Practice and assessment of participant-driven lesson study

In order to improve teachers' professional knowledge through collaborative conversations during lesson study sessions, participant-driven lesson study emphasizes that the class instructor, the students in the class, and all other teachers at the school are participants in the process. Based on self-determination theory, the present article analyzes some examples of participant-driven lesson study from elementary schools, and describes how this method contributes to teachers' professional learning and development. The present study uses a multi-method approach that combines discourse analysis, questionnaires, and interviews. The results indicated that teachers discuss and share realistic and detailed topics and episodes in the lesson study sessions, and that, by repeatedly holding such sessions, the teachers gradually come to understand that in lesson study, they should put more emphasis on the participants. This,in turn, leads to their active engagement and a better understanding of the outcomes of lesson study. The present results suggest that participant-driven lesson study may motivate teachers,facilitate their professional learning, and promote their career development by satisfying their basic psychological needs.