Emerging mental models of teaching and learning: Using lesson study in a career and technical education course

This study examines the preconceptions of teaching and learning held by Career and Technical Educators. The research identifies the mental model that illustrate instructors' beliefs concerning the teaching and learning process in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) course and how such a model is implemented in the classroom. A qualitative case study bounded by a Japanese Lesson Study with an embedded focus group which incorporated mind mapping techniques was used to gather the data and identify the mental model. In Lesson Study, instructors view student learning activities using previously identified mental models. The study compares initial and final model versions to arrive at a consensus mental model of the teaching and learning process in CTE.