Lesson Study: from professional development to research in mathematics education.

Abstract

Lesson study is a collaborative model of teacher professional development which originated in Japan. Since the beginning of 21st century lesson study has received growing international attention in terms of both educational research (see WALS annual conferences1) and mathematics education research (for eg. Hart, Alston, & Murata, 2011). In this paper, I fi rst briefl y present lesson study and the on-going lesson study projects in Lausanne, particularly focusing on a mathematics lesson study group for primary 3 and 4 in-service teachers. Th is group’s work and on-going research will illustrate refl ections on aspects of lesson study, in particular: lesson study as teacher training, as resource development, as teacher research, as mathematics education research and as a way to connect education professionals. Th e conclusion synthesises these aspects as links between research and practice.