Lesson Study - The Game: designing a game-based professional development opportunity for teachers and teacher candidates

Purpose This design paper reports on the development of a board game for teachers’ initial introduction to lesson study (LS). Empirical studies suggest that teachers need to have a good understanding of the goals and steps of LS in order to see their participation in LS as worthwhile. This board game is designed to provide an interactive, motivating and informative introduction to LS. Design/methodology/approach Following iterative design steps to develop a game prototype, groups of teachers ( N = 57) and teacher candidates ( N = 49) played the game and completed surveys about their satisfaction with the game as well as the quality and the transferability of the game. The data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. To address feedback from participants, two experts in game-based learning and LS, respectively, were asked to review the game and provide additional feedback. Findings The vast majority of participants rated the game as an appealing format for professional development (PD) and indicated a high level of motivation to participate in LS and collaborate with colleagues after playing the game. The findings highlight that game-based learning opportunities can provide engaging and informative formats for PD, particularly to facilitate collaboration. Originality/value To our knowledge, this is one of the first efforts to design and evaluate a game-based introduction to LS and one of the few studies to discuss educational games specifically designed to enhance teachers’ professional knowledge and collaboration.