May/June 2002
For more than 100 years, lesson study has been a key part of teacher education in Japan, says Manabu Sato, professor at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Education. Sato is the author of numerous books and articles on school reform and issues facing teachers. He spoke recently with the Harvard Education Letter. Here are some excerpts:
What role does lesson study play in Japanese education? Education in Japan is still very traditional. Classes are large--nearly 40 students on average. There's a heavy emphasis on content. Teachers often don't have the supplies or equipment they need. The only formal professional development provided by the school boards is in the form of lectures.
In this context, Japanese lesson study is critical. Most lesson study groups are local and informal, that is to say, unofficial. Teachers and principals organize the groups. A survey of 3,000 teachers some years ago showed that more than half had attended these informal lesson study groups every week, usually on Saturdays when they are not paid to work.
What are some of the advantages? This schoolhouse workshop, as we call it, enables teachers to discuss concrete problems of practice. Teachers learn to describe their classrooms in great detail. They don't use a lot of theoretical words or spend time discussing abstractions. They use practical words, and they look for practical wisdom in the details.
Abstractions and generalizations can get in the way of professional growth, so professional wisdom should always be grounded in concrete examples. Of course, this requires that teachers conduct many lesson studies. I've observed nearly 10,000 classes in the last 20 years, and each lesson is singular, each class is singular, each teaching strategy is singular in that context. So to improve practice, teachers need to build a vast store of memories.
Teachers get little preservice training in Japan--three weeks to teach high school, five weeks for elementary school. That makes lesson study a key part of on-the-job teacher education. Yes, and I think that's how it should be. Teachers really learn best at school sites, and their learning must be lifelong learning. (Co-teaching is another very important way of training new teachers.) Lesson study helps teachers learn to become researchers. It is interesting to note that in Japan, most books written about education are written by classroom teachers, not professors of education. A school community should be a place where not only children learn together but also teachers.
What role do parents play? Parents in Japan usually visit schools three times a year to observe their children's classrooms. This has a long tradition. However, I encourage principals and teachers to invite parents to school more often and to include them in the teaching of kids. In one pilot school near Tokyo, 80 percent of parents are taking the opportunity to participate in the education of their kids. In this environment, parents and teachers and principals can create an intimate zone of collaboration in schools, building relationships that are crucial to making schools work.
How would you define professionalism in teaching? Autonomy is important for any professional. Teachers need a say in how they do their work. However, autonomy also requires that teachers demonstrate professional responsibility. And the core of professional responsibility is listening to students' voices and responding to those voices--what I like to call a listening pedagogy. It also requires listening to other teachers and to parents.
So this is more than just an accountability that says, "I have accomplished this and that." That's only part of professionalism. The other part is listening to others and being willing to learn from them. Teachers don't need to express their own views and ideas as much as they need to listen to other views and ideas, including those of students.
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