Abstract
<p style="text-align:justify">This article examined the role of Lesson Study in a center school located in the southeastern United States through an analysis of a narrative by the school principal. This methodology allowed a level of reflexivity across the research team, who appreciated hearing about the powerful first-hand enactment of the initiative. The paper begins with an analysis of Lesson Study, particularly in special education, and the key tenets of Lesson Study followed by a narrative account of the principal. Subsequent to her story, we explored lessons learned in relation to implementing a system change in a school, namely Lesson Study. We learned that a deeper understanding of school culture, sustaining professional development, and collaborative practice, were significant factors enabling the principal and teachers at the center school to embrace, plan, and implement a successful Lesson Study for learners with significant disabilities. In addition, we learned that Lesson Study plays an important role in teacher and student engagement in teaching and learning at the center school and supports teachers to design lessons that are efficacious in meeting the individual needs and higher expectations of students.</p>
Highlights
The Lesson Study model is originally derived from Japanese education (Saito, 2012)
Lesson Study was begun in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s by several American researchers such as Lewis, Stigler, Hiebert, Fernandez, and Yoshida following their observations of Japanese education (National Research Council, 2002)
Throughout Rachel’s story, the following themes emerged; setting a culture for change, sustaining professional development, collaborative practice, pedagogy, and low expectation as important considerations for a principal who embarks on a systemic change at his/her school
Summary
The Lesson Study model is originally derived from Japanese education (Saito, 2012). The term ‘Lesson Study’ or ‘lesson research’ as Lewis (2009) called it, is translated from ‘jugyokenkyu’ in Japanese into English as ‘kenkyu’ meaning ‘study’ or ‘research’ and ‘jugyo’ meaning ‘lesson’ (Fernandez, 2002; Fernandez & Yoshida, 2004; Lewis, 2009). Lesson Study is defined as a team of teachers who collaboratively plan a lesson, develop it, discuss its’ implementation, teach it to their students while the team observes, analyses the lesson (learning process), and revises the lesson (Fernandez, 2002; Kusnick, 2008; Lewis, 2009; National Research Council, 2002; Stepanek et al, 2007; Stigler & Hiebert, 1999). Lesson Study was begun in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s by several American researchers such as Lewis, Stigler, Hiebert, Fernandez, and Yoshida following their observations of Japanese education (National Research Council, 2002). Several years after introducing the idea of Lesson Study to the United States, attention to the approach has increased among educators (Lewis et al, 2006)
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