The growth of lesson study globally and in Singapore Implications for quality and sustainability

• Published in: Routledge International Handbook of Schools and Schooling in Asia pp. 955 - 963
• Main Authors: Lee, Christine Kim-Eng, Lim-Ratnam, Christina
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 2018
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: teacher learning; LS; TVET System; Japanese LS; Learning Academic Group; Singapore Schools; LS Work; LS Team; Civic Education; TVET; Research Lesson; Peer Assessment; Singapore Teachers; LS Process; External Resource Person; Subject Matter Knowledge; Education Bureau; Implementing Lesson Study; MOE Officer; teacher professional development; sustainability; LS Cycle; PD; Transgender Prejudice; HKSAR; Professional Learning Communities; Pedagogical Content Knowledge; lesson study
• ISBN: 9781138908499; 1138908495
• DOI: 10.4324/9781315694382-93

Japanese lesson study (LS), jugyu kenkyuu, is becoming an increasingly popular and important model for teacher learning and professional development (PD) worldwide. The spread of lesson study globally as well as in Singapore schools has been phenomenal. In Singapore, it was first introduced in 2004 and is now widely implemented as a tool for promoting professional learning communities (PLCs). This rapid diffusion of lesson study in many educational systems raises questions related to the quality of lesson studies practiced in schools as well as its sustainability, especially with change of school leadership. A national survey and case studies of schools implementing lesson study in Singapore have provided some insights into these issues. The hope is that lesson study will be practiced in the right spirit and substance and not be a passing fad in schools. In this chapter, the authors provide a brief overview of lesson study (LS) and its phenomenal spread globally. They explore the support mechanisms that promoted the spread of LS, and discuss the issues around implementing and sustaining the practice of LS in Singapore schools. Singapore schools tend to focus mainly on short-term academic goals in their LS. The spread of LS in Singapore schools took a phenomenal leap in 2010 after the Ministry of Education announced the introduction of professional learning communities as a move to raise the quality of teacher professional development. The rapid growth of LS in Singapore reflects a strong belief in the education community that LS has the potential to bring about impact on teacher learning and develop teachers' capacities in curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment, with concomitant impact on student learning. This rapid diffusion raises questions related to the quality and sustainability of lesson study in the schools.