Pursuing excellence

Rongjin Huang and Yeping Li have written an article called Pursuing excellence in mathematics classroom instruction through exemplary lesson development in China: a case study. The article was published online in ZDM on Friday. To me, this article is interesting for a few reasons:

• It has a focus on teaching mathematics
• It has a focus on how to develop exemplary lessons
• It has a focus on learning from "master teachers"
• It provides a nice insight into chinese mathematics teaching

Several aspects in this study remind me of the Lesson Study approach and theories related to Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT), both of which are among my main research interests. Here is an abstract of their article:

In this article, we aim to examine the features of mathematics classroom instruction excellence valued in China. The popular approach to pursuing mathematics classroom instruction excellence through exemplary lesson development is also investigated to demonstrate the nature of teaching culture that has been advocated and nurtured in China. Features of an exemplary lesson are analyzed in detail, and the practicing teacher’s experience through participating in the development of the exemplary lesson is examined as well. Finally, the implications of developing exemplary lessons for pursuing excellence in mathematics classroom instruction as a culturally valued approach in China are also discussed.