Lesson study is an on-going cycle of instructional improvement in which teachers collaborate to formulate long term goals for pupil learning. Teachers working collaboratively on a small number of "study lessons". Working on these study lessons involves planning, teaching, observing, and critiquing the lessons.
During lesson study, teachers jointly draw up a detailed plan for the lesson whereby one team member will conduct the lesson (teach the lesson in a real classroom) while the other members will gather evidence on pupils’ learning, their behaviours and their engagement during the lesson (observe the lesson). After the lesson, the group then comes together to discuss their observations of the lesson. The group revises the lesson, and will develop strategies to enhance pupils’ understanding based on the evidence that are collected during the lesson. This process will repeat as the team reflects on the effectiveness of the lesson. Finally, the teachers produce a report of what their study lessons have taught them.