The Lesson design study & teaching resources research group focuses on research related to lesson study, lesson design and resources for teaching and learning. Lesson design study involves the planning, implementation and exploration of teaching, with a particular focus on inquiry-based and exploratory working methods in school teaching (e.g., Inquiry-based learning, IBL) in different countries (e.g., China, Denmark, Ethiopia, Norway, USA). Collaboration with schools and teachers in different local contexts, including co-working and co-learning through lesson study, is an important element for understanding the profound impact of cultural, social and institutional contexts on pupils’ learning and professional learning experiences. Investigations related to student teachers' practice are also part of this work. Another important area is the study and development of learning and teaching resources. This includes textbook analysis and the analysis of various analogue and digital tools.

Our group aim to develop knowledge on how education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at all levels of education, including higher education, can be conducted in ways that strengthen students’ academic knowledge and enjoyment of mathematics and science. This requires good contact with schools, higher education institutions and teachers for trying out teaching approaches and teaching materials, as well as giving student teachers the opportunity to work in IBL-inspired ways during practice. To achieve our goal, we also focus on analysing and developing teaching and learning resources.

The Lesson Design Study & Teaching Resources research group has members with different backgrounds and different competences. The group includes both mathematics and science educators with research and teaching backgrounds from different countries (China, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Indonesia, Kosovo, New Zealand, Turkey, and Norway). Members have PhDs in different fields, including mathematics education, science education, pure mathematics, and physics.

The research group members have extensive supervision experience at all levels, including supervision of Master- and PhD-students past and present. 

The group has diverse research competencies, and utilises different methodologies, including conducting quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods; different frameworks have been employed, such as Anthropological Theory of Didactics, Documentation Approach to Didactics, Inquiry-Based Learning, the Knowledge Quartet, and Cultural-Historical Activity Theory. Group members have extensive experience from local, national and international projects, including EU-projects (e.g., PRIMAS, mascil, Fasmed, MaSDiV, MaTeK), providing great opportunities for conducting high quality research that inform practice. At present, the group is engaged in the two year project International comparative study of mathematics and science lesson study in Norway, Denmark, Greece, China, Ethiopia, and USA. The objective of the project is to perform a comparative analysis of mathematics and science lesson study across the six countries. (See the travelogue from our autumn 2025 visit to Shanghai).

Recent publications