Dr David Sekao was recently invited to take part in the lesson study session held in Ratlou sub-district in North West province. Perhaps I should first declare my belief in the power of the Lesson Study to equip teachers with the requisite skills and knowledge to teach effectively, therefore I was bound to accept the invitation. However, notwithstanding my declaration about the necessary inclination towards the Lesson Study, there were three things that prompted me to accept the invitation: Firstly the concept of reflection in the topic transformation geometry is one of the concepts that can be used to enhance conceptual understanding of the properties of 2D shapes and composite figures. Secondly, the topic lends itself to investigative approach of teaching mathematics, which features quite prominently in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in South Africa. Thirdly, given that the overall learner achievement in mathematics in the Senior Phase (Grades 7-9) has been under public scrutiny in recent years, the invitation provided a rare opportunity to practically understand how Grade 9 learners are taught. My participation and contribution in the lesson observation and post-lesson reflection session, respectively (the roles which I was requested to carry out) did not only benefit the teachers, but it was an enlightening experience for me too. In addition, this experience will influence the teaching of student teachers who will soon join the teaching enterprise.

Ratlou sub-district in North West province is one of the sub-districts that have been using the Lesson Study for teacher development in mathematics. Ms Lesego Mokotedi (mathematics subject advisor for Grades 4-9) started to use the lesson study since 2017 with teachers from ten primary schools and later introduced it to all the twenty secondary school teachers this year (2018).  She speaks highly of her teachers that “…they are able to plan collaborative lessons without my assistance and only invite me to be an external observer when the lesson is presented”. Ms Boitumelo Motsosi (Provincial Mathematics coordinator for Grades 10-12) was also invited as an external observer. She was quite intrigued by the confidence displayed by teachers during the Lesson Study session especially the quality of the post-lesson discussion. The Faculty of Education at UP will continue to support the Lesson Study as part of its commitment to strengthen the University’s social responsiveness and impact in society.