Mathematical Teacher Noticing: The Key to Learning from Lesson Study

Abstract

Lesson Study has been adapted by many countries in support of teachers’ learning from their practice. However, learning from Lesson Study does not come naturally and it is unclear how teachers can be supported in such learning. Moreover, lesson preparation, a critical component of mathematics teaching, is still largely under-explored in the study of teacher noticing. This chapter presents an analysis of what and how teachers notice when they make instructional decisions during the planning and reviewing stages of Lesson Study. It compares and contrasts two groups of elementary school teachers: one group of pre-service teachers (PSTs) from the United States, and the other group of in-service teachers (ISTs) from Singapore, in terms of what they see and think about their students’ mathematical reasoning during Lesson Study. Using a notion of productive noticing, we provide snapshots of mathematics teacher noticing, which highlights the key role noticing plays in learning from Lesson Study, and offer insights as to how teacher noticing can be supported in the context of lesson planning and reflection.