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An Analysis of Chinese Lesson Study from Historical and Cultural Perspectives

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Theory and Practice of Lesson Study in Mathematics

Part of the book series: Advances in Mathematics Education ((AME))

Abstract

This chapter first reviews the origin and development of Lesson Study in China from the late nineteenth century to the present and identifies three main historical periods: (1) 1896–1949 when the initial forms of Lesson Study activities were first introduced and practiced, (2) 1949–1999 when Lesson Study became an institutionalized routine practice among prospective and practicing teachers, and (3) the year 2000 and beyond when Lesson Study in China started to take many more forms and developed its own distinguishing characteristics. Along the cultural dimension, this chapter introduces three sets of traditional beliefs and principles regarding teaching and learning that could help to make sense of Chinese Lesson Study: (1) It is important to learn exemplary knowledge and practice from masters and experts; (2) effective teaching and learning must blend profound theories with cycles of deliberate practice and refinement; and (3) learning also takes place among learner peers through mutual observations and discussions. Some of the challenges of implementing Lesson Study in China during the reform era and in international contexts are discussed. Topics for potential future research are outlined.

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Acknowledgment

The author would like to thank Dr. Hongyu Su of South China Normal University and Professor Qin Dai of Neimenggu Normal University of China for sharing information regarding historical resources of mathematics education in China and thank the editor of this handbook, Professor Rongjin Huang, for many insightful comments and suggestions. The author would like to also thank the anonymous reviewers for their invaluable feedback.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, California State University-Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA

    Xuhui Li

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  1. Xuhui Li
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Correspondence to Xuhui Li .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN, USA

    Rongjin Huang

  2. College of Education, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Akihiko Takahashi

  3. College of Education, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    João Pedro da Ponte

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Li, X. (2019). An Analysis of Chinese Lesson Study from Historical and Cultural Perspectives. In: Huang, R., Takahashi, A., da Ponte, J.P. (eds) Theory and Practice of Lesson Study in Mathematics. Advances in Mathematics Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04031-4_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04031-4_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-04030-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-04031-4

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