Written by Agnes Mwangi and Dan Orero, CEMASTEA

Science and mathematics teachers from selected primary schools and CEMASTEA trainers in 2019 participated in a workshop in which a JICA expert in lesson study, Dr Akihiko Takahashi made an exposition on Collaborative Lesson Research (CLR) conducted using the ‘kyozai kenkyu’ approach. ‘Kyozai kenkyu’ refers to a teaching approach where a team of teachers collaboratively study and analyse curriculum materials such as curriculum designs, syllabus and text books and identify possible gaps. From this analysis, teachers design tasks suitable for Teaching through Problem Solving (TTPS). This teaching strategy allows for the development of new knowledge as the learners seek to understand each other’s thinking to their individual solutions for designed tasks.

The training marked the start of the Collaborative Lesson Research (CLR) Project between JICA, CEMASTEA and five primary schools, Oloolua, Karen C, Visa Oshwal, Buru Buru and Kyamulendo. JICA dispatched a long term expert, Professor Tetsuya Takahashi, to CEMASTEA to work closely with CEMASTEA CLR team and the schools from January 2021 up to the end of the project, March 2022.  In planning a collaborative research lesson, the CLR team comes up with all the anticipated learners’ responses in the order in which the concept in question is to be developed during a class discussion.

Sample Research lessons conducted by the CLR team, Oloolua and Karen ‘C’ Primary Schools

During lesson implementation, the teacher presents the task to the learners, and each works out the task individually. The teacher then facilitates a discussion in which learners constructively engage each other to understand the solution to the given task. Some of the learners’ solutions are presented on the board to guide the class discussion.  

After a series of seminars and support offered by Professor Fujji, a JICA expert, CEMASTEA collaborative research team prepared and implemented six mathematics research lessons; three in Karen C Primary School and three in Ololua Primary School. The CLR team from Ololua Primary School, with the support of national trainers from CEMASTEA, implemented mathematics and science lessons at their school. It was an exciting moment to observe the impact of the professional growth of these teachers as they implemented the research lessons. In each lesson, teachers posed tasks and allowed learners to figure out the solution individually. The teachers then facilitated a class discussion on sampled learners’ solutions. The teacher then guided learners to summarise the critical concept of the lesson.