Seminar Series

Why have so many schools tried lesson study and so few schools embedded it as an approach to teacher professional development? This session shares the findings from series of detailed case studies involving UK schools which used lesson study for between three and five years but were not all successful in embedding it for the long term.  The findings revealed the importance in the UK of a 'champion', a member of the school staff in a leadership role, whose behaviours and actions secured sustainability for lesson study in their schools. The session offers guidance for practitioners seeking to implement lesson study in their own contexts.

Sarah Seleznyov is a part-time PhD student at LEARN! research institute, VU University Amsterdam. Her academic work focuses on teacher professional development, and particularly Japanese lesson study, about which she has spoken at national and international conferences and published numerous articles. She also explores engaging teachers with research evidence and supporting them to enquire into their own practice. Sarah also works as Strategic Lead for Learning and Development at Big Education, a Trust seeking to innovate in education and working with over 500 schools across the UK. In this role, she leads the Big Leadership Adventure, the Trust’s flagship leadership programme, and Next Big 10, a network of schools innovating in the education system.