ABSTRACT
This paper analyses the Japanese Lesson Study regarding improving student learning outcomes from the perspective of intellectual capital. In the 2000s, international academic achievement surveys brought attention to Japanese mathematics teaching methods and Lesson Study behind them. Today, Lesson Study has become more prevalent in education. Along with the increasing number of research on Lesson Study, the flipside of Lesson Study has also been emerging. The traditional Japanese Lesson Study produces a detailed lesson plan about ten pages in length. It is arduous work for Japanese teachers, so some teachers may have a sense of aversion to do so. This paper illustrates two cases in which a new lesson plan format was developed to alleviate teacher workload without compromising teaching effectiveness. Teachers can focus more on understanding lesson objectives and preparing a practical lesson with such an innovative format. In addition, their lesson plans became the intellectual capital of the school. The cases show that streamlining Lesson Study can foster structural capital and human capital in a school.
