Reforming Lesson Study in Japan: Theories of Action for Schools as Learning Communities

This lecture elucidates the formation and development of theories of action in school reforms for Schools as Learning Communities (SLC) during ten years from its inception in 1998 in select Japanese elementary schools, junior high schools, and one secondary school. While growing international interest in Japanese lesson study is in pursuit of a standard lesson study, Suzuki offers a unique perspective into school reforms for SLC and how they resisted the standardization of lesson study out of concerns that it would limit a teacher’s autonomous judgment and choice.
Through a theory-of-action approach in its examination of the pilot schools for SLC, this lecture clarifies:
• Why did teachers reform lesson study?
• What were the difficulties in reforming lesson study?
• Why were teachers working on school reform for SLC?
• Why did the school reform for SLC evolve from an elementary school to the junior high schools and high schools?
This lecture provides a theoretical foundation for reviewing the past efforts and histories of Japanese lesson study reforms, and will interest academics and practitioners looking for insights into the future of lesson study.
Moderator: Junko Habu, Professor, Department of Anthropology, UC Berkeley
Speaker: Yuta Suzuki, Associate Professor, Institute for Liberal Arts (ILA), Tokyo Institute of Technology
Panelist: Judith Warren Little, Carol Liu Professor of Education Policy, Emerita, School of Education, UC Berkeley