The best professional development for teachers focuses on issues they encounter in the classroom. It is collaborative, school-based, learning-focused and supports teachers in solving problems of pedagogy in context. Through lesson study teachers are empowered to make decisions to improve pedagogy, curriculum and assessment based on evidence of the effect of design on learning.
Being explicit about the theories of learning underpinning their teaching decisions allows teachers to develop a shared vocabulary for the diagnosis of learning problems, redesign and evaluation of learning situations. Learning study introduces a new Variation Theory of Learning. It provides a framework for teachers to make critical decisions about what is to be learnt and how.
The fusion of lesson and learning study is changing the nature of professional development and providing teachers with a voice in the field of educational research. In Realising Learning, teachers, teacher educators and policy makers can share the progress achieved by teachers in Asia and Europe to improve teaching and learning.