ABSTRACT
The phrase lesson study is derived from the Japanese terms jugyo (lesson) and kenkyu (study). When reversed in translation, the term, jugyokenkyu, carries the meaning of “research lesson” (Wiburg & Brown, 2006). Lesson study can be approached as research that combines collaboration, reflection, and professional development into one structured experience for teachers that engages them in constructing new meanings about instructional practices (Fernandez & Chokshi, 2002; Lewis, Perry, Hurd, & O’Connell, 2006). By design, lesson study is a form of job-embedded learning that is grounded in data. According to the National Education Association Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE), data are collected by teachers observing teachers. Through these purposeful interactions, “teachers have the opportunity to discuss the lessons and their analysis, while refining their practices according to what the evidence suggests works well with their students” (2003, p. 3).
