Lee, Christine Kim-eng

2018, Lee, Christine Kim-eng, Lim-Ratnam, Christina

Japanese lesson study (LS), jugyu kenkyuu, is becoming an increasingly popular and important model for teacher learning and professional development (PD) worldwide. The spread of lesson study globally as well as in Singapore schools has been phenomenal. In Singapore, it was first introduced in 2004 and is now widely implemented as a tool for promoting professional learning communities (PLCs). This rapid diffusion of lesson study in many educational systems raises questions related to the quality of lesson studies practiced in schools as well as its sustainability, especially with change of school leadership. A national survey and case studies of schools implementing lesson study in Singapore have provided some insights into these issues. The hope is that lesson study will be practiced in the right spirit and substance and not be a passing fad in schools.

2022, Fernandez, Lucy Oliver, Heng, Mary Anne, Lee, Christine Kim-eng

How student voice is viewed is complex. Increasingly, effort has been made to include student voice in teaching and learning, with student voice positioned in different ways, from the instrumental to the transformative. The success and sustainability of student voice efforts require a more critical understanding of the participatory efforts of both teachers and students, as well as the interplay between teachers’ and students’ voices. Using a case-study approach, within an interpretive paradigm, this study explores teachers’ and students’ discourses on student voice at the beginning of a larger study situated within five English Language classrooms in Singapore. The findings highlight the discursive framings of both teachers and students and foreground spaces of convergence and divergence. Both teachers and students share similar views on the possibilities and promises of student voice in teaching and learning, which centred largely around pedagogic and performative reasons. The data also revealed a shared sense of vulnerability and fear, surfacing real, yet tacit and lesser known boundaries and issues which both teachers and students see as affecting student voice efforts. The findings suggest that student voice work needs to be situated in an environment of trust and authentic listening to harness its potential.

2020, Choy, Ban Heng, Lee, Christine Kim-eng

Kyouzai kenkyuu, or the “study of materials for teaching”, is a critical yet often neglected phase in lesson study adopted in countries beyond Japan. In this phase, teachers carefully examine curriculum documents, textbooks, teaching and learning materials, and subject matter and read relevant research to inform the development of a unit within which is embedded the research lesson. However, teachers often fail to engage adequately in kyouzai kenkyuu. Given its importance, it is crucial for teachers to understand the essence of kyouzai kenkyuu and conduct this phase of lesson study beyond a superficial level. In this chapter, we will explain the main inquiry processes involved in kyouzai kenkyuu, provide some guidelines for lesson study practitioners, and illustrate these ideas using two snapshots of practice from our work with teachers.