Lesson Study: A Japanese Approach To Improving Mathematics Teaching and Learning

by Clea Fernandez, Makoto Yoshida

Overview

Lesson study is a popular professional development approach in Japan whereby teachers collaborate to study content, instruction, and how students solve problems and reach for understanding in order to improve elementary mathematics instruction and learning in the classroom.

This book is the first comprehensive look at the system and process of lesson study in Japan. It describes in detail the process of how teachers conducted lesson study--how they collaborated in order to develop a lesson, what they talked about during the process, and what they looked at in order to understand deeply how students were learning. Readers see the planning of a mathematics lesson, as well as how much content knowledge the teachers have. They observe students' problem solving strategies and learn how Japanese teachers prepare themselves to identify those strategies and facilitate the students' discussion.

Written for mathematics teachers, educational researchers, school administrators interested in teachers' professional development, and professional developers, this landmark volume provides an in-depth understanding of lesson study that can lead to positive changes in teachers' professional development and in teaching and learning in the United States.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805839616
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/10/2004
Series:	Studies in Mathematical Thinking and Learning Series
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)
Lexile:	1330L (what's this?)

About the Author

Authored by Fernandez, Clea; Yoshida, Makoto

Table of Contents

Contents: J.W. Stigler, Foreword. Introduction. An Overview of Lesson Study. Lesson Study at Tsuta Elementary School. Illustrating the Lesson Study Through the Work of Five Tsuta Teachers. Drawing Up a Preliminary Lesson Plan. Refining the Lesson Plan. Preparing to Teach the Study Lesson. Teaching the Study Lesson. Discussing How to Improve the Study Lesson. The Revised Lesson Plan. Teaching the Revised Lesson. Sharing Reflections About the Study Lesson. Follow-Up Activities: Sharing and Reflecting. Strategies for Avoiding Isolation in Order to Enhance Lesson Study. Conclusion. Appendices.

Editorial Reviews

"With the current interest in Japanese lesson study as a form of professional development for mathematics teachers, this book is an important contribution to the literature....This book, written by two authors who have such an intimately deep understanding of the process and its details, is then essential reading for all mathematics educators who are engaged in the implementation of Japanese lesson study outside of Japan."
—Journal of Research in Mathematics

"Of interest to the reader/educator is how lesson study is then organized for each school, when Japanese teachers involved in the lesson study have their meetings, and what kind of financial support they might receive from outside sources. This book is derived from Yoshida's dortoral dissertation, but this is one disseration whose observations won't gather dust on a bookself!"
—MAA Online

"The description is rich with ideas for better ways of approaching problem-based learning. This book should be on the shelves of all elementary education professors and elementary supervisors of any content."

—Teaching Children Mathematics

"Clea Fernandez and Makoto Yoshida have made major contributions to our understanding of lesson study, and this book clearly is one of the most important of these. They tell the story of lesson study at one school in a way that is accurate and true to Japanese practice, yet accessible and comprehensible to U.S. audiences....This book presents the details of Japanese lesson study, and these details can take your breath away....Those of us interested in lesson study, and in improving teaching and learning in U.S. schools, should be grateful for the care and clarity with which Clea Fernandez and Makoto Yoshida have presented the substance of Japanese lesson study. There is much learned in these pages."
—James. W. Stigler
University of California at Los Angeles, From the Foreword

From the Publisher