ERIC Number: EJ1143059
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-May
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-189X
EISSN: N/A
Teaching versus Teachers as a Lever for Change: Comparing a Japanese and a U.S. Perspective on Improving Instruction
Hiebert, James; Stigler, James W.
Educational Researcher, v46 n4 p169-176 May 2017
We examine the distinction between teaching and teachers as it relates to instructional improvement. Drawing from work outside of education on improvement systems and from analyzing the Japanese system of lesson study, we contend that a focus on teaching can shape a coordinated system for improvement whereas a focus on teachers, common in the United States, leads to elements that are uncoordinated and often work against the continuous, steady improvement of classroom teaching. We propose that the concept of systems for improvement and its instantiation in Japanese K-8 education offer opportunities to reexamine U.S. efforts to improve teaching and shift these efforts toward a more promising direction.
Descriptors: Instructional Improvement, Foreign Countries, Teaching Methods, Lesson Plans, Comparative Education, Cross Cultural Studies, Classroom Research, Educational Change, Educational History, Systems Approach, Curriculum Development, Faculty Development, Best Practices, Educational Objectives, Common Core State Standards, Elementary School Teachers, Middle School Teachers, Educational Policy, Policy Analysis, Teacher Evaluation, Academic Achievement, Accountability, Teacher Effectiveness
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Education; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Japan; United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A