A literature review of lesson study in initial teacher education

Abstract

Abstract• Purpose -A structured review of literature on Lesson Study (LS) in initial teacher education (ITE) was conducted. The focus was on how learning and observation were discussed in studies of LS in ITE.• Design -Each national team (in Norway and England) undertook independent searches of published peer-reviewed articles. The resulting articles were then combined, screened and collaboratively reviewed, the focus being on two areas of enquiry: 1) How learning is represented and discussed;2) The extent to which observation is described and used to capture evidence of learning.• Findings -The literature review indicated that there was no universally held understanding of, or explanation for, the process of observation, how it should be conducted, and who or what should be the principal focus of attention. There was also a lack of clarity in the definition of learning and the use of learning theory to support these observations.• Research limitations -This study was limited to a review of a selection of peerreviewed journal articles, published in English. It arrives at some tentative conclusions, but its scope could have been broadened to include more articles and other types of published material e.g. theses and book chapters.• Practical implications -Research that investigates the use of LS in ITE needs to be more explicit about how learning is defined and observed. Furthermore, LS research papers need to assure greater clarity and transparency about how observations are conducted in their studies. 2• Originality/Value -This literature review suggests that discussion of both learning and observation in ITE lesson study research papers should be strengthened. The review highlights three principal challenges that ITE LS researchers should consider: a) how to prepare student-teachers to observe (professional noticing being a promising option), b) the wide variation in the focus of classroom observation in ITE lesson studies c) discussion of what is understood by learning needs to stand at the heart of preparation for lesson studies in ITE.

Lesson study in Dutch initial teacher education explored: its potential and pitfalls

“…As researchers around the globe have increasingly started to examine LS in different educational contexts and settings aiming to determine its successful mechanisms and effects on teacher and student learning (Dudley et al, 2019), the knowledge base around LS is growing rapidly. However, although the impact of participating in LS on teachers' knowledge, skills and attitudes (Vermunt et al, 2019), the school context (Schipper et al, 2020), and student learning becomes more evident (Lewis and Perry, 2017), LS in initial teacher education (ITE) has received relatively little attention in research, despite a recent peak of publications (Cajkler and Wood, 2020;Larssen et al, 2018). Moreover, LS in Dutch ITE has not been thoroughly examined yet, and we argue that this article is one of the first studies that explores this context.…”

Lesson Study for Professional Development of English Language Teachers: Key Takeaways from International Practices

“…Nevertheless, the authors do not propose lesson study as the "the ultimate solution" to problems of initial teacher education in Turkey because prior research also showed certain shortcomings of lesson study practice specifically in initial teacher education. In an extensive review by Larssen et al, (2018), the authors underlined two critical bottom-lines to consider in order to strengthen lesson study practice and research. First, the concept of "learning" should be very clear for all lesson study stakeholders.…”

Planeación didáctica por competencias: El último nivel de concreción curricular

“…Por otro lado, es importante retomar la importancia de la práctica educativa a partir de la planificación. De acuerdo con Larssen et al (2018), quienes realizaron en el mismo sentido una investigación documental, afirman que es sumamente fundamental construir una planeación de calidad y para ello, los investigadores enfatizan la importancia de la planeación colaborativa, en el contexto del estado mexicano, este se puede extrapolar al ámbito de los planes de trabajo que se desarrollan en un nivel de colegiado, consejo técnico o bien, en reuniones de academia. Asimismo, se tiene como ejemplar la indagación realizada por Tagle et al (2020) quienes tuvieron como propósito identificar los tipos de conocimiento que se activaban por parte de los maestros en su proceso de formación docente al diseñar la planeación didáctica.…”