I’ve been trying to learn more about different approaches to collaborative instructional planning and classroom observations, so this month, I’ve been reading the book Lesson Study: A Japanese Approach To Improvement Mathematics Teaching and Learning.   In this widely read case study narrative of math teachers at Tsuta and Ajinadai Nishi elementary schools, Clea Fernandez and Makoto Yoshida introduce us to the details of lesson study as a philosophy and approach to teaching and learning.  They immediately immerse us in teacher conversations as teams work together to plan lessons they believe will best lead students to understanding and application of key mathematical principles.  As the authors point out, for these Japanese teachers, lesson study is not a program but an embedded approach to their day to day work as classroom teachers.  

The basic structure of lesson study begins with the teachers coming together to plan the lesson collaboratively.  In other words, participating teachers design and teach the same lesson in their respective classrooms.  This detail-oriented process carefully outlines the model lesson, drawing on the collective expertise and insight of members of the team.  Then, one of the teachers gives the lesson in his or her classroom, while the other participants observe the lesson that they helped design.  Following the lesson, the group comes back together to discuss what happened in the classroom, with reactions and suggestions for revision.  Then, a second teacher will teach the revised lesson, with other members of the team coming to observe.  Again, the lesson is followed by a group discussion and reflection about how the lesson went.  

Like the shared problem of practice of Instructional Rounds, the focal point of any given lesson study is connected to a broader goal area being pursued by teachers across the school organization.  This broad area of focus, known in Japenese as the konaikenshu (“in-school training” focus), helps create coherence across the school.  Interestingly, the konaikenshu is usually developed collaboratively by the teachers, focuses less on specific skills and more on broad student dispositions towards learning, and often remains the same over more than one year.  As Fernandez and Yoshida point out, “the konaikenshu goal chosen by a school is explored through the conduct of lesson study.  This provides lesson study with an umbrella goal that is well motivated and carefully selected, and of concern to teachers.  Conversely, this combination of konaikenshu and lesson study provides a concete process for thinking about how to bring a school’s selected konaikenshu goal to life.”    

This detail cannot be overstated.  The power of both Instructional Rounds and Lesson Study, in my estimation, is derived from the momentum that is built as teachers make the connection between broader school goals and the specifics of instructional planning and practice.  Another interesting resemblance between lesson study and Instructional Rounds is what is known in Japan as the lesson study open house, where teachers at nearby schools and other educators come visit the school to come observe and discuss a set of study lessons that the host school has been working on in connection with their konaikenshu.  As is the case with rounds, both the host school and visiting educators benefit from the opportunity to observe and discuss instruction together.  With lesson study, teacher teams often go one step further by producing a written report at the end of the year that highlights the lesson study work for the year.  These “research bulletins” will typically include the lesson plans that were developed at the school, along with key insights and ideas associated with their development and delivery.  

At its core, lesson study is another example of the improvement power that results when teachers themselves take ownership of the observation and feedback process, instead of each step being tightly orchestrated by administrators.  This is a difficult balance to achieve in practice, as administrators can and do play an important supportive role in aligning resources to make such collaborative practices possible, not to mention helping out with logistical details that must be addressed if teachers are to have the time and space necessary to plan and conduct lesson study sessions.