Lesson Study as ‘Systematic Analysis of Experience’

Abstract

This chapter presents the theoretical groundings of lesson study as analyzing experience. Lesson Study is a methodology which was developed in Japanese elementary education. Jugyō Kenkyū (lesson study in Japanese) is used to analyze teaching. During lesson study teachers work in small groups, collaborate with one another to discuss learning goals, plan actual classroom “research lessons”, observe their planning in live lessons with students, and report on the results so that other teachers can benefit from it. Lesson study can also be used at district or national level, with the purpose of addressing changes in curricula or courses of study proposed at district or national level as a methodology for the mediation of professional learning. The chapter discusses the theoretical groundings of lesson study, with a focus on studies conducted in teacher education on the uses, processes and outcomes of story as a pedagogy for mediating teacher learning. Concrete examples of mediation tasks through lesson study in teacher education are then presented. The last part presents a synthesis of the major themes identified in the literature on the use of lesson study in teacher education. The synthesis is organized around purposes, processes, outcomes and target audience studied. Like previous chapters, this synthesis is followed by a comprehensive checklist of selected articles, books and handbooks on lesson study organized by decades (from 2000 onwards).