Exploring How Facilitators Influence Teacher Talk During Post-Research Lesson Discussions of Lesson Study

PurposeThe study aims at exploring the perspective of three English as a Foreign Language teachers after their year-long involvement in the Lesson Study project in the context of Kazakhstan in order to capture and list any perceived changes in teachers’ educational beliefs over the period of the Lesson Study intervention. The main argument of the study suggests that the school-based Lesson Study initiative is conducive to triggering changes in teachers’ educational beliefs, and thus, might lead to positive changes in school culture in Kazakhstani schools. Shaped following Hill et al., (1982) in Swales, 1990 hour-glass model of a research project (Swales, 1990), the article reflects the third concluding part of the Ph.D. thesis focusing on the implementation of the Lesson Study methodology in Kazakhstan.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts the qualitative research design and follows the narrative inquiry methodology. The three narrative interviews (Bauer, 1996) are utilized as the main method of data collection. The data were analyzed as text following a general inductive approach (Thomas, 2003), where emerging themes were identified employing data reduction and further sub-categorized through the conceptual and theoretical lenses of the study. The emerged categories reflecting the perceived shifts in teachers’ educational beliefs were dialectically linked to implications for school culture in Kazakhstani schools.FindingsAs data suggest, the respondents’ active engagement in the Lesson Study professional learning community and exercising leadership through implementing changes in their classroom practice has made a positive impact on teachers’ rethinking their teaching practice, attitudes to students and their learning, collegiality, and professional self-identification. We conclude that, if organized properly, Lesson Study has enormous potential to facilitate changes of teachers’ educational beliefs: from direct transmission beliefs toward constructivist beliefs, from restricted professionals’ beliefs toward reflective practitioner beliefs and attitudes, toward beliefs in the power of student’s voice, and collaboration. Those shifts are linked to establishing a more positive, child-friendly and rights-based school culture with teachers’ shared visions and capacity for innovation.Research limitations/implicationsWe acknowledge that the abundance of the reported positive changes or perceived shifts in teachers’ thinking might not be the indicators of actual changes in their beliefs. We emphasize that the study was carried in a controlled context, i.e. the three ELF teachers were constantly supported, and the teacher talk was systematically guided by a trained facilitator. Warned by Giroux et al. (1999), we are aware of the major challenge of the fundamental assumption of critical pedagogy that teachers are willing and able to undertake “the practice of analyzing their practice” (p. 27) voluntarily. Thus, the question remains open: if the facilitator’s support is eliminated, will the results point to the occurrence of the disruption and disorientation as a necessary condition for the beliefs change?Originality/valueCarried out in the largely overlooked by the academic literature context of the Reform at Scale (Wilson et al., 2013) in Kazakhstan and building on the original combination of conceptual and theoretical lenses, the research contributes to the academic literature by connecting teachers’ educational beliefs, Lesson Study and school culture. The findings might be of value for the school leaders, educators, teacher trainers, and policymakers to advocate Lesson Study as a systematic approach to the whole-school improvement, as a tool to facilitate positive changes in school culture, as well as give impetus to studies employing the school culture perspective in developing Lesson Study impact evaluation tools.

Purpose This study aims to investigate how a researcher supported early childhood (EC) educators in integrating spatial thinking into the curriculum through lesson study (LS). It was conducted in a context where both LS and spatial reasoning were unfamiliar. The study explores the facilitation strategies that initiated and sustained teacher dialogue about case pupils' spatial thinking. It further examines how these strategies contributed to professional learning across dimensions of satisfaction, knowledge, instructional practice and school-level change. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study approach was used, drawing on audio recordings of LS meetings, pupil artifacts, researcher reflections and field notes. Reflective thematic analysis traced how the researcher scaffolded teacher thinking and interaction across LS phases, with particular attention to discussions focused on case pupils' spatial reasoning. Findings Researcher support evolved from directive reassurance during the workshop to more facilitative prompting as teacher confidence increased across the LS cycles. Key mechanisms included reassurance, strategic questioning, mindset reframing and structured protocol for debriefing session and observation sheets to anchor discussions in pupil learning. Constraints such as staffing shortages and LS unfamiliarity were addressed with adaptations in the LS process. Practical implications Findings inform LS facilitation training by emphasizing gradual autonomy, structured reflection and teacher-led inquiry. The study also offers guidance for sustaining LS in under-resourced settings. Originality/value The study offers new insights into multi-role LS design and facilitation in EC education, especially for unfamiliar areas like spatial thinking. It shows how researchers can support teacher learning and facilitate processes that make such content visible, actionable and embedded in classrooms.

This study deals with the impact of lesson study focused on dialogic teaching in the science classroom. Lesson study has been used as a professional development program where teachers will be able to improve teacher instructional practices. In this study, lesson study was conducted in junior high schools for two cycles which a cycle starts from building a lesson design, implementation lesson design in science classroom, reflection, and revise the lesson design. A qualitative approach design in this study provides a detailed look at each aspect of lesson study which showed the impact on dialogic teaching in the science classroom. Dialogic teaching analyzed form transcribed video recordings through transcript based lesson analysis (TBLA). Dialogic teaching each segment is analyzed and interpreted in the form of a pattern based on the teaching dialog categorization. The result showed an increase in effective dialogic teaching to create an inquiry learning environment in the second implementation. In general, lesson study was effective to help teacher reflect the lessons and revise the lesson design as a part of lesson study was effective to improve dialogic teaching. This study contributes to upgrading teacher instructional practices in the science classroom.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development of mathematics teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) over successive cycles of lesson study. Utilising the framework of mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) (Ballet al., 2008), this research classifies features of PCK as utilised by post-primary mathematics teachers in their planning and reflection conversations in lesson study. The development of these features of PCK is then traced over successive cycles.Design/methodology/approach– In total, 12 teachers in two Irish post-primary schools participated in this research. Over the course of one academic year, these two groups of teachers completed a number of cycles of lesson study and qualitative data were generated through audio recordings of all lesson study meetings and through individual interviews with participants.Findings– Analysis of teacher dialogue reveals distinct features of knowledge of content and students (KCS) and knowledge of content and teaching (KCT) incorporated by these teachers in their planning and reflection conversations, providing empirical evidence of MKT in lesson study. The occurrence of these features of KCS and KCT in lesson study conversations increased over successive cycles, demonstrating teacher learning.Originality/value– This research contributes to the literature in expanding the theoretical underpinnings of teacher learning in lesson study. It also provides further empirical evidence of MKT (Ballet al., 2008) in teacher practice, specifically related to post-primary mathematics teachers.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the extent of systematic examination of students’ educational (support) needs by teachers participating in lesson study (LS) meetings within a framework of formative assessment (FA). Design/methodology/approach The study took place in the context of upper preparatory vocational education in the Netherlands. The learning trajectory of two LS teams was examined qualitatively, using the framework of FA to analyze teachers’ explorative talk during LS-meetings. The sample included Dutch language teachers and mathematics teachers. Findings Findings revealed how the process of FA was intertwined with the LS process. Systematic examination of teaching practice was partly identified, however, FA was frequently inadequately applied. Teachers tended to rush into talk about pedagogics, instead of identification of goals and students’ educational (support) needs. In total, 12 characteristics of teacher talk were related to the extent to which FA was applied. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study suggest that guidance and support during LS-meetings is desirable for systematic practices during LS-meetings and this guidance and support should adapt to specific weaknesses and strengths of a LS team. Originality/value This study builds on previous findings suggesting that a systematic approach is important for teachers during LS-meetings. The findings provide a starting point for realizing the potential of LS in preparatory vocational education, by revealing potential pitfalls of systematic practice during LS-meetings. Moreover, this study presents a framework of FA as a potential tool in facilitating a systematic practice of LS.

PurposeThis paper discusses findings from a four-year research and development project using lesson study in a Norwegian elementary school. There are only a limited number of studies which have investigated how talk mediates teacher learning in lesson study, whereas research has shown that the form communication takes is the key to whether or not collaboration leads to learning. Focus in this paper is therefore on the talk which takes place in teacher teams when they meet to plan the research lesson in lesson study. The article explores sequences of talk that afford opportunities for teacher learning in order to understand what triggers and characterizes these opportunities.Design/methodology/approachData consisted of audio recordings of four teacher teams made during planning meetings. Based on theoretical criteria, sequences of teacher talk which indicated potential for learning were selected for further analyses. These sequences were then coded with respect to what themes triggered this talk and what conversional routines were found.FindingsThe most frequent trigger of talk affording opportunities for learning was in relation to students and more specifically different needs of individual or subgroups of students. Didactic and purely curriculum-focussed issues triggered this kind of talk to a small degree. Conversional routines in the selected sequences concerned (1) taking a student perspective, (2) discussing impact on student learning behaviour and (3) generalizing (moving from specific accounts of classroom practice to general reflection on one's own practice).Originality/valueThis study aims to investigate what triggers and characterizes talk with learning potential in the lesson study work of teacher teams.

This paper explores development in teacher beliefs and ideas for adaptations with respect to students who display challenging behaviour. These students have the same right to inclusive education as other students, but evidence suggest that this still is a partially unsolved issue. The study’s context is an elementary school using Lesson Study as method for professional development over a four-year period. We have used content analysis and compared teacher talk during planning meetings at the beginning and end of the four years. The main findings are increased attention towards student behaviour, increased use of contextual explanations for student behaviour, a marked increase in ideas for adaptations, and ideas changing from exerting external control to engaging students in learning activities. The findings are discussed as to whether they support inclusion and how Lesson Study might have contributed.

Lesson study is acknowledged as a valuable practice for teachers’ professional development. Recent studies analysing teachers’ conversations during lesson study partially show that it tends to promote a student-centred approach to teaching amongst those who put it into practice. However, none has been conducted yet amongst faculty members in higher education. In this study, we conducted a multiple case study to approach this topic of research and present the content analysis of faculty members’ conversations during lesson study. We discuss the topics that were conversed in relation to students (their engagement, their thinking, their potential learning, their discourse and interactions and general ideas about them), the relative frequency of these topics within the faculty members’ conversations, how the faculty approached these topics and connected them to other topics of conversation, and the type of pedagogical actions and professional learning paths that were promoted through the discussion of these student-related topics. Findings of this research deserve to be taken into consideration when designing faculty development programmes, especially when they involve professional discussions.

This study investigated how elementary teachers in a mathematics lesson study made sense of student learning, teaching, and content, as related to using representations in teaching multidigit subtraction, and how changes occurred over time in their talk and practice. The lesson-study process paved a group talk path along which teacher talk shifted from superficial to deeper consideration of student learning. By providing a context in which interactions of diverse ideas drove teacher learning, lesson study facilitated teachers making connections between the craft knowledge of teaching and scholarly knowledge. Individual teacher talk paths varied within the group path, and one teacher's learning path and the interaction of different learning paths is discussed.

This study is a study that aims to analyze the teacher's learning patterns in the classroom through transcript-based lesson analysis (TBLA)-based lesson study. There are 3 main stages in this research, which consist of planning (plan), implementation (do), and reflection (see) which are carried out in 2 cycles. The study was conducted in November 2020. The data collection in this study used learning video recordings, observation sheets, and documentation of other artifacts. In cycle 1, the results of the analysis of the pattern of teaching dialogue were dominated by exposition so that fewer discussions were formed. Cycle 2 lesson study is intended to improve learning in cycle 1 so that cycle 2 is carried out based on the results of the reflection of cycle 1. The results of the analysis of dialogue patterns in cycle 2 there is a pattern of teaching dialogue formed in learning consisting of pronunciation, exposition, and discussion so that the number of discussion engagements between teachers and students are more dominant and this result shows that a good teaching dialogue pattern will have a good impact on students' scientific attitudes. From the results of this study, it is suggested that teachers can apply lesson study based on transcript-based lesson analyses. The application of this technical analysis will enable teachers to improve their ability to make learning that will be implemented more effective

Mathematics Curriculum Evaluation

This article presents findings from a study examining teacher talk in the early and late phases of a 4-year project in a Norwegian elementary school where Lesson Study was used as a method for professional development. The study focuses on inclusive and adapted education and aims to explore the changing beliefs about student needs and the adaptations teachers made to meet these needs. To this end, the study applies content analysis to audio recordings of teachers planning meetings. Findings show development in how teachers understand themselves and their work in ways that can contribute to education that is more inclusive and adapted: 1) an increased awareness of student needs paired with a growing trust in students’ ability to participate in the lessons; 2) more trust in teachers’ own ability to influence student learning and development and; 3) a growing view of teaching and learning as a social enterprise where the active participation of all students is identified and used as a lesson resource.

Recalling Freire's lessons on education and teacher development, this study embraces the transformative power of dialogue. In the context of Brazilian public schools, where education faces challenges such as rigid curriculum prescriptions, the researchers implemented a Lesson Study cycle as a dialogic teacher development intervention. Despite constraints, it fostered a collaborative and dialogic space, enabling English teachers to share and reflect in formative interactions. This approach allowed for critical discussions, empowered teacher agency, and enhanced the quality of English teaching. Inspired by Freire's vision, dialogic Lesson Study proved to be a liberating experience for teachers, promoting active and meaningful practices.

This study explores teacher talk in the early phase of a project in a Norwegian elementary school where Lesson Study is used as a method for professional development. The study focuses on inclusion and aims to explore what beliefs about student needs and teacher role and responsibilities become evident, and how these beliefs can challenge development towards a more inclusive practice. To this end, content analysis is applied to audio recordings of teacher teams’ planning meetings. Despite an overall positive attitude towards inclusion, and inclusive structures in the school, findings point at factors in teachers’ beliefs that can challenge the inclusion process. These factors are: student needs understood as individual problems, adaptation understood as individualised and laborious and a limited view on teacher role, where their responsibility mainly regard academic learning.

Against a backdrop of a transformation in teacher professional development and learning and state school organisation in England this century, this chapter describes the evolution of Research Lesson Study, a model that optimises dialogic teacher learning, its effects in a project which harnessed six cycles of research lesson study at school and district level over 2 years to tailor the implementation of a new statutory curriculum in England to address the professional development needs of teachers and classroom learning needs of London students. It then reports the findings of research carried out during the project into how these teachers learned and developed this new curricular expertise and practice knowledge through lesson study dialogues that supported student learning. It concludes by proposing future directions for teacher professional learning research and practice.