This chapter focuses on how lesson study can be used to assist teachers in the design of meaningful mathematical tasks for their students. It describes strategies in designing the lesson study process of “outline, teach, analyze, critically design” that support teachers' development of task design. The chapter explains how specifically using critical design after observing the original lesson and having teachers' focus on making student thinking visible can impact teachers approach to designing tasks. Participating in lesson study enables mathematics teachers to return to their original service ethic, and provides them with structures to focus on their students and students' thinking. Examples of specific tasks that were developed using this method are discussed, and how the method and prompts enabled teachers to challenge their students to think on their own, rather than simply following their teacher's thinking. The chapter is based on data collected from lesson study work with hundreds of teachers over a 6-year period.
Lesson study, a form of teacher professional development that is widely used in Japan, has been cited as a crucial element in the improvement of mathematics and science education in that country (Stigler & Hiebert, 1999). In recent years, lesson study has become increasingly popular in the United States with the hope that it can drastically improve the US educational system (Fernandez, 2002; Wang-Iverson & Yoshida, 2005). During the lesson study process teachers work in groups to develop a lesson plan that one of the teachers will teach and have others observe. After the teaching and observations, the group meets and analyzes the lesson's success in reaching its goals, and then makes revisions accordingly. Thus, a central element of lesson study is task design. The lesson study process can enable teachers to share and learn from each other ways to modify curriculum to engage students in meaningful mathematics.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
American Institutes for Research. (2005).What the United States can learn from Singapore's world class mathematics system. Prepared for the United States Department of Education Policy and Program Studies Service.
Ausubel, D. P. (1963).The psychology of meaningful verbal learning. New York: Grune and Stratton.
Carpenter, T. P., Fennema, E., Franke, M. L., Empson, S. B., & Levi, L. W. (1999).Children's mathematics: Cognitively guided instruction. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Carpenter, T. P., Fennema, E., Peterson, P. L., Chiang, C., & Loef, M. (1989). Using knowledge of children's mathematics thinking in classroom teaching: An experimental study.American Educational Research Journal, 26(4), 499–531.
Carpenter, T. P., Franke, M. L., & Levi, L. (2003).Thinking mathematically: Integrating arithmetic and algebra in elementary school. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Carpenter, T. P., Hiebert, J., Fennema, E., Fuson, K. C., Wearne, D., & Murray, H. (1997).Making sense: Teaching and learning mathematics with understanding. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Darling-Hammond, L. (1990). Teacher professionalism: Why and how? In A. Lieberman (Ed.)Schools as collaborative cultures: Creating the future now(pp. 25–50). New York: Falmer Press.
Fernandez, C. (2002). Learning from Japanese approaches to professional development: The case of lesson study.Journal of Teacher Education 53(5), 393–405.
Fernandez, C., Cannon, J., & Chokshi, S. (2003). A US-Japan lesson study collaboration reveals critical lenses for examining practice.Teaching and Teacher Education, 19(2), 171–185.
Gravemeijer K. (2004). Local instruction theories as means of support for teachers in reform mathematics education.Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 6(2), 105–128.
Gravemeijer K., & Cobb, P. (2001).Designing classroom-learning environments that support mathematical learning. Paper presented at the Conference of the American Educational Research Association, Seattle, WA.
Grossman P., & Stodolosky, S. (1994). Considerations of content and the circumstances of secondary school teaching. In L. Darling-Hammond (Ed.)Review of research in education(Vol. 20, pp. 179–221). Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.
Jaworski, B. (2003). Research practice into/influencing mathematics teaching and learning development: Towards a theoretical framework based on co-learning partnerships.Educational Studies in Mathematics 54(2–3), 249–282.
Lewis, C., Perry, R., & Murata A. (2006). How should research contribute to instructional improvement? The case of lesson study.Education Researcher 35(3), 3–14.
National Research Council. (2001). Adding it up: Helping children learn mathematics. In J. Kilpatrick, J. Swafford, & B. Findell (Eds.)Mathematics Learning Study Committee, Center for Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Novak, J. D. (2002). Meaningful learning: The essential factor for conceptual change in limited or inappropriate propositional hierarchies leading to empowerment of learners.Science Education 86(4), 548–571.
Stigler, J., & Hiebert, J. (1999).The teaching gap: Best ideas from the world's teachers for improving education in the classroom. New York: The Free Press.
Stigler, J., & Hiebert, J. (1997). Understanding and improving mathematics instruction: An overview of the TIMSS Video Study.Phi Delta Kappan 79(1), 14–21.
Talbert, J. E., & Perry, R. R. (1994).How department communities mediate mathematics and science reforms. Stanford, CA: Center for Research on the Context of Teaching, Stanford University.
Villasenor, A., & Kepner, H. S. (1993). Arithmetic from a problem-solving perspective: An urban implementation.Journal for Research in Mathematics Education 24(1), 62–69.
Wang-Iverson, P., & Yoshida, M. (2005).Building our understanding of lesson study. Philadelphia: Research for Better Schools.
Yee, S. (1990).Careers in the classroom: When teaching is more than a job. New York: Teachers College Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lieberman, J. (2009). Using Lesson Study to Develop an Appreciation of and Competence in Task Design. In: Clarke, B., Grevholm, B., Millman, R. (eds) Tasks in Primary Mathematics Teacher Education. Mathematics Teacher Education, vol 4. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09669-8_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09669-8_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-09668-1
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-09669-8
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)