Lesson Study and Its Role in the Implementation of Curriculum Reform in China

Abstract

This chapter aims to provide a holistic picture of the system of lesson study (LS) and its role in mathematics curriculum reform in China. By means of official documents (policy) and a review of literature, we begin by examining features of the teaching research system that is part of the infrastructure of LS in China. Following this introduction, the chapter presents a case of LS at district and school levels to examine how a curriculum reform idea could be implemented in classrooms through teaching a specific topic through the LS approach. Following typical Chinese LS phases, a LS team including knowledgeable others and school teachers set the goals of understanding the concepts of milliliter and liter and developing problem-solving skills, then carried out eight iterations of rehearsing and reflecting upon research lessons, and, finally, taught an exemplary lesson. The data collected include videotaped research lessons, lesson planning and debriefing sessions, post-lesson teachers’ reflections, experts’ comments on the final exemplary lesson, and post-LS teachers’ and teaching research specialists’ interviews. An analysis of this data showed that the research lesson was substantially improved in its alignment with the goals of LS. In addition, the practicing teacher further developed her own understanding of teaching mathematics through experiment, and the specialist developed her professional expertise through mentoring the LS.