New Perspectives in Science Education

In Zambia, under the initiative of the government, science teachers at Secondary school level have been conducting Lesson Study activities at school as their In-service Continuing Professional Development activity. Lesson Study is a problem solving process which consists of a series of activities using real classroom situation as a venue of learning for teachers. This usually includes planning of a lesson, conduct of the planned lesson in a class and discussion on the lesson for further improvement.

Science teachers in Central province as a pioneer in Zambia have been conducting Lesson Study since 2006. They usually plan a science lesson on a particular topic as a group of science teachers at school and one of the group members conduct the lesson to their students. After the lesson, teachers in the group hold discussions to improve the lesson together with knowledge and skills sharing on teaching science.

After some years of the introduction of Lesson Study, an impact survey was conducted in Central province to find effectiveness of the practice as well as factors which enhance and hinder implementation of the activities. As a result of this research, it was found that, in the province, teaching skills of science teachers were improved and students’ pass rates in national examination increased in science compared with provinces which were not implementing the practice. The survey also revealed that support from school managers and allocation of well-trained lesson study facilitators were enhancing factors of Lesson Study, while heavy loads of teachers and high pupil-teachers ratio were some of the hindering factors.

This poster shows how Lesson Study is implemented in Zambian schools as training of science teachers and findings on the impact survey on the effects of the practice.