PhD & Early Career Researchers Day

Ph.D/ECR Program Concept

What is Lesson Study? How would we answer this question?
Let’s discuss this question together with participants who will lead the future of Lesson Study around the world. We’d like to share and consider these questions:

How should researchers contribute to Lesson Study?
How should we capture global trends in Lesson Study and look toward the future?
How can we improve the quality of research papers on Lesson Study?

Let’s discuss these questions with participants and panelists at the Ph.D & Early Career Researchers Day! All participants of Ph.D/ECR program is very welcomed!

Program Schedule

Time	Sessions
9:30~9:45	Registration Open
9:45~10:00	Welcome Speech
10:00~10:30	Ice-Breaking Session ♦ Make groups ♦ Quiz competition about Japan and Lesson Study
10:30~11:00	Tea Break ※And, time to think about questions for the afternoon session
11:00~12:00	Keynote Speech ①
12:00~13:00	Lunch
13:00~14:00	Keynote Speech ②
14:00~14:30	Tea Break
14:30~15:30	Q&A Panel Discussion about Lesson Study: Ask your question to panelist!
15:30~16:30	Tea break and Poster Session
16:30~16:45	Closing

Keynote Speakers

Yuta Arii

The Multi-layered Complexity of Lesson Study in Japan

Japan’s Lesson Study has a long history and has spread worldwide since the 2000s. It has been implemented and re-contextualised in various countries, intertwined with their own histories and cultures. Often, the question arises: “How should Lesson Study be implemented?” However, focusing on methods while neglecting the purpose is unproductive. So, what is the purpose of Lesson Study? This session will explore this question using Japanese Lesson Study as an example.

What comes to mind when you are asked what Japanese Lesson Study is? Is it simply cycling through the Lesson Study cycle (Plan, Research Lesson, Post-Discussion)? Over its long history, Japanese Lesson Study has taken many different styles for various purposes. This session aims to show the variety of Lesson Study practices in Japan and stimulate participants’ thinking.

Steven Mannens

50 Shades of Lesson Study: Diversity as Part of Future Success

Historically, Flanders (Belgium) has been a region characterized by its ability to absorb and adapt to a wide range of external influences. Adaptation is not seen as a weakness, but as a cultural strength — a defining feature of our social identity. Lesson Study entered the Flemish educational landscape several years ago. While educational innovations traditionally gain traction quickly in our region, the diffusion of Lesson Study has been more gradual. This invites reflection: what explains this slower uptake (e.g. Mannens, 2017)? Which factors act as levers for successful implementation, and what elements make a visible difference in schools’ engagement with the approach and impact of the approach (e.g. Impactreport Provinciaal Onderwijs, 2024)?

Lesson Study serves as a powerful professional development approach for teachers (Tijmen, 2019). In this context, “50 shades of Lesson Study” represents the Flemish search for ways to enact the five identified main ideas of Lesson Study (Goei et al., 2021). Embracing diversity in how Lesson Study is interpreted and practiced might, paradoxically, be the key to its long-term success in Flanders.

Local Committee Members

Akane
Tano

Kyoto University, Japan

Chiaki
Takeshima

Hiroshima University, Japan

Yue
Ming

Hiroshima University, Japan

Yuka
Fujiwara

Hiroshima University, Japan

Yuta
Arii

Niigata University, Japan