When we examined the kind of work students engaged in during the lesson we found a strong resemblance between Germany and the US, with Japan looking distinctly different. Three types of work were coded in the video study: Practicing Routine Procedures, Applying Concepts to Novel Situations, and Inventing New Solution Methods/Thinking.

Approximately 90 percent of student working time in Germany and the US was spent in practicing routine procedures, compared with 41 percent in Japan. Japanese students spent nearly half of their time inventing new solutions and engaging in conceptual thinking about mathematics.