Stigler & Hiebert (1999) recommended a system for improving teaching comprised of six principles aligned with an approach known as lesson study. These principles evolved from the rigorous research conducted in the video study component of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The LearningFront™ resources TaskBuilderOnline™ and eLearningTeacher™ are aligned with these research-based principles and provide a way to meet the challenge and vision.

1. Principle 1: Expect improvement to be continual, gradual, and incremental - TaskBuilderOnline™ and eLearningTeacher™ are dedicated to small, incremental improvements in daily lessons and tests planned by classroom teachers.
   
   
2. Principle 2: Maintain a constant focus on student learning goals - TaskBuilderOnline™ and eLearningTeacher™ target student learning goals in the form of state and local content standards that form the basis of high stakes assessments. Moreover, TaskBuilderOnline™ uses the AYP accountability measure to monitor changes in student performance.
   
   
3. Principle 3: Focus on teaching, not teachers - TaskBuilderOnline™ and eLearningTeacher™ focus on methods of teaching that work in reading, mathematics, and science as well as other content areas.
   
   
4. Principle 4: Make improvements in context - TaskBuilderOnline™ and eLearningTeacher™ can be used by classroom teachers in any setting with a computer connected to the Internet. They increase the potential for success in a variety of school-based, college and university, and personal settings.
   
   
5. Principle 5: Make improvement the work of teachers - TaskBuilderOnline™ and eLearningTeacher™ support teachers as the driving force behind the improvement of teaching. Teachers influence student achievement directly each day in the classroom and, therefore, play a significant role in the development of solutions for improving teaching.
   
   
6. Principle 6: Build a system that can learn from its own experience - TaskBuilderOnline™ and eLearningTeacher™ offer a way to collect, store, and disseminate information about teaching methods that increase the AYP of students in reading and mathematics. The results provide a way to accumulate and share the experiences and insights of teachers striving to implement the aligned challenge and vision of NCLB and State school reform programs.

Source: Stigler, J. W. & Hiebert, J. (1999). The teaching gap: Best ideas from the world's teachers for improving education in the classroom. Free Press, ISBN: 0684852748.