Reforming Lesson Study In Japan

This book elucidates the formation and development of theories of action in school reforms for Schools as Learning Communities (SLC) during ten years from its inception in 1998 in select Japanese elementary schools, junior high schools, and one secondary school. While growing international interest in Japanese lesson study is in pursuit of a standard lesson study, Suzuki offers a unique perspective into school reforms for SLC and how they resisted the standardization of lesson study out of concerns that it would limit a teacher’s autonomous judgment and choice. Through a theory-of-action approach in its examination of the pilot schools for SLC, this book clarifies: • Why did teachers reform lesson study? • What were the difficulties in reforming lesson study? • Why were teachers working on school reform for SLC? • Why did the school reform for SLC evolve from an elementary school to the junior high schools and high schools? This book provides a theoretical foundation for reviewing the past efforts and histories of Japanese lesson study reforms, and will interest academics and practitioners looking for insights into the future of lesson study.

The philosophy of Lesson Study in Japan—teacher ownership, teacher professionalism, student learning-focused dialogue, teacher collaboration, and teacher professional community—has attracted educators and researchers worldwide. However, Lesson Study does not have the same meaning as its original Japanese expression Jugyou Kenkyuu, a combination of two Japanese words—Jugyou meaning instruction or lesson(s) and Kenkyuu meaning study or research. To bridge the gap between Jugyou Kenkyuu and Lesson Study and therefore maximize the potential of Lesson Study in the world, this edited volume provides two "mirrors" for those who wish to reflect on and implement Lesson Study within their own contexts. One section discusses how Lesson Study is utilized in Japanese teacher education and how this system reproduces the very culture of Lesson Study. The other section addresses case studies showcasing Lesson Study implementation in several countries such as the United States, Germany, Norway, Peru, and Uganda and discusses the opportunities and challenges that arise when Lesson Study-based teacher education expands beyond Japan to the rest of the world. This book will appeal to anyone interested in learning about Lesson Study.

School as Learning Community (SLC), or Lesson Study for Learning Community (LSLC) represents an approach to lesson study that emerged in Japan in the 1990s and which has been studied intensively by educators and researchers worldwide to establish democratic learning communities for teachers and students in schools. The model, which involves all teachers in a school observing and sharing a lesson together, creates a listening pedagogy to embrace and develop diversity of learning in each teacher and student - a practice that is as yet, not commonly researched in Asian countries outside of Japan. The book's theoretical foundation reviews existing literature on SLC and LSLC in the Japanese contexts of educational theories and practices. The chapters discuss patterns of learning practices and the challenges of conducting LSLC in Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Recommendations for research and practice involving SLC/LSLC are also provided in the book with a key focus on the impact of lesson study on school reform policies.

Offering voices from the field – the first of its kind outside of Japan – this guide to teaching and learning elementary mathematics highlights real case examples from teachers and educators who share what they have learned through Lesson Study. The teachers’ reports provide vivid examples of new insights and ideas about mathematics, about pedagogy and lesson design, about student learning, and about professional collaboration gained through Lesson Study. Each report includes an abbreviated plan of the specific research lesson that led to the new insights, which readers can draw from to replicate the powerful learning in their own community. The case examples of this book are from Lesson Study in mathematics, elementary to lower secondary grade levels, focused on what teachers and educators have learned about improving mathematics teaching and learning; but many ideas from each report can be applied to other subjects and different grade levels. This unique book will be an excellent resource for mathematics teachers in training and practice who seek to improve mathematics teaching and learning in their own and others’ classrooms, including researchers and school administrators who lead professional development.

Offering a rich, critical investigation of how technology can be used to strengthen and promote lesson study in both virtual and hybrid environments, this edited book presents insights into the numerous challenges as well as opportunities for supporting teachers’ and teacher educators’ professional learning in such a novel setting. Providing an international perspective, research in this book highlights on the one hand the necessity of exploring how the known theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches for researching on lesson study and effective characteristics of conducting lesson study can be adapted to the new environments. On the other hand, further analysis reveals the benefits of using various advanced technologies in lesson study, the new practice of professional development of teachers and teacher educators, and also documents related issues of conducting lesson study in such complex contexts. The chapters focus on online cross-cultural lesson study; the key aspects of conducting online lesson study and the effectiveness of it. Features of facilitation and the development of facilitators for online lesson study are explored, alongside the ways in which online lesson study can help address various problems of practice such as implementing equitable teaching, facilitating student interaction in virtual environments, and migration to remote teaching in STEM. This resourceful text provides needed support to both researchers and practitioners, from primary to higher education, with special attention to both teacher and student learning.

This Open Access volume by the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) is an outcome of the ICMI Study 24 and gives a status-quo of school mathematics reform around the world and what we can learn from this movement. Each theme and section of the book offers descriptions and analyses of multiple case studies in different countries and contexts, along with opportunities to compare, contrast and learn from these diverse experiences. The volume provides a synthesis and meta-analysis of the different historical, geographical and global aspects of school mathematics reforms and explores in which way curricula are elaborated, proposed, changed, and reorganized. It offers a more informed and comprehensive analysis of the roles of different actors and of the many aspects influencing and shaping mathematics curriculum reforms that are taking or have taken place. It also explores the possibilities and means to tackle a curricular reform in the current scenario we live in and how to unfold future developments. This book will be of interest to practitioners and scholars with an interest in school mathematics curriculum reforms. It will also be a useful resource to those involved in school mathematics curriculum reform initiatives by providing current information about the curriculum changes that are taking place in respect of content, teacher education, educational materials, and a range of implementation challenges across diverse contexts.

This book presents a global overview of discourses of globalization, current research in education and education policy reforms. It first examines globalisation, education and policy research and reforms in education, including coverage of main trends in education and policy reforms globally, as well as specific policy issues such as equity, inclusive schooling and quality education for all. Next, it offers a comparative perspective in evaluating the ambivalent and problematic relationship between globalisation, ideology, the state and education reforms globally. One significant impact of globalization on education policy and reforms is the competitive comparison of education systems. These comparisons are usually based on common achievement tests such as TIMSS, PIRLS and PISA. Major policy reforms are frequently justified with reference to these achievement data. The book features coverage of education reforms globally, and academic achievement syndrome. Not only do the chapters offer a timely analysis of current issues shaping education policy research, but the book also contains ideas concerning the future directions that education and policy reforms could take, to offer more democratic and equitable education. Respective chapters critically assess the dominant discourses and debates on education and policy reforms. By doing so, it provides a comprehensive view of the diverse and intersecting discourses on globalisation and policy-driven reforms in education.

Lesson study is a popular professional development approach in Japan whereby teachers collaborate to study content, instruction, and how students solve problems and reach for understanding in order to improve elementary mathematics instruction and learning in the classroom. This book is the first comprehensive look at the system and process of lesson study in Japan. It describes in detail the process of how teachers conducted lesson study--how they collaborated in order to develop a lesson, what they talked about during the process, and what they looked at in order to understand deeply how students were learning. Readers see the planning of a mathematics lesson, as well as how much content knowledge the teachers have. They observe students' problem solving strategies and learn how Japanese teachers prepare themselves to identify those strategies and facilitate the students' discussion. Written for mathematics teachers, educational researchers, school administrators interested in teachers' professional development, and professional developers, this landmark volume provides an in-depth understanding of lesson study that can lead to positive changes in teachers' professional development and in teaching and learning in the United States.