Each group would focus on a single lesson to be taught in each of those periods. In Japanese schools, as one group of teachers finishes its lesson study, the next group moves into lesson study, to be followed by yet another group. Each small group then spent 15 to 18 hours developing each lesson, Fernandez said. None of ours were just tweaked, Liptak said. The small groups began by studying existing lesson plans for that lesson and then brainstorming other ideas for teaching the same lesson.
Schools have open houses to demonstrate study lessons for teachers from other schools.
Open houses at some national schools in Japan can draw up to 5,000 teachers. Each small group presented a draft of its lesson to the larger group, including the Japanese teachers, for feedback. Then they taught that lesson to a class as part of the regular curriculum. After the practice lesson, teachers evaluated the lesson and refined it before teaching it a second time to another group of students. Each time the lesson was taught to students, it also was observed by other teachers.