As noted in the Preface, this book illustrates the coming of age (over a decade) of the practice of lesson study in the North American context. The examples chosen by the authors to introduce the processes in lesson study are a mathematics lesson study cycle undertaken by a group of North American teachers attending a summer mathematics institute, and a language arts school wide lesson study at Highlands Elementary School in San Mateo, CA.
The style of the book follows the workbook genre, with the aim of supporting “new groups who want to begin the journey of lesson study and also to help experienced groups who want to deepen and spread their work” (p. v). As promised in the sub-title of the book, Chapter 2 gives a step-by-step account of a lesson study cycle on a mathematics lesson (referred to as the “Seats Lesson”), which is documented in a video in the enclosed DVD. The steps illustrated in this chapter and in the video are: planning and study; first teaching; first postlesson discussion; second teaching and second postlesson discussion; and final reflection. The video in the accompanying DVD captured the teacher-participants’ voices, as they reflected on what may have gone wrong, or what their “aha” moments were. The Seats Lesson also illustrated that much deliberation and thought may have gone into the planning stage, but it may not lead to a perfect lesson. The Seats Lesson included a revised lesson, based on their observations of how the students tackled the problem in the first lesson. The contrast in student understanding between the two lessons within the same cycle was a powerful means to show that slight revisions to instructional materials and teaching approaches based on an understanding of how students think, understand and learn, could go a long way to achieving the instructional objectives. Through this example, Lewis and Hurd dealt with the common misconceptions about lesson study, namely, that lesson study is only about lesson planning; that lesson study means writing original lessons; that lesson study produces a library of perfect lessons; and that the research lesson follows a rigid “script” and is a demonstration lesson or expert lesson.
Following the workbook style, in Chapters 3 through to 5, the authors provide guidance through each step of the lesson study process, from building a lesson study group and homing in on a topic to preparing, conducting, and reflecting on a research lesson. The book is replete with resources to support each step of the work, including a schedule for the overall process, sample meeting agendas, protocols for observation and discussion of lessons, templates for developing the research theme and teaching-learning plan, and suggested processes for norm setting and group management. The tone and style of the book is practitioner-focused, with the inclusion of frequently asked questions), diagrams to illustrate processes, clearly indicated sub-headings to sign-post the reading, and lists of points laid out clearly by bullet-points. The appendixes provide detailed unit plans, including a viewing guide to the video of the Seats Lesson, a list of suggested roles group members could take, and detailed sample agendas for the various meetings for groups new to lesson study. In this manner, the book is a user-friendly starter guide for practitioners who are interested in carrying out lesson study.
In Chapter 7, the authors described the diverse forms of lesson study they have observed in the North American context. The forms of lesson study range from small, voluntary lesson study groups, to lesson study embedded in school-year professional development, as carried out by history-social studies teachers in Oakland, CA, to lesson study in a Summer Institute situation as exemplified by the Seats Lesson described in Chapter 2. The Seats Lesson showed that lesson study could be carried out by teachers in cross-site, cross-grade teams to unpack new curriculum expectations and teaching material. The example of Highlands Elementary School describes school-wide lesson study that grew from a small group of teachers to the entire school faculty where the focus is on a research theme. Other forms of lesson study include lesson study by groups of coaches or specialists, lesson study as mentoring for new teachers, lesson study in preservice education, and public lessons as part of a regional or national conference. As noted by the authors, the “different types of lesson study afford different possibilities and constraints” (p. 83), but what they have in common is that they result in the opportunity for educators “to develop, refine, and spread knowledge for teaching” (p. 83).
The critical features that these different forms of lesson study share are: teachers collaborating to bring the innovation to life; teachers helping one another develop the knowledge needed to use the innovation; and teachers adapting and refining the innovation to varied local settings and using careful observation of students during research lessons to assess their adaptations. The authors summarise the power of lesson study in these various forms in the following sentence:
Because teachers take an active role in seeking and testing innovations that meet their needs, innovations will be “pulled in” by teachers rather than “pushed in” by outsiders, leveraging the power of teachers and their networks (p. 83).
Besides giving voice to the teachers’ experience of lesson study, the authors have included perspectives from principals and administrators, detailing how administrators can lend support by locating resources such as time and knowledge sources to deepen the work; helping to protect a schedule for the work; building a shared vision about how lesson study will help improve teaching and learning processes; and affirming the importance of the lesson study work.
My main criticism of the book is that it is very similar to Lewis's earlier book, Lesson Study: A Handbook of Teacher-Led Instructional Change, published by Research for Better Schools Inc. in 2002. Several sections of the latter book included reprints from the earlier book, such as “The role of outside specialists in Japanese Lesson Study” by Tad Watanabe; “Why re-teach lessons?” and “Blackboard use” by Makoto Yoshida; as well as a figure and excerpts from “Contrasting views of professional development: Traditional vs. Lesson Study” by Lynn Liptak. The content of several chapters are also very similar in both books. This, however, does not mean the latter book is merely a reprint of the earlier book under a new title. The choice of content and material shows thoughtful re-organization of concepts to bring out the nuances evident in priorities and focus, illustrating how educators in North America have adapted and adopted lesson study to improve teachers’ and students’ learning in their own context. In Lewis's earlier book, the example used to introduce lesson study was from a school-based lesson study at Komae Elementary School Number Seven, on the outskirts of Tokyo. In contrast, the examples for the newer book are from the North American context. Unlike the lesson study cycle done in Komae Elementary School, the Seats Lesson included a revised lesson, based on their observations of how the students tackled the problem in the first lesson. The contrast in student understanding between the two lessons within the same cycle was a powerful means to show that slight revisions to instructional materials and teaching approaches based on an understanding of how students think, understand and learn, could go a long way to achieving the instructional objectives.
Other subtle differences between this book and Lewis's earlier book seem to indicate a shift in what may seem to be Lewis's priorities. For example, in the chapter on “Why Lesson Study?” the earlier book seemed to indicate a focus on bringing educational goals and standards to life in the classroom, promoting data-based improvement, and targeting student qualities that influence learning. In the later book, order of reasons given indicated a focus on valuing teaching, teachers, and the professional learning community, valuing the long-term learning and development of students, fostering teachers’ intrinsic motivation, and building a shared knowledge base. The latter order put the focus on teachers and their work and community, and on students’ learning.
These subtle differences between the two books bring out how the practice of lesson study in the North American context has evolved over the past decade, showing how “lesson study continues to represent a paradigm shift for most educators outside Japan” (p. v). This book represents how educators in North America make sense of lesson study in their context. It would be interesting to see how educators in the various parts of the world who have adapted and adopted lesson study experienced and made sense of lesson study in their own contexts.
