A comparative study of the application of lesson study in different university learning environments

Abstract

This paper presents the application of Lesson Study technique to seven subjects in different faculties in three Spanish universities. Lesson study is a methodology for the improvement of any teaching activity based on the detailed observation of lessons and analysis, carried out mainly by team of teachers. This technique has been extensively used for schools and high schools in particular in Japan and UK, but its use at University is not that common. In order to make a comparison of the a pplication of the technique, a set of surveys were designed including two surveys for teachers (before and after the session) and one for students (only after the session). This paper makes an overall description of the experience and presents some of the results of the students’ survey. The survey includes questions about usefulness, motivation, and attention of the session and an overall assessment of the lesson study technique. It also contents qualitative questions using a Bipolar Laddering Assessment (BLA). The comparison of the results of the different subjects provides interesting insight about the strong and weak points of the use of the methodology in the different areas and allows for a faster improvement of the sessions in the framework on Lesson Study.