Japanese Lesson Study Summary

Friday, July 5, 2002

What we did:

Discussed our reactions and thoughts from the Cross-Cultural Discussion on Lesson Study (that we attended on Wednesday at the Marriot)
Listed our aspirations for our students and the gaps we see in student development relative to this list. We also narrowed this list to 4 that we all thought were important:
- Students communicate their thinking.
- Students collaborate and seek and share information with each other in meaningful ways.
- Students develop a toolbox of operations and procedures.
- Students become more effective problem solvers.
We will come on Monday with lesson ideas for concepts students struggle within Algebra.

Highlights of Discussion

Japanese recently cut math content and time by 30% nationally. They already cover "less" but this may be because concepts are covered more thoroughly the first time through (and do not recur as objectives in later grades).
Cultural misconception: Japanese students with "nose to grindstone," never laughing, etc. just not true after viewing classes on videos.
Use of "constructivism" in their conversations: indicates the shift in thinking from "rote" learning.
Emphasis on the whole-child: art, real-life applications
Lesson study used as a way to address/introduce new approaches into the curriculum.
Use lesson study to develop applications

Resources:

Currents newletter online, Vol 5, No 2, Spring 2002
http://rbs.org/currents/