Raising the quality of teaching through Kyouzai Kenkyuu – the study of teaching materials

Abstract

Purpose This study attempts to provide cross-cultural learning by focusing on a very important aspect of research, the study of teaching materials, known as Kyouzai Kenkyuu in Japan. The purpose of this paper is to investigate teachers’ views and awareness about the study of teaching materials, in particular, the views and awareness of Iranian teachers, who are beginning to understand their teaching practice and professional development through lesson study. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative research methods were employed for data collection. These methods included comparative analysis of an Iranian mathematics lesson from the perspective of Japanese educators and semi-structured interviews with all participants of the lesson analysis meetings. Findings The findings are intended to position Kyouzai Kenkyuu as an important aspect of Japanese lesson study and to make explicit the beliefs and values that underpin and shape pedagogical reasoning that support researchers and practitioners to improve the quality of teaching through lesson study. This was achieved through post-lesson discussion meetings, and the beliefs and values were those the participants were largely unaware of but could be clarified through a cross-cultural comparison. For instance, Japanese teachers focus more on learners and the study of teaching materials for raising the quality of teaching, whereas Iranian teachers focus more on the content of teaching and teacher behavior. Research limitations/implications This study delivers a transnational learning opportunity for teachers and researchers to learn how to provide evidence-based analysis of a lesson to raise the quality of teaching. However, as this is a case study and focuses specifically on Kyouzai Kenkyuu, it opens up the possibility for comparative analysis of more sample lessons and other aspects of Japanese lesson study. Practical implications It may be interesting for teachers and researchers to see how such a study could help them revise their quality of teaching through lesson study and construct shared knowledge about how to teach and to clarify “the pedagogical theories” that underpin such knowledge building. Social implications The value of this study is in its ability to reveal to educators their own unconscious teaching script and knowledge and “the pedagogical theories” that underpin such knowledge. It provides an opportunity for evidence-based critiques of our own teaching script, theory, view and values that we accept culturally, share tacitly and may not even be aware of in the construction process. Originality/value This study combines careful measurement with an “insider’s perspective” from Iran and an “outsider’s perspective” from Japan of differing educational concepts within the same subject area. The objective is to provide a deeper understanding of the real world of lesson study and how it can help educators to construct shared knowledge about how to teach in practice and to support teachers to revise the cultural context of teaching.

How teachers respond to students’ mistakes in lessons

“…However, ultimately the problem is that the concrete actions of teachers and learners are made abstract. This calls for a new research method (Thomas, 2012), which is required to uncover the cultural teaching script of each particular country (Sarkar Arani, 2017; Stigler and Hiebert, 2016).…”

“…This could be why simply changing teachers will not automatically produce a change in results.” This cultural code is referred to as teaching script. The teaching script, in other words the cultural script of a lesson, is the imagery, values, and customary ways of acting in lessons where people share one culture, and the interrelated aggregate of these (Sarkar Arani, 2017; Stevenson and Stigler, 1992).…”

Lesson Study as a Faculty Development Initiative in Higher Education: A Systematic Review

“…LS offers a space for teachers to experiment (Fujii, 2015) in a cyclical process consisting of: (a) planning and designing a lesson plan—named research lesson (Takahashi & McDougal, 2016) or study lesson (C. Fernandez & Yoshida, 2004)—usually formulated in terms of students’ learning, related to topics that teachers find interesting to delve into (Rock & Wilson, 2005), and putting into practice a throughout study and analysis of teaching materials (Sarkar Arani, 2017; Takahashi et al, 2005), (b) in-class instruction of the lesson plan by one (or more) of the teachers, and observation of the instruction by other members of the group. Observers gather evidences regarding how the lesson unfolds and about students’ reactions, performance and learning (2009); (c) postlesson discussion (Takahashi & McDougal, 2016) that involves the joint reflection by all members of the group regarding what happened during the earlier stage and in connection to their goals and the design of the lesson plan.…”

ANALISIS PROSES PEMBELAJARAN IPA PADA MATERI CAHAYA MELALUI LESSON STUDY BERBASIS TBLA (TRANSCRIPT BASED LESSON ANALYSIS) DI KELAS VIII.2 SMP ISLAM Al-FALAH KOTA JAMBI

“…Di dalam model TBLA guru mengamati dan mentranskripsikan praktik mengajar mereka sendiri, menganalisis dan merefleksikannya, serta mendiskusikannya secara kolaboratif dengan guru lain. Dengan melakukan ini, guru dapat meningkatkan kemampuan mereka untuk mereview naskah pengajaran serta kemampuan pengambilan keputusan dan modal profesional mereka secara terus menerus (Sarkar Arani, 2017).…”