LIFT Project – Lesson Study in Future Teacher Education
Advisory support
The professionals of LIFT project team have strong ties in international organisations that bring together teacher educators and educational researchers. WALS and EAPRIL are associated partners of the LIFT project and provide us with the opportunity to organise a session at the yearly conferences of these associations uniting researchers and practitioners focusing on lesson study and teacher education. The International Advisory Board (IAB) of the LIFT project consists of five Lesson Study experts who help monitor LIFT project activities.
Associated partners
World Association of Lesson Studies (WALS) aims to promote and advance the research and practices focused on Lesson Studies in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning. It provides a platform for research collaboration, mutual assistance and information exchange among its members. It is made up of educational researchers and teaching professionals committed to the improvement of the quality of learning. Lesson Study as a tool for professional learning is now practiced in many countries and it has helped schools around the world develop into learning communities. WALS annual conferences bring together researchers, school leaders and teachers from various countries to share their experience and practice of lesson studies. They also provide opportunities for participants to discuss current and enduring issues pertaining to teaching, learning and research on Lesson Study. Read more information on WALS website.
European Association for Practitioner Research on Improving Learning (EAPRIL) brings together those interested in the crossroads between research and practice but also between education and professional learning. The mission of EAPRIL is to inspire and advance educational development and professional learning. EAPRIL community believes in the transformative power of practice-based research and collaboration to drive meaningful improvements in education. They achieve this by fostering a collaborative environment and facilitating impactful discussions among educational researchers and practitioners. EAPRIL stands as a dynamic and vibrant community bridging the worlds of research and practice. Find out more on EAPRIL website.
International Advisory Board
Windesheim University of Applied Sciences as the LIFT project coordinator, together with the leading figures of each partner and the International Advisory Board (IAB) monitor if project activities and deliverables are completed in due time. The IAB consists of the following Lesson Study experts:
- Sharon Dotger (Syracuse University, USA)
- Claudia Mewald (Austria)
- James Calleja (University of Malta, Malta)
- Jong Sung Kim (Hiroshima University, Japan)
- Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin (University College Dublin, Ireland)
Sharon Dotger
◦ Faculty Director of Teacher Education & Undergraduate Studies, School of Education
◦ Co-Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Lesson & Learning Studies
Connection to Lesson Study in Initial Teacher Education: I use LS in elementary science methods, with the teacher candidates teaching research lessons in a microteaching format (30 minute lessons to classmates). When possible, I encourage student teachers to student teach with cooperating teachers who are participating on lesson study teams.
Contact: sdotger[at]syr.edu; Syracuse University, 152 Huntington Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
Claudia Mewald
◦ Retired professor of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)
◦ She worked at the University College of Teacher Education Lower Austria
Connection to Lesson Study in Initial Teacher Education: I used LS in ITE from 2012 to 2024 and I am now collaborating as knowledgeable other in selected lesson study projects, primarily at Masters level.
Contact: claudia.mewald[at]gmail.com
James Calleja
◦ Senior Lecturer at the Department of Leadership for Learning and Innovation
◦ Team Leader of Collaborative Lesson Study Malta
Connection to Lesson Study in Initial Teacher Education: At the Faculty of Education, I use lesson study in ITE as a methodology for inquiry-based teaching and learning.
Contact: james.j.calleja[at]um.edu.mt; University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080, Malta
Jong Sung Kim
◦ Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences
◦ President of International Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies
◦ Associate Editor of Asian Pacific Journal of Education
Connection to Lesson Study in Initial Teacher Education: With his experiences LS in Japan and his foreign (Korean) eyes that make him see Japan’s LS unfamiliar, he has analyzed the reasons LS is effective in ITE and in general TE. He is a leading editor of Lesson Study-based Teacher Education: The Potential of the Japanese Approach in Global Settings.
Contact: jongsung[at]hiroshima-u.ac.jp; Hiroshima University, 1 Chome-3-2 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima 739-0046, Japan
Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin
◦ Associate Professor of Mathematics Education
Connection to Lesson Study in Initial Teacher Education: I teach undergraduate student teachers of mathematics and science who undertake Lesson Study as part of their coursework.
Contact: aoibhinn.nishuilleabhain[at]ucd.ie; University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
