Boundary actions for collaborative learning: a practical perspective of adapting lesson study in a Singapore primary school

• Published in: Asia Pacific journal of education 2022-01, Vol.42 (1), p.58-75
• Main Authors: Jiang, Heng, Choy, Ban Heng, Kim Eng, Christine Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Boundary action; Collaborative learning; Cooperative Learning; Educational Research; Elementary Education; Elementary School Teachers; Faculty Development; Foreign Countries; Learning Processes; lesson study; Partnerships in Education; Pedagogy; practical; Preservice Teachers; Professional development; Qualitative research; Teacher education; teacher professional learning; Theory Practice Relationship
• ISSN: 0218-8791; 1742-6855
• DOI: 10.1080/02188791.2022.2031878

This qualitative study seeks to establish a deeper understanding of how and what teachers and teacher educators learn collaboratively during the lesson study process in a Singapore primary school. We used the boundary theories to conceptualize this learning process and delineate the learning mechanisms to foster mutual learning between the teacher educators and teachers in the case school. It was found that the teachers' practical concerns and the improvement proposals from the teacher educators were constantly being negotiated considering the perceived and received consequences, which drove the boundary actions that include both boundary making and boundary crossing to form a learning space for the participants. Findings from this study provide a practical perspective that explains the complexities, challenges, and possibilities of implementing lesson study and working with boundaries to support teacher professional learning.