Doing and Investigating Lesson Study with the Theory of Didactical Situations

Abstract

The theory of didactical situations (TDS) is a framework for experimental research into the dynamics of mathematics teaching. At face value it may appear rather distant from lesson study (LS), which is presented (in the West) as a more or less unique format for teachers’ professional development. In this chapter, we argue that at least two important connections could further both scholars’ and teachers’ work with lesson study. First, LS involves sharing and construction of teacher knowledge about the complex dynamics of the mathematics classroom and its dependency on the design of the lesson (materializing in the lesson plan). TDS offers a useful set of vocabulary and models for the researchers’ analysis of the lesson’s design and dynamics, and with appropriate transposition to the needs of teachers, it might also contribute to the precision of both lesson plan and teacher reflections before and after lessons. Secondly, LS involves a sequence of learning situations for the teachers, with the research lesson at the centre. TDS can be adapted to analyse these learning situations with explicit categories and models. This could contribute towards a more scientific viewpoint on lesson study and, in particular help, answer questions like the following: what is the role of different components of lesson study? How do they interact? What are the effects of repeating research lessons? In this chapter we will elaborate the above theoretical potentials and illustrate them by examples from the doctoral project of the first author.