Significant differences in the curricula and approaches to professional learning of
teachers in Japan and the United States, together with a lack of experience doing
lesson study in the United States, make developing and maturing as a productive
lesson study community a challenging process for U.S. teachers. For example, the
entire national Course of Study for elementary schools in Japan is contained in a 100-
page volume which lays out the hours, goals, and content for all 12 areas of study
(including mathematics), allowing for invention and interpretation of best practice.
In contrast, U.S. curricula cover many pages of objectives and skills for each content
area at each grade level, allowing little interpretation for implementation by
teachers. Professional learning activities that are designed to improve instruction
are also in stark contrast in the two countries. Lesson study, the primary professional
learning model in Japan is a teacher-driven and teacher-directed professional
learning model. U.S. teachers experience most professional learning as top-down,
outside-expert-directed (Lewis 2002). This chapter is divided into 2 parts. Part 1 is
a detailed case description of a group of third-grade teachers in one school district
in the United States as they embarked on the process of learning about lesson study
and attempting to engage in the process. Part 2 is a research report on the group of
teachers using data collected at the beginning and end of the yearlong process.