Applying Japanese Lesson Study Principles to an Upper-level Undergraduate Statistics Course

Abstract

Japanese Lesson Study is a collaborative approach for teachers to plan, present, observe, and critique classroom lessons. Through the lesson study process, teachers systematically and thoughtfully examine both student learning and their own teaching practices. In addition, the process paves the way for a much broader approach to education research by gathering data about student learning directly in the classroom. By piloting an approach using Japanese Lesson Study principles in an upper division statistics course, we discovered some of the challenges it poses, but also some surprisingly promising results for statistics teaching. This case study should provide others considering this approach with information about the philosophy and methodology involved in the lesson study process as well as some practical ideas for its implementation.

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher's website.

• Goodness-of-fit test
• Mathematical statistics
• Sampling distribution
• Student-learning focus
• Teacher collaboration

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Associate Editor and two anonymous referees for their helpful and insightful comments. The authors are grateful for the contributions of Laura Chihara, Carolyn Pillers Dobler, and Martha Wallace during the early stages of the Lesson Study group. Finally, the authors thank Kim Newman for her dedicated note-taking and helpful input, and the Spring 2004 Math 312B class for their hard work and enthusiasm.