Designing Japanese Lesson Study as a Teacher Professional Development Program in a Philippine Setting: Cultural Considerations, Challenges and Opportunities
Abstract
"Promising improved student and teacher learning, Japanese Lesson Study has attracted many international educators to implement it in their own contexts. However, a simple transference model of implementation is likely to meet difficulties. Key determinants of any form of adaptation will be differences in existing conventions of pedagogy and of teacher professional development in Japan and the adapting country. These conventions are reflective of underlying cultural differences. The study set out to identify the adaptations necessary to design and facilitate the successful implementation of Japanese Lesson Study in the Philippines. Hofstede's dimensions of national culture were utilised to identify and analyse the incongruences in cultural orientations between Japanese and Filipino teachers, which may explain the adaptation needed to implement Lesson Study in Philippine schools. This study concluded that employing a culturally embedded approach to implementation, which is sensitive to cultural challenges, should increase the chances of successful implementation to the benefit of Filipino teachers."
