Teachers from around the world will meet to improve classroom math instruction at the 2009 Eighth Annual Lesson Study Conference, titled “Building Our Professionalism through Lesson Study,” May 7 through 9 at DePaul University’s Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago.

One of the major lesson study conferences in the world, the conference provides a global perspective on lesson study, the Japanese system to improve classroom instruction and student learning through collaborative teacher planning and reflection. A primary form of professional development in Japan, lesson study is the critical systemic feature that enables Japanese elementary teachers to help create some of the world’s most proficient math students.

Lesson study has become increasingly prevalent in state, national and international conferences, high-profile policy reports and education journals in recent years in the United States. Some school districts in the United States, including some Chicago Public Schools, have adopted it as a way to cultivate teacher professionalism and drive instructional improvement. 

“Engaging students in rich discussion is necessary but challenging. Teachers in the Chicago area have learned that anticipating students’ responses is crucial to teaching through problem solving,” said Akihiko Takahashi, an associate professor in DePaul’s School of Education and an internationally known expert on lesson study. “We will share how we used ideas from Japanese curriculum materials to design lessons that invite all students to actively participate in mathematical discussion.”

Takahashi heads the Chicago Lesson Study Group and is founding director of the Asia-Pacific Mathematics and Science Education Collaborative at DePaul, which works to improve mathematics and science education through research dissemination, curriculum and program design, and professional education.

The Chicago Lesson Study Group was launched in November 2002 with several volunteer teachers in the Chicago area. This informal study group meets regularly to discuss issues in mathematics teaching and learning and to develop research lessons. As part of the lesson study cycle, the group hosts this annual lesson study conference with public research lessons. 

Featured presentations at the conference include:

● “The Benefits and Challenges of Lesson Study in Secondary Mathematics: Team Stories and Findings from the Lesson Study Communities Project,” presented by Jane Gorman, a senior research associate in the Center for
Mathematics Education at Education Development Center Inc.

● “Lesson Study for New Teacher Induction in Secondary Schools,” presented by John Carter, assistant principal for teaching and learning, Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.

● “Challenges and Opportunities for Teaching and Learning of Proofs in High Schools,” presented by Tad Watanabe, associate professor in the Mathematics Department at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga.

● “What We Learned through Lesson Study: Ideas to Design Lessons for All,” presented by Akihiko Takahashi, Department of Teacher Education, DePaul University.

● “An Introduction to Lesson Study,” presented by Makoto Yoshida, director of the Center for Lesson Study, William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J.

The registration deadline is April 22. To register for the conference or learn more about it, visit http://www.lessonstudygroup.net/pages/2009_LessonStudyConference.html. Continuing professional development units are available for Illinois teachers. Cost is $275 to attend all three days; $130 to attend only day one or day two; and $80 to attend only day three.