A Centre for Research in Mathematics Education Collaborative Lesson Research Seminar
Speaker: Dr Akihiko Takahashi, DePaul University, Chicago, USA
Lesson Study typically begins with enthusiastic teachers working with outside experts to experience a Lesson Study cycle: they develop lesson proposals, conduct research lessons, and reflect on the process to summarize what they learn. Through this process, teachers learn that Lesson Study is a way to develop shared ideas for improving teaching and learning at their school. Once Lesson Study becomes a school-wide effort, the impacts on teacher and student learning become visible. From decades of experience working with teachers, I have learned that a gradual inclusion of more teachers seems critical to establishing a school-wide Lesson Study. In this session, I propose ideas for establishing a school-wide Lesson Study and extend it to a district-wide initiative based on my ongoing work with a school district near Chicago.
Biography
Akihiko Takahashi, PhD is an Associate Professor at DePaul University, where he teaches mathematics and mathematics education. Prior to working in the US he was a teacher in Japan before becoming an educator of mathematics teachers. During his teaching career in Japan, he was nationally active in mathematics lesson study, teaching public research lessons and articles on topics including students' mathematical problem-solving and reflective mathematics journals. He received his PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
He is one of only a few educators in the US with more than twenty years of first-hand experience with Lesson Study in mathematics education. As a result, he has been recognized as one of the world leaders of Lesson Study research and practice since the beginning of the Lesson Study movement in North America.
He had the privilege in working with most of the major Lesson Study projects in twelve US states, as well as in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, and the United Kingdom, helping enthusiastic educators and researchers learn about Lesson Study and develop Lesson Study communities.