Impact of Lesson Studies: an exploratory literature review

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to build a theoretical framework through a literature review to evaluate lesson studies embedded in the scholastic context of Lausanne, French-speaking Switzerland. Firstly, we provide an overview of the methods used worldwide to measure the effects of Lesson Study on teachers and pupils. In order to do this, we did a comprehensive literature review and conducted semi-direct interviews with members of the Lausanne Laboratory Lesson Study (3LS) at the University of Teacher Education, Lausanne. Our respondents evoked some reasons to explain the limited number of well-controlled evaluation procedures in Lesson Studies forwarded by Cheung & Yee Wong (2014). Secondly, we briefly define the goals of Lesson Study. Thirdly, we introduce theoretical models (especially based on the works of John Hattie and Helen Timperley) to provide food for thought on the most effective ways to measure the impact of Lesson Study on teachers and pupils. One of the key elements taken into consideration was effectiveness of teaching. This is related to the quality of feedback, curriculum alignment and metacognition. In addition, the quality of learning was also identified as an important element as it tests pupils’ knowledge and learning processes. The link between teaching including teacher preparation through the lesson study project meetings and learning was also explored. Lastly, we suggest ways of storing and analyzing lesson study data notably project meeting recordings, research lessons as well as pre- and post-interviews during the experiment, lesson plans, surveys as well as pupils’ productions and teaching aids. We do this in order to keep track of the effects of the process and short-term, mid-term and long term measures.