Studying sample lessons rather than one excellent lesson: A Japanese perspective on the TIMSS videotape classroom study

The findings of the TIMSS Videotape Classroom Study include aspects of mathematics lessons showing a strong resemblance between Germany and the US in difference to Japan. This paper discusses some of the features that appear to make Japanese lessons different from the other two countries. In particular, the paper examines the goals of lessons described by Japanese teachers, how lessons are structured and implemented, and the emphasis on alternative solutions to a problem in the teaching and learning processes. The characteristics of Japanese lessons identified by the TIMSS Videotape Classroom Study can naturally be interpreted as indications of teachers' efforts to foster students' mathematical thinking in the classroom.