UP PhD student, Nomvuyo Thobela, elected to serve in the WALS PhD Students and Early Career Researchers (ECR) Organising Committee

Posted on August 25, 2022

 Ms Nomvuyo Thobela, a PhD student in the Faculty of Education, was recently nominated to serve in the PhD Students and Early Career Researchers (ECR) Organising Committee of the World Association of Lesson Studies (WALS). WALS aims to promote and advance the research and practices focused on Lesson Studies in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning. WALS provides a platform for collaboration in research, mutual assistance, and the exchange of information among its members. A WALS conference is held annually in the chosen country worldwide. WALS PhD and ECR is a part of WALS that is formed by a group of PhD students and early career researchers whose mission is to create a Lesson Study global community. These PhD students and ECRs are encouraged to support and inspire one another through platforms that support networking, collaboration, and career development. The organising committee is responsible for organising activities that would bring together the community. One of the core activities is the PhD and ECR Day for PhD students and ECRs prior to the WALS conference with the aim of enabling PhD and ECRs to interact with other students as they: present their studies, strengthen their studies informed by their peer’s comments and contribute to strengthening fellow students’ studies in preparation for the WALS conference. The organising committee constantly reports the progress and developments of the PhD and ECRs to the WALS organising committee.

It is important to note that, in 2017, I was part of the delegation from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to attend mathematics workshop hosted by Naruto University of Education in Japan, courtesy of JICA. As part of the workshop I learnt more about Lesson Study and observed how lesson presentation and observation is conducted using Lesson Study. While in Japan, I had the opportunity to attend the WALS conference at Nagoya University, Nagoya. This inspired me to do research in Lesson Study with specific focus on how teachers investigate and engage with textbooks during collaborative lesson planning stage (the activity called kyozaikenyu in Japanese). As a PhD student at the University of Pretoria, I was offered an opportunity to be part of the WALS PhD and ECRs organising committee representing South Africa.

Currently the PhD and ECR organising committee comprise the following members: Prof. Dr Sui Lin Goei (Windesheim University of Applied Science & VU Amsterdam, the Netherlands); Prof. Dr Mona Holmqvist (Malmo University, Sweden); Dr Shirley Tan (Nagoya University, Japan) and Nomvuyo Maureen Thobela (PhD Student, University of Pretoria, South Africa).

For students to stay updated on the latest news, events and resources related to Lesson Study, they have to register at the following database: www.walsnet.org/phd-students-database and then join the ‘WALS PhD Students and Young Researchers’ Facebook group.

- Author Dr David Sekao

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