A study of teachers’ practices during structured problem solving lessons as part of mathematics Japanese Lesson Study at primary school

Abstract

This research project focuses on two objects of study which are common in Japan, while not necessarily in Europe. These are on the one hand Lesson Study, a format of teachers’ professional development based on their collaborative works, and on the other hand the so-called structured problem solving lesson, a lesson style often observed in Japanese mathematics classes. The aim of this project is to advance understanding from the inside on Japanese teachers’ practices during different phases of structured problem solving lessons and Lesson Study as a professional development process. In particular, how teachers plan and manage such lessons and which professional acts are worked and developed during Lesson Study. In this project, Lesson Study which is observable in school is used as a tool that allows to collect and analyze data of Japanese teachers’ practices, and also to determine which professional acts are specific to Japanese context. I am planning to collect data from a group of primary school teachers during a Lesson Study process in mathematics and to organize a case study with a few teachers. The prior research on Lesson Study in the international context sometimes refers to the problem solving, but the links between the two objects, Lesson Study and problem solving, have not been fully investigated. This research project falls within this scope with the specificity of the theoretical background of the didactical and ergonomical Double Approach which has been developed in Europe.