Lesson Study at School: Challenges, Potential and Options for Future Practice

Abstract

Lesson Study (LS) is important because it provides a structured, collaborative approach to improving teaching and learning based on real classroom practice. Unlike traditional professional development, which is often theoretical or workshop-based, LS places teachers at the center of the improvement process through planning, observing, and reflecting on actual lessons. The discussion of LS is not much discussed regarding the recent challenges and potential, especially for the Malaysian context. Hence, this concept paper aims to describe LS at school by focusing on the challenges, potential, and LS acceleration options in the future. One of the major findings reported that some challenges were stated, such as limited availability of time within the school schedule, lack of trained facilitators and expertise in LS, leadership support and institutional commitment, cultural and mindset barriers, and also resource limitations. The potential and LS acceleration options in the future are also being discussed. The methodology used for this concept paper is reflective writing with a qualitative approach. This paper encourages educators to ensure LS can improve teaching practices, better student engagement, and enhanced learning outcomes—making it a powerful tool for educational improvement. The limitation on this paper can be improved by categorizing the challenges by internal and external factors. This finding has important implications towards the better understanding of the teacher’s role and responsibilities in LS. Further research might include the possibility of doing research by exploring innovations in integrating LS with pre-service teacher education and technology-mediated collaboration to support future potential in LS.