Enhanced Instructional and Professional Growth through a Pragmatic Instructional Approach

Access the online Pressbooks version of this introduction here. Finding a pragmatic process across university programs and disciplines that has the potential to strengthen programs and instruction has promise for adoption because of the possible impact and benefits. Jigsaw Lesson Study (JLS) has that potential and could be expanded into not only a teacher-education classroom but also into any discipline across a university campus. JLS offers opportunities for student engagement and professional development. Here, we used the JLS process, modified from Lesson Study (LS), to strengthen instructional decision-making, lesson planning, and student learning in a teacher-education course. We sought to determine the impact of JLS on teacher candidates’ professional growth. We determined that when participating in the JLS process, teacher candidates engaged more fully in their subject areas, grew as collaborative educators, and developed a heightened awareness of how students learn.