DEVELOPING TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES THROUGH THE LESSON STUDY APPROACH

Abstract

The study examines the effectiveness of the Lesson Study approach as a tool for developing teachers’ professional competencies and improving students’ learning outcomes in geography education. The relevance of the research is determined by the need to introduce collaborative, reflective, and evidence-based forms of teacher professional development in the context of updated educational content. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of Lesson Study on teachers’ instructional practice and students’ functional literacy. The research was conducted during the 2019–2022 academic years in Secondary School-Gymnasium No. 2 and Secondary School No. 9 in Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan. The study involved 29 eighth-grade students, including 15 boys and 14 girls. The research methods included pedagogical experiment, classroom observation, questionnaire survey, formative and summative assessment, comparative analysis, and teacher reflection. Students were divided into three levels according to academic performance and motivation: high, medium, and low. The results showed positive dynamics in learning outcomes. The quality of learning increased from 86% to 90% among Level A students, from 70% to 81% among Level B students, and from 63% to 70% among Level C students. The number of high-order questions formulated by students also increased. The findings demonstrate that Lesson Study contributed to collaborative planning, reflective practice, identification of students’ learning difficulties, and the use of differentiated tasks.