Comparison of Open Class and Reflection Session in the Implementation of Lesson Study between Japan and Malaysia

The Lesson Study approach is one of the latest efforts in improving the quality of education in Malaysia.The success of Lesson Study in Japan has inspired us to adapt this approach to the education system of Malaysia. By 2015, the Ministry of Education Malaysia has implemented the approach through the Professional Learning Community (PLC) programme in almost every schoolwith the aimof enhancing the quality of education. The learning community contributes a big impact in the lesson study approach by collaborating, discussing and reflectingin order to improve the development of the teaching and learning process. Since the implementation of Lesson Study in Malaysia is still at an early stage compared to Japan, this article therefore aims to focus on explaining how the implementation of open class and reflection had been carried out in Japan. From the observation of open class and reflection during a school visit inJapan, it is found that they have organised a public open class which involved every class in the school for at least once a year. In addition, a few factors have been identified to enhance the effectiveness of the procedures: a) focused observation, b) complete equipment and team for recording c) committed observer. The reflection session was carried out thoroughly and was very detailed.