Sustaining lesson study in schools with positive peer leadership: A case study in Hong Kong

Purpose–Multi-cycle Learning Study and multi-cycle Lesson Study are the main collaborative action research approaches for teacher professional development in Hong Kong. The sustaining of these Lesson Study innovations may be inhibited by many challenges. The purpose of this paper is to identify the strategies school leaders utilized to overcome challenges and sustain Lesson Study innovations successfully in a Hong Kong primary school. Design/methodology/approach–In-depth case study was adopted as the methodological approach to explore how Lesson Study was implemented to improve teaching and learning in the school and what leadership practices were enacted to sustain Lesson Study in the case school. Findings–It was found that the leadership team under study had adopted positive peer leadership to successfully implement Lesson Study activities. The strategies of positive peer leadership will be discussed in detail. Research limitations/implications–The paper concludes with implications for sustaining school development and professional development with Lesson Study and a checklist of positive peer leadership practices for school leaders, teacher leaders and teacher trainers. Originality/value– This paper will enrich the understanding of successful leadership practices for sustaining Lesson Study innovations in schools, on which few empirical studies have been conducted. Copyright © 2015 Emerald Group Publishing Limited.