This paper introduces "lesson study" as used in Japan to
improve instruction. Lesson study is the process of planning, conducting, and
discussing the research lesson for teachers to study. Four features are
identified as essential to Japanese lesson study: (1) a shared long-term goal
for teachers; (2) important lesson content; (3) careful study of students;
and (4) live observations of lessons. Teachers learn from lesson study and
research lessons because of the opportunity to think carefully about goals of
the particular content area , unit, and lesson and about long-term goals for
students. Research lessons give teachers a change to learn from other
teachers, and they offer a way to deepen knowledge of subject matter.
Studying research lessons helps a teacher develop instructional expertise and
build the capacity for collegial learning. They allow the teacher to develop
"the eyes to see students." Several features of the Japanese educational
landscape support lesson study, including a shared and frugal curriculum,
established collaboration, a belief in improving teaching through collective
effort, and the practice of critical self-reflection. Japanese teachers face
a certain stability in educational policy and tend to focus their
instructional improvement time on instruction as they maintain a focus on the
whole child. Some of the barriers facing lesson study in the United States
are described. (Contains 48 references and 12 endnotes.)