Does Lesson Study influence teachers' perceptions, understandings and actions relating to inclusive practice with regards to special educational needs in mainstream primary mathematics?

The pedagogical practices in mainstream settings for inclusion and the response to the identified and targeted needs for Special Educational Needs (SEN) learners appear somewhat fragile and indeed fragmented. There is a gap between the knowledge and theory of SEN and actual practice, and this is evident in primary mathematics. Teacher Professional Development (PD) plays a pivotal role in supporting schools towards the inclusion of SEN learners. It is prudent that the PD needs of teachers address this gap. This case study follows two primary schools as they develop a Professional Learning Community (PLC) and engage in the Lesson Study (LS) process to support their PD regarding the inclusion of SEN learners in mainstream primary mathematics. Underpinned by the Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU) framework in mathematics (Schoenfeld, 2018) and focused on case study pupils (Dudley, 2013), the LS cycle is framed by the teacher participants experiencing mathematics through the eyes of the child, and in this case, the SEN learner. Early findings show that teachers developed PCK for mathematics teaching. They also collaborated effectively to understand and direct the mathematical trajectories for their SEN learners and made connections to all their learners. In this case, LS shows promise and potential as a sustainable form of teacher PD that can support the inclusion of all learners in an inclusive mainstream setting