams that have previously attended the institute or that have experience with teaching through problem solving can request approval to skip the first day.

Who should attend

Teams of 3-6 persons consisting of any of the following should attend:

• Teachers of mathematics or science for grades K-12. Both grade-level and cross-grade teams are encouraged.
• School-based instructional leaders (with a teacher team), such as principals or curriculum coordinators
• Network or district instructional leaders.

Follow-up support

Although the workshop will be on-line, Lesson Study Alliance will provide in-person follow-up support during the 2024-2025 academic year, providing a final commentator for your research lesson.

Cost

• $2520 per team for schools within a 1.5-hour drive of downtown Chicago
• For schools outside that area: $2520 per team + travel for one of us to assist with your research lesson during the 2024-2025 school year. Please contact us for a fixed quote.

Professional development credit

Professional development credit will be available for Illinois teachers. Teachers from other states should contact us to find out if p.d. credit can be provided.

How to sign up

1. Submit this application form, one per team.
2. Register members of each participating team at LSAlliance.org/registration.html. Team members should sign up together; register each team separately.
3. Submit payment by check or purchase order. (Our vendor # for Chicago Public Schools is 97110.)

Deadlines

To ensure that we can provide high-quality support, the number of teams will be limited.