TALKING ABOUT ... LESSON STUDY

Lesson study is a professional development process that Japanese teachers engage in to systematically examine and improve their practice. In this process, teachers work collaboratively to plan, teach, observe and critique a small number of study lessons. To provide focus and direction to this work, teachers select an overarching goal and related research question that they want to explore. This research question guides their work on all the study lessons. Teachers then jointly draw up a detailed plan for the lesson that one of the teachers delivers to students in a real classroom. Other group members observe the lesson. The group then meets to discuss their observations. Often, the group revises the lesson, and another teacher delivers it in a second classroom, while group members again look on. The group then meets again to discuss the observed instruction. Finally, the teachers produce a report of what their study lessons have taught them, particularly with respect to their research question.