A Proposal for Improving Classroom Teaching: Lessons from the TIMSS Video Study

Results from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Video Study of Teaching show that many teachers in the United States believe they are changing the way they teach while they retain the core of traditional practice. Results from the video study, which also included teachers from Germany and Japan, along with comparisons of teacher development systems, help to explain the persistence of traditional teaching methods and point to a new model for improving teaching. After presenting results from the video study regarding teachers' perceptions of the effects of recent reforms on their practice, we propose a research and development system for improving teaching that builds on the Japanese process of lesson study. We describe the process as it works in Japan and outline the conditions that would enable such a process to function effectively in the United States.