Lesson study in mathematics education

A student-centred approach to teaching mathematics usually includes a strong emphasis on teaching through problem-solving (TTPS). Within a TTPS classroom environment, students work independently and collaboratively on challenging and open-ended tasks that help them to acquire a deep understanding of mathematical concepts and procedures. Teachers complement this by providing students with opportunities to ask questions and seek answers, to recognise problems and seek solutions, to identify patterns, and to conjecture and seek generalisations. Essentially, TTPS is about creating a classroom environment that is characterised by carefully designed lessons that promote critical thinking, discussion and creativity. Lesson study, which is still in its infancy in Malta, can be used to sustain a TTPS approach. It is a professional development initiative whereby teachers work collaboratively to conduct an investigation of their classroom practices. They start by identifying a difficulty that students have in learning mathematics. Then, teachers study curriculum materials and conduct research so that they can come up with a suitable lesson that can address the identified difficulty. This...