Purpose Lesson study is a vital approach to improve teaching and learning that Japanese teachers have been utilizing for a century. Lesson study, however, has only recently been recognized as a teacher development strategy in Laos and started implementing in teacher training colleges (TTCs) in 2015. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which teachers have gained an understanding of the procedure of lesson study and to reveal their initial concerns about its implementation. Design/methodology/approach This research reports on lesson study implementation in a Lao TTC during 2015-2017. Data were collected from 11 classroom observations, lesson study reports, lesson study guidelines, and 70 open-ended questionnaires. Findings Data analysis revealed the initial experience of teachers in the suburb schools in applying lesson study to enhance teaching and students’ learning outcomes, and their concerns regarding lesson study procedure including time management, the format of the lesson study report, and collaboration with lesson study facilitators. The importance of lesson study experts to facilitate the teachers’ lesson study became clear. In addition, school principals and administrators have an important role in empowering teachers to engage confidently with lesson study. Originality/value This study is the first trial project of school-based training for in-service teachers in a TTC and partner primary schools. The aim of the project is to strengthen and promote collaborative learning. To progress lesson study, it is very important to be sensitive to the teachers’ issues in the early stages of the introduction of lesson study.

中文翻译：

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老挝郊区学校教师对课堂学习实践的理解与担忧

目的 课堂学习是日本教师一个世纪以来一直在使用的改进教学和学习的重要方法。然而，课程学习直到最近才在老挝被认为是一种教师发展战略，并于 2015 年开始在师范学院 (TTC) 中实施。本文的目的是调查教师对这一程序的理解程度的课程研究，并揭示他们对其实施的最初担忧。设计/方法/途径 本研究报告了 2015-2017 年老挝 TTC 的课程学习实施情况。数据来自 11 次课堂观察、课程学习报告、课程学习指南和 70 份开放式问卷。调查结果 数据分析揭示了郊区学校教师在应用课业学习以提高教学和学生学习成果方面的初步经验，以及他们对课业程序的关注，包括时间管理、课业报告的格式以及与课业的合作促进者。研习专家对教师研习的重要性由此可见一斑。此外，学校校长和行政人员在授权教师自信地参与课程学习方面发挥着重要作用。原创性/价值 本研究是TTC和合作小学在职教师校本培训的第一个试点项目。该项目的目的是加强和促进协作学习。为了推进课程学习，