Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Introduction: Conceptual Overview of Lesson Study

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Lesson Study Research and Practice in Mathematics Education

Abstract

Lesson study is a collaboration-based teacher professional development approach that originated in Japan (Fernandez and Yoshida 2004; Lewis and Tsuchida 1998; Stigler and Hiebert 1999). Lesson study attracted the attention of an international audience in the past decade, and in 2002 it was one of the foci for the Ninth Conference of the International Congress on Mathematics Education (ICME). It subsequently spread to many other countries and more than a dozen international conferences and workshops were held around the world in which people shared their experiences and progress with lesson study as they adopted this new form of professional development in their unique cultural contexts (e.g., Conference on Learning Study 2006; Fujita et al. 2004; Lo 2003; National College for Educational Leadership 2004; Shimizu et al. 2005).

Parts of this chapter appeared previously in International Encyclopedia of Education, Teacher Education volume.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Lesson study research conducted outside of Japan has primarily been focused on mathematics so far, therefore the chapter reports findings from these studies on mathematics instruction. However, lesson study may be used for all subject areas.

References

  • Ball, D. (1990). The mathematical understandings that prospective teachers bring to teacher education. Elementary School Journal, 90(4), 449–466.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell, B., & Gilbert, J. (2004). A model for achieving teacher development. In J. Gilbert (Ed.), The Routledge Falmer reader in science education (pp. 258–278). New York: Routledge Falmer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borko, H. (2004). Professional development and teacher learning: Mapping the terrain. Educational Researcher, 33(8), 3–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borko, H., Eisenhart, M., Brown, C. A., Underhill, R. G., Jones, D., & Agard, P. C. (1992). Learning to teach hard mathematics: Do novice teachers and their instructors give up too easily? Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 23(3), 194–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S. (1999). The teacher research movement: A decade later. Educational Researcher, 28(7), 15–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S. (2001). Beyond certainty: Taking an inquiry stance on practice. In A. Lieberman & L. Miller (Eds.), Teachers caught in the action: Professional development in practice (pp. 45–60). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conference on Learning Study. (2006). Programme. http://www.ied.edu.hk/cdspfe/lsconference/programme.htm. Accessed 19 Feb 2007. (The Hong Kong Institute of Education website).

  • Choksi, S., & Fernandez, C. (2004). Challenges to improving Japanese lesson study: Concerns, misconceptions, and nuances. Phi Delta Kappan, 85(7), 520–525.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darling-Hammond, L. (1994). Developing professional development schools: Early lessons, challenges, and promise. In L. Darling-Hammond (Ed.), Professional development schools: Schools for developing a profession (pp. 1–27). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, B., & Summitt, E. (2003). Understanding learning systems: Mathematics education and complexity science. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 34, 137–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez, C. (2005). Lesson study: A means for elementary teachers to develop the knowledge of mathematics needed for reform-minded teaching? Mathematical thinking and learning, 7(4), 265–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez, C., & Cannon, J. (2005). What Japanese and U.S. teachers think about when constructing mathematics lessons: A preliminary investigation. The Elementary School Journal, 105(5), 481–498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez, C., & Yoshida, M. (2004). Lesson study: A case of a Japanese approach to improving instruction through school-based teacher development. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez, C., Cannon, J., & Choksi, S. (2003). A U.S.—Japan lesson study collaborative reveals critical lenses for examining practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 19, 171–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fujita, H., Hashimoto, Y., Hodgson, B. R., Lee, P. Y., Lerman, S., & Sawada, T. (2004). Proceedings of the ninth International Congress on Mathematics Education. Norwell: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, P., Wineburg, S., & Woolworth, S. (2001). Toward a theory of teacher community. Teachers College Record, 103(6), 942–1012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herbst, P. (2003). Using novel tasks in teaching mathematics: Three tensions affecting the work of the teacher. American Educational Research Journal, 40, 197–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawley, W. D., & Valli, L. (1999). The essentials of effective professional development: A new consensus. In L. Darling-Hammond & G. Sykes (Eds.), Teaching as the learning profession: Handbook for policy and practice (pp. 127–150). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lesson Study Research Group. (2007). Timeline of U.S. lesson study. http://www.tc.edu/lessonstudy/lsgroups.html. Accessed 15 Feb 2007. (Teachers College, Columbia University web site).

  • Lewis, C. (2002). Lesson study: A handbook of teacher-led instructional change. Philadelphia: Research for Better Schools.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, C., & Tsuchida, I. (1998). A lesson is like a swiftly flowing river: Research lessons and the improvement of Japanese education. American Educator, (Winter), 14–17, 50–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, C., Perry, R., & Hurd, J. (2004). Deeper look at lesson study. Educational Leadership, 61(5), 18–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, C., Perry, R., & Murata, A. (2006). How should research contribute to instructional improvement: The case of lesson study. Educational researcher, 35(3), 3–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, C., Perry, R., & Hurd, J. (2007). Lesson study: A theoretical model and a North American case. Paper in preparation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Little, J. W. (2001). Professional development in pursuit of school reform. In A. Lieberman & L. Miller (Eds.), Teachers caught in the action: Professional development that matters (pp. 28–44). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lo, M. L. (2003). Lesson study and its impact on teacher development. ISSP Newsletter, 4–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murata, A. & Takahashi, A. (2002). District-level lesson study: How Japanese teachers improve their teaching of elementary mathematics. Paper presented at a research pre-session of the annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Las Vegas, NV, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murata, A., Lewis, C., & Perry, R. (2004). Teacher learning and lesson study: Developing efficacy through experiencing student learning. In D. McDougall. (Ed.), Proceedings of the twenty-sixth annual meeting of North American chapter of the international group of the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 985–992). Columbus: ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • National College for School Leadership. (2004). Research lesson study: Experimenting with collaborative learning. Networked Learning Group Publication, 6, 30–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2000). Principles and standards of school mathematics. Reston: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council. (2002). Studying classroom teaching as a medium for professional development: Proceedings of a U.S.—Japan Workshop. Washington: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • North Regional Educational Laboratory. (2002). Teacher to teacher: Reshaping instruction through lesson study. Naperville: North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, J. (2004). Lesson study: Teachers learn how to improve instruction. In Tools for Schools (pp. 1–3). Oxford, OH: National Staff Development Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shimizu, S., Isoda, M., Okubo, K., & Baba, T. (Eds). (2005). Mathematics lesson study in Japan through diagrams. Tokyo: Meiji Tosho.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stepanek, J. (2001). A new view of professional development. Northwest Teacher, 2(2), 2–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stepanek, J. (2003). A lesson study team steps into the spotlight. Northwest Teacher, 4(3), 9–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stigler, J. W. & Hiebert, J. (1999). The teaching gap: Best ideas from the world’s teachers for improving education in the classroom. New York: Summit Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Takahashi, A., & Yoshida, M. (2004, May). Ideas for establishing lesson study communities. Teaching Children Mathematics, 436–443.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, J., & O’Dell, S. J. (2002). Mentored learning to teach according to standards-based reform: A critical review. Review of Educational Research 72(3), 481–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang-Iverson, P., & Yoshida, M. (2005). Building our understanding of lesson study. Philadelphia: Research for Better Schools.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watanabe, T. (2002). Learning from Japanese lesson study. Educational Leadership, 59(6), 36–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilms, W. W. (2003). Altering the structure and culture of American public schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 85(8), 606–613.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, S. M., & Berne, J. (1999). Teacher learning and the acquisition of professional knowledge: An examination of research on contemporary professional development. Review of Research in Education, 24, 173–209.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Aki Murata

Authors
  1. Aki Murata
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aki Murata .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Early Childhood Education, Georgia State University, Atlanta, 30303, Georgia, USA

    Lynn C. Hart

  2. , Robert B. Davis Institute for Learning, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, 08901-1183, New Jersey, USA

    Alice S. Alston

  3. , School of Education, Stanford University, 520 Galvez Mall, Stanford, 94305, California, USA

    Aki Murata

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Murata, A. (2011). Introduction: Conceptual Overview of Lesson Study. In: Hart, L., Alston, A., Murata, A. (eds) Lesson Study Research and Practice in Mathematics Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9941-9_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation