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Why Lesson Study?

Teachers are constantly faced with new challenges in the classroom, which usually require a high degree of initiative. These include heterogeneous performance in the classroom, new curricula, inclusion, and the integration of digital tools. However, there is often little time in everyday working life to address these challenges in detail. The existing collaborative structures in schools vary, which means that teachers may have to face these challenges alone.

This is where Lesson Study comes in as a method of collaborative lesson development. Small, collegial teams can learn new things together and from each another. Through reflecting on what they have learned as well as their own experiences, teachers can bring newly acquired knowledge into the classroom. What is special about Lesson Study is that it enables its participants to tackle challenges systematically and collectively. The aims of Lesson Study are:

  • Gain a better understanding of how your own students learn and how teaching affects them.
  • Learning from each other (How do my colleagues actually plan their lessons? How do others deal with the behaviour of certain pupils?)
  • Sharing your own knowledge with others, developing new knowledge together, benefiting from the knowledge of others
  • Experiencing social support and emotional relief (sharing work, recognising each other's achievements, gaining understanding)
  • To be challenged in reflection sessions and to get an alternative view of one's own students or certain problems in the classroom.

Lesson study can be understood as a continuous and sustainable form of professional development for teachers (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017). In the context of a collaborative exchange, work is carried out on a self-selected and relevant issue and approaches to solutions can be tested immediately. In addition, the cyclical structure of Lesson Study allows long-term goals to be pursued.

References

Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., & Gardner, M. (2017). Effective teacher professional development. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/teacher-prof-dev.