Theorizing Chinese lesson study from a cultural perspective

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the cultural roots of Chinese lesson study (LS) so as to account for its persistence in the Chinese education history as well as its importance in Chinese teacher professional development and student learning. Design/methodology/approach The overarching research question is: “How can Chinese lesson study be theorized from a cultural perspective?” The sub-questions include: “What cultural features do Chinese teachers demonstrate in their LS activities? How can traditional Chinese cultural resources be utilized in explaining the existence and development of these features?” Based on a close reading of firsthand classic texts on Chinese cultural thoughts and related literature, the researchers collected data from Chinese teachers’ LS activities, stimulated recall interviews and focus groups, and related documents. An analysis is conducted with interplay among the theoretical framework, the data, and the researchers’ personal insights. Findings The findings of the study include three aspects. First, in terms of their actions, the Chinese teachers enact their understanding of teaching in public lessons through unity of knowing and doing (知行合一) more than conceptual explication. Second, with regard to their thinking, the Chinese teachers use practical reasoning (实践推理) in deliberate practice of repeated teaching through group inquiry and reflection. Third, a tendency of emulating those better than oneself (见贤思齐) is evident in novice teachers’ learning from “good” examples by expert teachers. Originality/value The revelation of these cultural features can not only contribute to a deeper understanding about the persistence and importance of LS in the Chinese education history, but also provide an example of analyzing LS from a cultural perspective to the world LS community.

Typical practices of lesson study in East Asia

“…Secondly, public demonstration lessons work as the medium for the exchange of experiences (Chen, ). Teachers at different stages of professional development are required to be involved in different types of public lessons, for example, demonstration lessons for expert teachers to show their high‐level expertise in teaching, research lessons for experienced teachers to illustrate their progress in teaching research and report lessons for novice teachers to exhibit what they have learned in their early professional development.…”

“…Like the Japanese model, Mainland China's model also involves teachers in iterative cycles (Chen, 2017). But certain features distinguish it from the other models in East Asia.…”

“…Secondly, public demonstration lessons work as the medium for the exchange of experiences (Chen, 2017).…”

“…It is also common practice that a team of teachers rehearse and relay the same lesson for several rounds until it fulfils its potential (Chen, 2017). Usually, teachers teach one lesson that is thought to be difficult to teach.…”

From “chalk and talk” to “guide on the side”: A cross‐cultural analysis of pedagogy that drives customised teaching for personalised learning

“…With this approach, each student is seen as being as important as each other and has the opportunity to express their ideas. This is because the teaching goal is holistic: to bring students to maturity, to humanity, to become better people and not just valued as human capital (Chen, 2017;Gruschka, 2018). Transcript-based analysis when carried out across cultures like this one gives policy makers the self-confidence to elaborate more sustainable strategies for improved curriculum and practice.…”