Two successful teacher professional learning programs in the Australian and near Asian regions : what conditions contribute to success?

![CDATA[Lesson Study is a Japanese model of school-based teacher professional learning, that examines practice either through direct observation or through classroom artefacts and case studies. It assumes that teacher learning will be more meaningful and effective if embedded in their everyday work. The process involves working on focus lessons, providing a meaningful context for non-threatening lesson observation, and promoting greater collaboration. In Australia, the Lesson Study Project was conducted by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training for mathematics teachers. It began in 2001 and continues to function in 2005. In Malaysia, Lesson Study has just been implemented in two secondary schools since May 2004. The “Active Mathematics in Primary Schools” (AMIC) Project involves Brunei upper-primary teachers in a large-scale professional development project aimed at assisting them to move away from traditional teacher-centred practices towards methods that engage their students actively in the learning process. Teachers participate in nine workshops whose content, structures, and materials were fully developed by primary teachers in Brunei. After a workshop, teachers are expected to apply associated ideas in their own classrooms and then report their findings at the next workshop. In addition teachers are expected to complete “between-unit-activities” and “between-unit-readings.” The project was evaluated as being highly successful in 2004 and has been expanded in 2005. This paper aims to analyse the evaluations of these programs and highlight the challenges, constraints, and modifications made as a result of differing cultural contexts while identifying the aspects that contributed to success.]]