Lesson Study

This entry explores the concept of lesson study as a tool for educational researchers to examine, in depth, the process of teaching and learning in the classroom. It presents lesson study as both a form of professional learning for teachers and as a methodology for teacher researchers to utilise when exploring their own practice. Originating in Japan in the late 19th century, lesson study has been increasingly implemented across the Western world over the last 30 years, having been incorporated into primary, secondary and, more recently, higher education. Lesson study enables teachers to collaboratively evaluate their teaching to improve their general pedagogical, and pedagogical content, knowledge.

Operationalised with a cyclical system of plan, teach, evaluate, and re-teach, lesson study aims to improve student learning by capturing and understanding nuanced behaviours in the classroom. As a research approach, it addresses the nexus of theory and practice and enables teachers to capitalise on a range of methods of data collection, such as field notes, observations, collegial discussions, and interviews with students, as well as teachers’ own personal reflections.