Written by Njeri Mburu & Winfred Magu

In 2020 CEMASTEA, with support from JICA, started a Collaborative Lesson Research (CLR) Project. Collaborative Lesson Research (CLR) is Teacher Professional Development (TPD) that borrows from the Japanese culture of lesson study. It aims to support teachers' professional learning through classroom collaborative action research. To successfully implement the Project, a team of CEMASTEA national trainers has received training and support from two lesson study experts in mathematics education; Dr Akihiko Takahashi and Professor Fuji in Tokyo. The training objectives included building capacity to demonstrate Teaching Through Problem Solving (TTP); Acquiring skills and knowledge to guide pilot school teachers to design teaching activities for TTP and, the Appreciation of TTP as a process of building learner’s problem-solving skills.

Mr Kuria of Mathematics Dept. CEMASTEA, exchanging ideas with Professor Akihiko Takahashi during a CLR session

Dr Takahashi took the trainers through a common practice by Japanese teachers called “Neriage”. In this practice, the teacher engages learners in a whole-class discussion, encouraging them to express their ideas and listen to other learners’ ideas. The teachers facilitate learners’ conversations to build ideas and correct their misconceptions. During the training, Director, CEMASTEA, stated that the training was timely as knowledge and skills in collaborative research lessons gained would be ploughed into CEMASTEA INSET programmes. She challenged the participating team to cascade the training to the rest of the staff. While the training predominantly focused on CLR in mathematics, a similar programme will be offered for science lessons.