We are pleased to be hosting the World Association of Lesson Studies (WALS) International Conference 2018 during 23-26 November 2018 at Beijing Normal University, China’s leading higher institution for educational studies and teacher education.

The theme of the WALS 2018 is Lesson Study and Teacher Education: International Dialogue. It aims to provide a platform for an international and cross-cultural dialogue through which educators and researchers from different parts of the world can contribute to a broad vision for sharing their knowledge, understanding and experience of lesson study as a form of practice-based research.

Over the past decades, Lesson Study has contributed significantly to the quality enhancement of teaching and learning, teacher education, and development of schools as learning communities. In China, which has the largest teaching force in the world, a long tradition of lesson study has been integrated into the professional lives of teachers. Since the 1950s, lesson study as a tool of professional learning facilitated the development of a culture of teaching among Chinese teachers. For the enhancement of their teaching and professional development, Chinese teachers are engaged in “teaching research”, which is a form of lesson study organized along the disciplinary lines of school subjects and implemented by “teaching research groups” in schools. Indeed, lesson study is a commonly shared endeavor among Chinese teachers who are engaged in collective planning, studying and evaluating various kinds of lessons on a daily basis. Through time, the “teaching research group” has been developed into a system of “teaching research” that is unique to schooling in China.

In previous WALS conferences, educators and teachers from all over the world came together to share their research findings and best practices in lesson study. This is the first time that WALS will hold its annual conference in Mainland China. WALS 2018 will provide a valuable opportunity for the exploration of ideas that will enrich the field of Lesson Study. We hope that participants from all over the world will come and share wisdom that is drawn from their own societal contexts and join us in an international dialogue that aims to achieve multi-cultural understanding of Lesson Study. 

We are proud to announce that Professor Elaine Munthe of the University of Stavanger, Norway, Professor Zhu Xudong of Beijing Normal University, China, and Professor Jan Vermunt of the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, have been invited to deliver keynote speeches at the Conference. In addition to the keynote speeches, several plenary sessions will be organized for noteworthy scholars and practitioners in the field. These sessions will elucidate important topics that are relevant to teaching and learning in schools and universities as well as critical issues in special education, pre-school education, and large-scale educational development projects. School visits in Beijing will be planned as a main activity on the final day of the conference.

We cordially welcome researchers, teachers and educators from all countries and regions to join us at the 2018 WALS Conference, which will be held on the campus of Beijing Normal University in Beijing, the capital of The People’s Republic of China, during 23-26 November 2018.