Japanese Lesson Study has come under increasing attention from educators in the
West and throughout South-East Asia since it was revealed outside Japan through the
release of the TIMSS Video Study. In this paper we argue that Japanese Lesson Study
provides a model for large scale, sustainable professional development. In particular,
we draw on our own experience of Japanese Lesson Study and the research literature
to describe its characteristic features and examine some of the cultural assumptions
that underpin its implementation.
Exploring mathematics with groups of people is inherently a cultural practice