The unique feature of the Lesson Study cycle currently implemented in the majority of schools in South Africa and in the University of Pretoria is Stage 1 – Diagnostic assessment/analysis. This unique feature was informed by the gap identified in the original version of Lesson Study, i.e. lack of guidance on how the problematic topic/concept should be identified to inform the goal of the research lesson. It should be noted that Lesson Study is not practiced or implemented on daily basis; instead, it is practiced or implemented to address a particular problem such as a difficult topic for learners to learn effectively or a difficult topic for teachers to teach meaningfully. For this reason, providing clarity on the process of diagnosing a problematic topic/concept is very important because misdiagnosing a problem may lead to inappropriate and ineffective intervention. Presented below is the Lesson Study cycle used in the Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria, and the majority of schools in South Africa.

Stage 1 – Diagnostic assessment/analysis: As indicated earlier, Stage 1 is a feature that makes our Lesson Study cycle unique to identify the goal of the research lesson. The goal of the research lesson can be informed by either the problematic topic to teach (hence focusing on the teachers), or a difficult topic for learners to learn (hence focusing on the learners). For the latter, there are two possible ways to do diagnosis: (a) develop a diagnostic test and administer it, thereafter analyse the learners’ responses, or (b) diagnostically analyse the learners’ written responses emanating from the summative assessment. In both cases, i.e. (a) and (b), the primary aim is to identify the possible learners’ misconceptions or alternative conceptions.

Stage 2 – Collaborative lesson planning: Brainstorm and discuss different methods and strategies that can be employed to teach the identified topic meaningfully. The idea is to teach for conceptual understanding and to foster learners’ thinking. To achieve this, a thorough study of curriculum materials such as textbooks should be done – consulting different textbooks to gain insights into how the topic/concept identified in Stage 1 is unpacked. In addition, when planning the lesson to address the challenges pertaining to the identified topic/concept, the following should be considered: clear objectives, grade appropriateness, purposeful instructional tasks, instructional questions, professional noticing, etc. It should be noted that the collaborative lesson planned in Stage 1 should be very detailed because it is meant to address a particular problem, hence a collaborative research lesson. 

Stage 3 – Lesson presentation and observation: One teacher from the group volunteers to teach the collaborative lesson at his/her school on an agreed date and the other Lesson Study team members observe the lesson. The observation instrument should be shared with the observers before the lesson is taught. Any other external knowledgeable person (such as a subject advisor) who was not part of the lesson planning process may be invited to observe the lesson. Observers should document their observations and not interfere with the lesson. The main focus of observation is learners’ thinking, i.e. how effective is the lesson to achieve the objectives of the lesson.

Stage 4 – Post-lesson reflection: One of the observers should facilitate the post-lesson reflections; however, the teacher who taught the lesson should be the first one to reflect. Central to the post-lesson reflection should be the lesson objectives - what contributed to their achievement or lack thereof. Critical reflection should be opted for to enable teachers to learn and improve their practice. Towards the end of the reflection process the invited expert (often called a knowledgeable other) should give overall remarks by focusing on his/her expert knowledge of the topic taught as well as sharing insight from research. 

Stage 5 – Lesson improvement: All the ideas emanating from the post-lesson reflection should be consolidated and used to improve the lesson. The lesson could be taught again to determine its effectiveness. Different variations could be considered, such as a different teacher could teach the lesson to different learners or the same teacher could teach it again. It should be noted that re-teaching the lesson is not mandatory.