Lesson study is a process in which teachers meet with other teachers and reflect on their own lessons to develop and improve their teaching abilities and lesson plans. The practice began in Japanese education and schools and has since grown in popularity in the United States and other countries seeking to improve education. Teachers who use this method usually meet in small groups with other teachers to discuss lesson plans and teaching methods, then compare plans to actual lesson execution in the classroom. Lesson planning can also make use of modern technology, such as the Internet, to allow teachers to collaborate and share ideas in virtual settings.
Lesson study practices were originally developed for use in primary and secondary education in Japan, and are now increasingly used in higher education in the United States. The entire process usually consists of four steps to help teachers better understand what they’re teaching and how they’re teaching it. The first step is to create a lesson plan that outlines how a lesson will be delivered in class. The lesson is then taught to students in a classroom setting. Teachers then assess how the lesson was delivered and how students responded, and use lesson study meetings to make any changes that appear necessary to improve future delivery of the lesson.
While teachers can use lesson study techniques on their own, it is more common for multiple teachers to participate in the process. A small group of teachers who may be teaching the same or similar subjects will get together to talk about upcoming lessons they’ve planned and give each other feedback and ideas. They can also talk about a recent lesson they taught and collaborate on a lesson study to learn more about what worked well in the lesson and how it could be improved in the future. Teachers can also record their lessons on video and share them with others during lesson review to help them identify areas where their actual teaching methods could be improved.
Lesson planning can also include the use of the Internet, allowing teachers separated by large geographical distances to share ideas and collaborate. On the Internet, there are numerous forums, chat rooms, and social groups set up to allow teachers to share ideas and lesson plans. Teachers can use such websites to help them come up with new lesson ideas or to better understand how they can improve their own teaching abilities.