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 believ e they are changing the way they teach while they retain the core of tradit ional practice. Results from the video study, which also included teachers from Germany and Japan, along with comparisons of teacher development syste ms, help to explain the persistence of traditional teaching methods and poi nt to a new model for improving teaching. After presenting results from the video study regarding teachers' perceptions of the effects of recent refor ms on their practice, we propose a research and development system for impr oving teaching that builds on the Japanese process of lesson study. We desc ribe the process as it works in Japan and outline the conditions that would enable such a process to function effectively in the United States.