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Teach Like a Champion Field Guide (12) by Lemov, Doug [Paperback (2012)]
Teach Like a Champion Field Guide (12) by Lemov, Doug [Paperback (2012)]
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First published January 1, 2010
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July 17, 2010
Ah, the Charter School Camp. The Standardized Tests Are the Thing Camp. The Business/Military Style in Schools Camp. That's where TEACH LIKE A CHAMPION originates, from a guy named Doug Lemov who is invested in the Uncommon Schools, a group of inner city schools in the northeast that insist on teachers using these techniques. And though the cover says "K-12," most all of the examples cited are from elementary classrooms. Ditto the clips on the accompanying DVD. If you're a high school teacher, you might wonder, "K-12? Hello!" And if you think these techniques will work as well in high school as they do in elementary and middle schools, you might wonder about yourself.
The title's subheading (required goods in most all non-fiction books these days) is "49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College." I'll give the book this much: it's a toolbox. If you've ever been burnt by buying a professional development book only to find that it's 87% theory and 13% practical ideas, this is your book. You might get burnt in OTHER ways, of course, but such is the cruel world.
On to the techniques. They're all basic, simple, and mostly obvious. I say that as a veteran teacher but realize that all readers and teachers are NOT veterans. So, is the book worth more of your time if you are a newbie to the profession? I think so. What if you're struggling with classroom management? Again, worth a look-see. If you're a high school teacher? Uh, no.
Overall, the techniques come off as too regimental. The classrooms described leave nothing to chance and even the fun activities are named and timed (stop watches are big here). The important thing, according to Lemov, is time on task. That leads to higher standardized test scores and thus, to college.
Some of his opinions are conservatively old-school, too. He denigrates silent reading in class, for instance, because it is not measurable and some kids may not be reading. But he champions kids reading aloud in class one at a time, something that I find painful to do -- for the students as much as for me, given some of their struggles with the written word.
In short, turn the clock back 30 years and many of the practices then are back here only with names and all manner of window dressing. Still, to be fair, I think young teachers would do well to read and cherry-pick here. Your basket may wind up full, half-full, or empty -- but at least you'll see that there's an Old Wave out there to counteract all those new-fangled New Wave things you've been studying in university.
The title's subheading (required goods in most all non-fiction books these days) is "49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College." I'll give the book this much: it's a toolbox. If you've ever been burnt by buying a professional development book only to find that it's 87% theory and 13% practical ideas, this is your book. You might get burnt in OTHER ways, of course, but such is the cruel world.
On to the techniques. They're all basic, simple, and mostly obvious. I say that as a veteran teacher but realize that all readers and teachers are NOT veterans. So, is the book worth more of your time if you are a newbie to the profession? I think so. What if you're struggling with classroom management? Again, worth a look-see. If you're a high school teacher? Uh, no.
Overall, the techniques come off as too regimental. The classrooms described leave nothing to chance and even the fun activities are named and timed (stop watches are big here). The important thing, according to Lemov, is time on task. That leads to higher standardized test scores and thus, to college.
Some of his opinions are conservatively old-school, too. He denigrates silent reading in class, for instance, because it is not measurable and some kids may not be reading. But he champions kids reading aloud in class one at a time, something that I find painful to do -- for the students as much as for me, given some of their struggles with the written word.
In short, turn the clock back 30 years and many of the practices then are back here only with names and all manner of window dressing. Still, to be fair, I think young teachers would do well to read and cherry-pick here. Your basket may wind up full, half-full, or empty -- but at least you'll see that there's an Old Wave out there to counteract all those new-fangled New Wave things you've been studying in university.
August 14, 2016
Well, the good news is that I'm a champion teacher and I didn't even know it! Turns out I already knew all of the concepts, and most of the techniques, that Lemov examines in his book. Of course, I'm not a new teacher; it's not my first rodeo. It would have been a great book if I were new to the profession, so if you are, I highly recommend it. Quite a bit of it is common sense, such as keeping the students busy from bell to bell, arranging the desks so that you have proximity, and establishing routines in your classroom, but new teachers sometimes do not appreciate the impact taking these simple measures--or not taking them--can have in your class.
So the book didn't really work for me. Reasons why:
1. As I said, there was really nothing new there for an experienced teacher unless you just need a refresher (which is not a bad idea).
2. It's really geared to elementary to middle schools, while I teach high school juniors. Some things can be adapted to fit a high school classroom, but many cannot.
3. Like others before me have said, his approach to reading is way off base and pretty archaic. Believe me, my kids would love nothing better than to read out loud. Most of them would rather have their fingernails pulled out one by one than to read silently--but they're 16 and 17 years old, not 8. Many of them will be filling out their college applications at the end of their year with me. It's my job to prepare them for that time, and I can't remember a single college class where we read aloud. Even if I was successful with his strategies so that every student is following along, ready to step in if called upon to read, they're still not reading for themselves. They're still having someone else decode the words for them--you don't build reading stamina by having someone read to you.
So, if you're a new teacher or an elementary teacher, you might find more value in this book than I did. On to the next, which my friend Ken assures me will be most helpful--Teaching Arguments. Since our curriculum is all about argumentation, I'm certain this one will be more grade-level appropriate.
So the book didn't really work for me. Reasons why:
1. As I said, there was really nothing new there for an experienced teacher unless you just need a refresher (which is not a bad idea).
2. It's really geared to elementary to middle schools, while I teach high school juniors. Some things can be adapted to fit a high school classroom, but many cannot.
3. Like others before me have said, his approach to reading is way off base and pretty archaic. Believe me, my kids would love nothing better than to read out loud. Most of them would rather have their fingernails pulled out one by one than to read silently--but they're 16 and 17 years old, not 8. Many of them will be filling out their college applications at the end of their year with me. It's my job to prepare them for that time, and I can't remember a single college class where we read aloud. Even if I was successful with his strategies so that every student is following along, ready to step in if called upon to read, they're still not reading for themselves. They're still having someone else decode the words for them--you don't build reading stamina by having someone read to you.
So, if you're a new teacher or an elementary teacher, you might find more value in this book than I did. On to the next, which my friend Ken assures me will be most helpful--Teaching Arguments. Since our curriculum is all about argumentation, I'm certain this one will be more grade-level appropriate.
October 22, 2015
I wish that Doug Lemov's Teach Like a Champion had been around when I was getting my teaching degree. Most of the books that I read in my graduate courses centered on theory -- not that theory and metacognition isn't important; however, as a brand-new teacher, I could really have used a book like this one, which describes 49 actual techniques you can use to manage your classroom and to encourage attention, enthusiasm, and higher-level thinking.
As other reviewers have pointed out, Teach Like a Champion isn't the Holy Grail -- the one be-all and end-all book for everything. The book as a whole is definitely geared for elementary and middle-school classes, and some of the techniques will prove more useful for math and the hard sciences. Unlike others, I don't fault Lemov for using charter-school teachers as his exemplars. It doesn't necessarily mean that Lemov believes there aren't stellar teachers in public schools; it's expedience. He's involved with Uncommon Schools, so the teachers he observes as part of his job are only in charter schools and he didn't do any additional research. That's OK by me. That doesn't diminish the efficacy of the techniques Lemov cites.
Still, as with any book, use common sense. Some of these techniques won't work with high school, of course. And let's face it: Some of these techniques won't work for teachers in tougher schools. But having a toolbox of techniques from which you can select could make the difference between a smooth start to a teaching career and an experience so horrible that a teacher chucks her career in after a few years. (Statistically, 14 percent of teachers leave the profession after their first year; 46 percent leave before their fifth year.)
As other reviewers have pointed out, Teach Like a Champion isn't the Holy Grail -- the one be-all and end-all book for everything. The book as a whole is definitely geared for elementary and middle-school classes, and some of the techniques will prove more useful for math and the hard sciences. Unlike others, I don't fault Lemov for using charter-school teachers as his exemplars. It doesn't necessarily mean that Lemov believes there aren't stellar teachers in public schools; it's expedience. He's involved with Uncommon Schools, so the teachers he observes as part of his job are only in charter schools and he didn't do any additional research. That's OK by me. That doesn't diminish the efficacy of the techniques Lemov cites.
Still, as with any book, use common sense. Some of these techniques won't work with high school, of course. And let's face it: Some of these techniques won't work for teachers in tougher schools. But having a toolbox of techniques from which you can select could make the difference between a smooth start to a teaching career and an experience so horrible that a teacher chucks her career in after a few years. (Statistically, 14 percent of teachers leave the profession after their first year; 46 percent leave before their fifth year.)
February 7, 2017
Do you remember that scene at the beginning of Dead Poet's Society where Mr. Keating has the boys rip the J. Evans Pritchard scale for measuring poetry out of their textbooks?
This book and its techniques are the equivalent of Mr. Pritchard's poetry scale.
We ask whether our actions will result in learning, but this is the wrong question. The right question is whether our actions yield a return that exceeds our hurdle rate. That is, yield more learning per minute invested than does the best reliable alternative use of classtime.
There's nothing terribly wrong with these techniques, but they perpetuate the factory model school system. If you've a veteran teacher who is looking to change how you teach your students and shift our education paradigm, then this book is definitely not one you want to read.
The teachers declared champions by Lemov come from charter schools, mostly Uncommon Schools and KIPP. These schools are success stories if you consider teaching to the standardized test a measure of success.
These schools boast their college acceptance rate. How many of those same students are graduating with a degree from college? Funny how I don't hear that statistic.
Another broad criticism I'll levy is that most of the techniques shared, including specific ways to phrase statements and pose questions, apply to the elementary classroom.
The examples given of how to adapt the techniques for middle school or high school would work for students who have learned to conform to the charter school environment, or a successful public school where the teachers and administrators know how to teach to the test.
And therein lies this book's value.
If you're brand new to teaching, particularly if you're a secondary teacher who has earned a bachelor's in your subject area, but you've never taken education, pedagogy, or methods classes, then this book along with Harry Wong's The First Days of School will help you through your first years.
Lemov breaks down how to write objectives also known as daily learning goals. He shares numerous lesson planning tips and ideas on how to execute those lessons. Additionally, he does a nice job of offering concrete examples of how to phrase questions and then rephrase that same question to either elicit a more specific or complete answer or clarify what information is being asked for.
If you've never taught before, then you will find value in the techniques, particularly if you're teaching at-risk disadvantaged students.
Lemov has one more value-added section at the end. In the last few chapters, he presents the argument that every teacher is a literacy teacher, which I do have to agree with. Teaching literacy is every teacher's job.
Oftentimes, secondary subject area teachers push back on this concept because they consider teaching literacy to center around phonetics and decoding. That elementary stuff. Not their job.
In these last chapters, Lemov defines decoding, fluency, and reading comprehension. He explains the power of literacy in relationship to vocabulary for the students from lower socioeconomic areas.
Students who know more words, learn more words. In fact, research suggests that a 10,000 word vocabulary gap exists between students of privilege and students from less advantaged backgrounds by the time they reach 10th grade.
He also defines and gives examples of Tier I, II, and III words in terms of vocabulary acquisition. And he describes how teachers can get the most bang for their buck, if you will.
If you've been teaching your secondary subject area for a while, and you find yourself having to write language objectives, or you're lost when it comes to these reading terms, I'd skip the majority of this book and just read chapters 10-12.
Aside from these two groups of teachers (newbies with no education background, and cranky secondary subject area teachers who are clueless about what literacy truly is, but are being held accountable for teaching literacy), most other teachers should skip this book.
You know these techniques. You already practice them. Sure, you could think of reading this book as a refresher or a visit back to your teaching toolbox, but I just don't think the return on investment is high enough to warrant spending a lot of time with this book.
Now I did listen to the audiobook, and it took me over two months. And that's even with the soothing dulcet tones of Grover Gardner's voice. If I read the ebook or print edition, I could have skimmed.
While these charter schools seemingly make strides in closing the achievement gap, I do wonder what becomes of their graduates. Are these schools truly serving the needs of disadvantaged students or do they just look good on paper?
This book and its techniques are the equivalent of Mr. Pritchard's poetry scale.
We ask whether our actions will result in learning, but this is the wrong question. The right question is whether our actions yield a return that exceeds our hurdle rate. That is, yield more learning per minute invested than does the best reliable alternative use of classtime.
There's nothing terribly wrong with these techniques, but they perpetuate the factory model school system. If you've a veteran teacher who is looking to change how you teach your students and shift our education paradigm, then this book is definitely not one you want to read.
The teachers declared champions by Lemov come from charter schools, mostly Uncommon Schools and KIPP. These schools are success stories if you consider teaching to the standardized test a measure of success.
These schools boast their college acceptance rate. How many of those same students are graduating with a degree from college? Funny how I don't hear that statistic.
Another broad criticism I'll levy is that most of the techniques shared, including specific ways to phrase statements and pose questions, apply to the elementary classroom.
The examples given of how to adapt the techniques for middle school or high school would work for students who have learned to conform to the charter school environment, or a successful public school where the teachers and administrators know how to teach to the test.
And therein lies this book's value.
If you're brand new to teaching, particularly if you're a secondary teacher who has earned a bachelor's in your subject area, but you've never taken education, pedagogy, or methods classes, then this book along with Harry Wong's The First Days of School will help you through your first years.
Lemov breaks down how to write objectives also known as daily learning goals. He shares numerous lesson planning tips and ideas on how to execute those lessons. Additionally, he does a nice job of offering concrete examples of how to phrase questions and then rephrase that same question to either elicit a more specific or complete answer or clarify what information is being asked for.
If you've never taught before, then you will find value in the techniques, particularly if you're teaching at-risk disadvantaged students.
Lemov has one more value-added section at the end. In the last few chapters, he presents the argument that every teacher is a literacy teacher, which I do have to agree with. Teaching literacy is every teacher's job.
Oftentimes, secondary subject area teachers push back on this concept because they consider teaching literacy to center around phonetics and decoding. That elementary stuff. Not their job.
In these last chapters, Lemov defines decoding, fluency, and reading comprehension. He explains the power of literacy in relationship to vocabulary for the students from lower socioeconomic areas.
Students who know more words, learn more words. In fact, research suggests that a 10,000 word vocabulary gap exists between students of privilege and students from less advantaged backgrounds by the time they reach 10th grade.
He also defines and gives examples of Tier I, II, and III words in terms of vocabulary acquisition. And he describes how teachers can get the most bang for their buck, if you will.
If you've been teaching your secondary subject area for a while, and you find yourself having to write language objectives, or you're lost when it comes to these reading terms, I'd skip the majority of this book and just read chapters 10-12.
Aside from these two groups of teachers (newbies with no education background, and cranky secondary subject area teachers who are clueless about what literacy truly is, but are being held accountable for teaching literacy), most other teachers should skip this book.
You know these techniques. You already practice them. Sure, you could think of reading this book as a refresher or a visit back to your teaching toolbox, but I just don't think the return on investment is high enough to warrant spending a lot of time with this book.
Now I did listen to the audiobook, and it took me over two months. And that's even with the soothing dulcet tones of Grover Gardner's voice. If I read the ebook or print edition, I could have skimmed.
While these charter schools seemingly make strides in closing the achievement gap, I do wonder what becomes of their graduates. Are these schools truly serving the needs of disadvantaged students or do they just look good on paper?
April 22, 2017
Problematic. The techniques are very authoritarian and simplistic. The author relies on behavioralism to a demeaning degree. The video clips that came with the book showing the techniques in action, made me very uncomfortable. I'm surprised the book didn't come with a clicker trainer.
July 20, 2010
I think this book is a must for pre-service teachers, but only if taught with a critical lens. The author says right off the bat that he does not consider himself a champion teacher, but he has spent countless hours in classrooms and studying tape with other researchers in order to compile what he has determined to be concrete "champion teacher" techniques.
I don't agree with everything he says (some of it reads a little ivory tower, and some of the stuff he touches on concerning race makes me raise an eyebrow--not to say he's blatantly racist; it just reads like he hasn't spent a ton of time examining the world of education through a critical race lens), but most of it is good stuff. I'm entering my 5th year of teaching, and this book is definitely useful to me. I imagine it would have varying levels of usefulness to more experienced teachers as well.
I don't agree with everything he says (some of it reads a little ivory tower, and some of the stuff he touches on concerning race makes me raise an eyebrow--not to say he's blatantly racist; it just reads like he hasn't spent a ton of time examining the world of education through a critical race lens), but most of it is good stuff. I'm entering my 5th year of teaching, and this book is definitely useful to me. I imagine it would have varying levels of usefulness to more experienced teachers as well.
June 21, 2016
I read parts of this book several years ago. I hate it. Really and truly. I've been thinking about it a lot as I read other books (For White Folks who Teach in the Hood) and articles about what real learning should be. Teach Like a Champion is the opposite of what real classrooms should look like, and I'm a little bit excited to start talking about that this coming school year.
April 21, 2020
Lemov's conclusion is entitled, "The End is the Beginning," so let me start there.
"Yet when Ben was recently asked how he ensures that his teachers use his material, he observed that he doesn't. He manages his teachers for results and provides these techniques to get them there. They are free to use them or not. ...Too many ideas, even good ones, go bad when they become an end and not a means." (Pg. 310)
Lemov likes the word caveat. I'm going to ask someone with a Kindle version how many times that word shows up in the book. (It was one of my favorite words as well...) Perhaps his caveat there at the end would have been more fitting at the beginning - and at the beginning of every trendy teaching methods book.
Often we get caught up in the material rather than the end goal. The question is, are we using the methods prescribed by Lemov (or Marzano, or Wong & Wong, Gallagher, or any host of others... Fred Jones... that's this Fred Jones not the Fred Jones of Ben Fold's fame - although they're both good...) And so we find ourselves asking, "am I doing what Lemov (et al) says to do" instead of asking, "am I doing what works best for my students - what I will be able to excel at in order to get them to learn what they need to learn for my class?"
Oftentimes there is an overlap - which is why this book has 3 stars instead of zero. I liked the book. There are a lot of useful techniques and practices found in here. But I have a few caveats of my own: try some of what he says, but take it with a grain of salt rather than as gospel.
For instance, Lemov is old-school. He likes desks in rows. I was surprised that in today's data-driven school climate the only data he gives to back up the benefits of rows is, "...I see so many teachers I watch use it." (pg. 68) I'm sure you've heard that correlation does not imply causation...?
Aside from this, when I went to the Fred Jones Tools for Teaching Seminar, he gave lots of examples of why teachers should move away from rows - and backed it up with some data as well. Do I have that for you now? No. I went to the training years ago. Two points that stuck with me - he said the reason we have rows is because it's easier for custodians to clean, and that it makes it difficult for a teacher to get from one side of the room to another - and teachers should always have fast access to all students.
Also, the biggest red flag that went up - it's the red flag that always goes up when I read teaching methods book - Lemov received an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. That's quite an achievement, but it tells me he's as much into marketing as he is education. ...Actually, more so.
Which gets me to my next point. (And yes, I realize it seems like I'm missing the forest for the trees here, as they say. I'm not - I'm really not - I just like to use those critical thinking skills that I'm trying to impart to my students... Again, I'm not losing sight of the fact that there are a lot of great ideas in this book.)
Lemov tries to convince us that the book is not gimmicky. He's doing what teachers call, "anticipating." He knows that accusation is going to be (justifiably) thrown out there. He says early on, "I've given the techniques in this book names. This may seem like a gimmick at first, but it's one of the most important parts. If there was no word democracy, for example, it would be a thousand times harder to have and sustain a thing called "democracy." (Pg. 6) While the democracy comment is true, that's not what makes it gimmicky. What makes it gimmicky is that so many of these ideas are not new - they are common place in classrooms - they've just been marketed with a new name, adding now to the teacher-jargon lexicon.
I could give you a hole host of examples - I took a lot of notes - but I'll refrain. Here are a few: Technique 6 - Begin With the End. This already has a name: Backward Design. (An already jargon-y name, I might add...) He's right, though: I would agree all good teachers use this. Have your objective first - then plan. So, a benefit of Teach Like a Champion is that it cut to the chase. Still.
Another one? I/We/You (pg. 71): Lemov even states this already has several monikers, "direct instruction, guided practice, and independent practice..." If that's the case, why make a new one? Explain the principle, but don't name it.
Another one? Technique 9: Shortest Path. (Pg. 64) I remember calling this "Best Practice."
Another one? Technique 24: Pepper (head to head). (Pg. 133) We were playing Around the World when I was in school. My 7 year old told me that's what they call it as well. She loves it, by the way...
Look, the list can go on - but it doesn't even matter. The ideas are good, and he even said they're not his. But his M.B.A. in business is coming in handy, because Lemov was able to make a lot of money marketing someone else's product. Good writers borrow, great writers steal, and all that. (I'm wondering if Sorkin stole that quote from somebody else.)
Again, the book is very good. But my biggest fear for the book is the one Lemov himself listed in his conclusion - the one I mentioned at the top. And with all the good content in the book, he does himself a disservice by being dogmatic about some points he shouldn't be dogmatic about. For instance, on pages 50 and 51 I agree that we shouldn't spend 5 minutes of class giving students a long-winded explanation of the importance of speaking up. Believe me, I'm re-evaluating my own teaching practices and taking many of the efficiency measures to heart. However, when he says "My colleagues and I concluded that voice is the gold standard when working on audible format." (Pg. 51) I think he has taken it too far. As if a teacher who gives a non-verbal nod and eyebrow raise, or says "volume" or "louder" or "sound" or whatever even a 10 second sentence every once in a while... is somehow inferior to a teacher who uses the term "voice?" That's foolishness. I can't imagine our evaluations coming to that. But administrators (like teachers themselves to their students) will always be able to nail you for something if they want to...
Like the examples of jargon, I could give a lot of examples of dogma. But I want to turn to why I gave the book 3 stars - rather than why I took 2 away.
I liked most everything. Even the passages I complained about had merit. Starting with Technique 1: No Opt Out - where you take away the incentives for students not to answer (if they "don't know" call on somebody else and then come back to them...) to Technique 12: The Hook - a practice I already use, but call bellwork, or bellringer or startup... To Technique 22: Cold Call - calling on students randomly - rather than just the ones with their hands up...
A lot of these techniques - almost all of them - I already use. However, often times Lemov would get me to think about them in a new light - or reflect on the fact that I haven't been using them as effectively as I could be.
Even when I disagreed with him, or he appeared to contradict himself later - I felt like I was getting something out of it. I use Cold Call already, quite frequently. One thing he doesn't do a great job of addressing is that it often turns off the students who are raising their hands. I occasionally get "I've had my hand up, but you never call on me." He says late in the book that you should prep students ahead of time - before reading, for instance - but that goes against what he says in Cold Call... Still, it's getting me to be conscious of even the smallest details of my classroom.
Small things - Technique 2: Right is Right - for instance - I agree with the principle - and the complimentary principles of "Stretch It" and "Format Matters" - but here's another caveat for you: be careful that you're not so focused on the correct format or the exact right answer that you want that you refuse to accept right answers. We don't want to devalue students because we're so focused on a detail we miss the fact that they were correct. (I was in a class one time where the teacher asked a question about a story we had just read. "What was the person doing?" Students answered. One student said that he was "chasing the other person." The teacher just nodded and said... okay, okay. He took a few more answers. When nobody came up with what he wanted he said, "running. The man was running, wasn't he?" He wanted the "right" answer. The answer he already had in his mind, and he missed the point that "chasing" was actually a better one than he had come up with. Lemov talks about preparing, and scripting the lesson on your way to school, anticipating questions, etc... All of that is good. But don't lose sight of the end.
Still, often I find myself (especially in *ahem* challenging classes) accepting answers that aren't quite right as correct. I need to be aware of this.
It made me think about little things, too. I agree with correcting slang and jargon in the classroom. But I think all teachers (especially social studies and language arts teachers) should watch this TED talk.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't include something about his section on reading. One of the points on which we agree most strongly is that we are all reading teachers. We all teach language arts. All of us. K-12. Teachers, non-teachers. All of us. Language arts is communication. When you communicate with someone else, they are taking something from you. This is why I have been pushing to have my social studies classes switch with language arts. It would open up so many possibilities for collaborative work and deeper understanding in both content areas. (Again though, I wouldn't push this on everyone. What works for me might not work for you.)
If you already agree with this though, I might consider reading someone like Gallagher or Boyles rather than Lemov. For someone who is as jargony as he is, he sure comes down hard on others. (Specifically, Boyles.) Lemov is not big on "making connections" - especially text-to-self - and says that, "the connections students are most likely to make ("Hey, this is just like something that happened to my family!") are least rigorous and least useful to engendering long-term reading comprehension." (pg. 304) And then he gave no data to back that up. Is that just him putting a thought out there? Because I'd say that being able to connect with any story - any form of media - is what draws us in. I've found that new readers would rather read books they can connect to, than something that makes no sense to them. And the more they read, the more they'll be able to read - as they'll be able to make more connections.
And I think he confuses "picturing/visualizing" with looking at the pictures on page 305. He gives an example of a teacher saying, "What do you think is about to happen? Look at the picture if you need help!" While this tactic is no doubt employed in younger grade levels, it's not the same thing as picturing/visualizing. So, for him to give this as an example and then attack the other seems an awful lot like a straw-man, but that's just me.
I realized, that I myself went on the attack again. (Sorry, Lemov. And in the portion where I said I was going to tell what I liked.)
Take it like this: when it comes to teacher-y books, often times I'm more critical of the ones I like.
What I need to do is come back and write a synapses of all the techniques I liked - that way I can come back to it and use it as a reminder. Maybe I'll do that. But I guess this short review will have to suffice for now.
"Yet when Ben was recently asked how he ensures that his teachers use his material, he observed that he doesn't. He manages his teachers for results and provides these techniques to get them there. They are free to use them or not. ...Too many ideas, even good ones, go bad when they become an end and not a means." (Pg. 310)
Lemov likes the word caveat. I'm going to ask someone with a Kindle version how many times that word shows up in the book. (It was one of my favorite words as well...) Perhaps his caveat there at the end would have been more fitting at the beginning - and at the beginning of every trendy teaching methods book.
Often we get caught up in the material rather than the end goal. The question is, are we using the methods prescribed by Lemov (or Marzano, or Wong & Wong, Gallagher, or any host of others... Fred Jones... that's this Fred Jones not the Fred Jones of Ben Fold's fame - although they're both good...) And so we find ourselves asking, "am I doing what Lemov (et al) says to do" instead of asking, "am I doing what works best for my students - what I will be able to excel at in order to get them to learn what they need to learn for my class?"
Oftentimes there is an overlap - which is why this book has 3 stars instead of zero. I liked the book. There are a lot of useful techniques and practices found in here. But I have a few caveats of my own: try some of what he says, but take it with a grain of salt rather than as gospel.
For instance, Lemov is old-school. He likes desks in rows. I was surprised that in today's data-driven school climate the only data he gives to back up the benefits of rows is, "...I see so many teachers I watch use it." (pg. 68) I'm sure you've heard that correlation does not imply causation...?
Aside from this, when I went to the Fred Jones Tools for Teaching Seminar, he gave lots of examples of why teachers should move away from rows - and backed it up with some data as well. Do I have that for you now? No. I went to the training years ago. Two points that stuck with me - he said the reason we have rows is because it's easier for custodians to clean, and that it makes it difficult for a teacher to get from one side of the room to another - and teachers should always have fast access to all students.
Also, the biggest red flag that went up - it's the red flag that always goes up when I read teaching methods book - Lemov received an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. That's quite an achievement, but it tells me he's as much into marketing as he is education. ...Actually, more so.
Which gets me to my next point. (And yes, I realize it seems like I'm missing the forest for the trees here, as they say. I'm not - I'm really not - I just like to use those critical thinking skills that I'm trying to impart to my students... Again, I'm not losing sight of the fact that there are a lot of great ideas in this book.)
Lemov tries to convince us that the book is not gimmicky. He's doing what teachers call, "anticipating." He knows that accusation is going to be (justifiably) thrown out there. He says early on, "I've given the techniques in this book names. This may seem like a gimmick at first, but it's one of the most important parts. If there was no word democracy, for example, it would be a thousand times harder to have and sustain a thing called "democracy." (Pg. 6) While the democracy comment is true, that's not what makes it gimmicky. What makes it gimmicky is that so many of these ideas are not new - they are common place in classrooms - they've just been marketed with a new name, adding now to the teacher-jargon lexicon.
I could give you a hole host of examples - I took a lot of notes - but I'll refrain. Here are a few: Technique 6 - Begin With the End. This already has a name: Backward Design. (An already jargon-y name, I might add...) He's right, though: I would agree all good teachers use this. Have your objective first - then plan. So, a benefit of Teach Like a Champion is that it cut to the chase. Still.
Another one? I/We/You (pg. 71): Lemov even states this already has several monikers, "direct instruction, guided practice, and independent practice..." If that's the case, why make a new one? Explain the principle, but don't name it.
Another one? Technique 9: Shortest Path. (Pg. 64) I remember calling this "Best Practice."
Another one? Technique 24: Pepper (head to head). (Pg. 133) We were playing Around the World when I was in school. My 7 year old told me that's what they call it as well. She loves it, by the way...
Look, the list can go on - but it doesn't even matter. The ideas are good, and he even said they're not his. But his M.B.A. in business is coming in handy, because Lemov was able to make a lot of money marketing someone else's product. Good writers borrow, great writers steal, and all that. (I'm wondering if Sorkin stole that quote from somebody else.)
Again, the book is very good. But my biggest fear for the book is the one Lemov himself listed in his conclusion - the one I mentioned at the top. And with all the good content in the book, he does himself a disservice by being dogmatic about some points he shouldn't be dogmatic about. For instance, on pages 50 and 51 I agree that we shouldn't spend 5 minutes of class giving students a long-winded explanation of the importance of speaking up. Believe me, I'm re-evaluating my own teaching practices and taking many of the efficiency measures to heart. However, when he says "My colleagues and I concluded that voice is the gold standard when working on audible format." (Pg. 51) I think he has taken it too far. As if a teacher who gives a non-verbal nod and eyebrow raise, or says "volume" or "louder" or "sound" or whatever even a 10 second sentence every once in a while... is somehow inferior to a teacher who uses the term "voice?" That's foolishness. I can't imagine our evaluations coming to that. But administrators (like teachers themselves to their students) will always be able to nail you for something if they want to...
Like the examples of jargon, I could give a lot of examples of dogma. But I want to turn to why I gave the book 3 stars - rather than why I took 2 away.
I liked most everything. Even the passages I complained about had merit. Starting with Technique 1: No Opt Out - where you take away the incentives for students not to answer (if they "don't know" call on somebody else and then come back to them...) to Technique 12: The Hook - a practice I already use, but call bellwork, or bellringer or startup... To Technique 22: Cold Call - calling on students randomly - rather than just the ones with their hands up...
A lot of these techniques - almost all of them - I already use. However, often times Lemov would get me to think about them in a new light - or reflect on the fact that I haven't been using them as effectively as I could be.
Even when I disagreed with him, or he appeared to contradict himself later - I felt like I was getting something out of it. I use Cold Call already, quite frequently. One thing he doesn't do a great job of addressing is that it often turns off the students who are raising their hands. I occasionally get "I've had my hand up, but you never call on me." He says late in the book that you should prep students ahead of time - before reading, for instance - but that goes against what he says in Cold Call... Still, it's getting me to be conscious of even the smallest details of my classroom.
Small things - Technique 2: Right is Right - for instance - I agree with the principle - and the complimentary principles of "Stretch It" and "Format Matters" - but here's another caveat for you: be careful that you're not so focused on the correct format or the exact right answer that you want that you refuse to accept right answers. We don't want to devalue students because we're so focused on a detail we miss the fact that they were correct. (I was in a class one time where the teacher asked a question about a story we had just read. "What was the person doing?" Students answered. One student said that he was "chasing the other person." The teacher just nodded and said... okay, okay. He took a few more answers. When nobody came up with what he wanted he said, "running. The man was running, wasn't he?" He wanted the "right" answer. The answer he already had in his mind, and he missed the point that "chasing" was actually a better one than he had come up with. Lemov talks about preparing, and scripting the lesson on your way to school, anticipating questions, etc... All of that is good. But don't lose sight of the end.
Still, often I find myself (especially in *ahem* challenging classes) accepting answers that aren't quite right as correct. I need to be aware of this.
It made me think about little things, too. I agree with correcting slang and jargon in the classroom. But I think all teachers (especially social studies and language arts teachers) should watch this TED talk.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't include something about his section on reading. One of the points on which we agree most strongly is that we are all reading teachers. We all teach language arts. All of us. K-12. Teachers, non-teachers. All of us. Language arts is communication. When you communicate with someone else, they are taking something from you. This is why I have been pushing to have my social studies classes switch with language arts. It would open up so many possibilities for collaborative work and deeper understanding in both content areas. (Again though, I wouldn't push this on everyone. What works for me might not work for you.)
If you already agree with this though, I might consider reading someone like Gallagher or Boyles rather than Lemov. For someone who is as jargony as he is, he sure comes down hard on others. (Specifically, Boyles.) Lemov is not big on "making connections" - especially text-to-self - and says that, "the connections students are most likely to make ("Hey, this is just like something that happened to my family!") are least rigorous and least useful to engendering long-term reading comprehension." (pg. 304) And then he gave no data to back that up. Is that just him putting a thought out there? Because I'd say that being able to connect with any story - any form of media - is what draws us in. I've found that new readers would rather read books they can connect to, than something that makes no sense to them. And the more they read, the more they'll be able to read - as they'll be able to make more connections.
And I think he confuses "picturing/visualizing" with looking at the pictures on page 305. He gives an example of a teacher saying, "What do you think is about to happen? Look at the picture if you need help!" While this tactic is no doubt employed in younger grade levels, it's not the same thing as picturing/visualizing. So, for him to give this as an example and then attack the other seems an awful lot like a straw-man, but that's just me.
I realized, that I myself went on the attack again. (Sorry, Lemov. And in the portion where I said I was going to tell what I liked.)
Take it like this: when it comes to teacher-y books, often times I'm more critical of the ones I like.
What I need to do is come back and write a synapses of all the techniques I liked - that way I can come back to it and use it as a reminder. Maybe I'll do that. But I guess this short review will have to suffice for now.
April 18, 2010
I recommend this book to all new teachers without exception. Experienced teachers who are having difficulty with classroom management are also encourged to read it. The techniques are explicitly detailed and most are easy to implement the very next day. Basically, the book gives specific techniques designed to create an atmosphere of respect and cooperation. I will definately get a lot of use out of it...the classroom clips are especially helpful.
Things that I especially liked: 1. How to's on how to correct student behavior without emotion. This one was a biggie. My son once had a first grade teacher who screamed at them almost on a daily basis. If you have to yell at 6 year olds to get them to listen to you...you're probably not very effective! 2. Explicit instruction on how to give a commanding (but respectful) presence so that the students naturally want to cooperate. 3. Extrinsic motivation is not present in this book which I absolutely love! Extrinsic motivation does not work for the long haul. This author pulled out the techniques that encourage the students to work through Intrinsic motivation which will stay with them forever. No bribing kids in this book!
Kids in 4-12th grade will absolutely cooperate with these techniques. Kids in k-3rd will with some responsive classroom thrown in for good measure. This is Child psychology, Student motivation, and responsive classroom all rolled into a nice little how-to book.
Teachers who are effectively managing their classroom will probably find a few techniques that they can use but overall, they are probably doing most of these other techniques already.
As for the last section (on Reading Instruction)... I have to respectfully disagree with Mr. Lemov. First of all, he states that: "as Roy Baueister hs demonstrated in his excellent article...there's little to support the idea that enhancing self-esteem is a worthy goal in schools. The best you can say is that it correleates to (rather than causes) achievement. That is, when students achieve, they believe in themselves, not the other way around". (256)
I have alot of experience with children who have poor self-esteem and they do not have the will to achieve because they don't believe in themselves. By giving them small successes and improving their self-esteem, they will be more willing to attempt challenging tasks because they have learned that they ARE capable of success. So, it is a tightrope for teachers of many students...Sure, sucess breeds self-esteem...I completely agree with that. However, if a student faces "failures" for much of his school career at the hands of a less effective teacher...then he needs to improve his self-esteem first before he can then learn the power of his achievements. This goes back to Bandura's theory of self-efficacy. If you've never heard of it, look it up...it is a powerful tool for teachers who have seemingly unmotivated students.
Also, I'm not a big fan of Round Robin reading as Mr. Lemov suggests in the book. You want independent reading with accountability? Check out Donalyn Miller's book "The Book Whisperer". I have to ask Mr. Lemov what the other teachers were doing when he was observing their independent reading time and seeing students not actually reading because there was no accountability. Where they doing their own thing? Reading their own book? Catching up on paperwork? What they should have been doing was quietly conferencing with students. Teachers should be well versed in literature geared towards their students age group. In all genres. So as the students are reading and you are conferencing and discussing the book, you know if the student is or is not actually reading it. THIS is true authentic accountability and reading instruction.
I wonder what book Mr. Lemov would suggest that they read as a round robin exercise.
I also find it wonderful that at his charter schools, they group the kids together homogenously in classes. So each classroom has a homogenous group of students. However, most of Lemov's readers will be public school teachers who have a mixed of learning disabled, gifted, and middle of the road students with a variety of reading abilities. Public school teachers don't have the ability to work with an entire homogenous class. They may be able to cobble together homogenous reading groups but I feel overall, Mr. Lemov's ideas about reading are better served in his own charter schools and the rest of us should take our cue from Donalyn Miller ("The Book Whisperer"), Gail Boushey, and Joan Moser ("The Daily 5").
Just as a Classroom management tool though, this book deserves 5 stars
Things that I especially liked: 1. How to's on how to correct student behavior without emotion. This one was a biggie. My son once had a first grade teacher who screamed at them almost on a daily basis. If you have to yell at 6 year olds to get them to listen to you...you're probably not very effective! 2. Explicit instruction on how to give a commanding (but respectful) presence so that the students naturally want to cooperate. 3. Extrinsic motivation is not present in this book which I absolutely love! Extrinsic motivation does not work for the long haul. This author pulled out the techniques that encourage the students to work through Intrinsic motivation which will stay with them forever. No bribing kids in this book!
Kids in 4-12th grade will absolutely cooperate with these techniques. Kids in k-3rd will with some responsive classroom thrown in for good measure. This is Child psychology, Student motivation, and responsive classroom all rolled into a nice little how-to book.
Teachers who are effectively managing their classroom will probably find a few techniques that they can use but overall, they are probably doing most of these other techniques already.
As for the last section (on Reading Instruction)... I have to respectfully disagree with Mr. Lemov. First of all, he states that: "as Roy Baueister hs demonstrated in his excellent article...there's little to support the idea that enhancing self-esteem is a worthy goal in schools. The best you can say is that it correleates to (rather than causes) achievement. That is, when students achieve, they believe in themselves, not the other way around". (256)
I have alot of experience with children who have poor self-esteem and they do not have the will to achieve because they don't believe in themselves. By giving them small successes and improving their self-esteem, they will be more willing to attempt challenging tasks because they have learned that they ARE capable of success. So, it is a tightrope for teachers of many students...Sure, sucess breeds self-esteem...I completely agree with that. However, if a student faces "failures" for much of his school career at the hands of a less effective teacher...then he needs to improve his self-esteem first before he can then learn the power of his achievements. This goes back to Bandura's theory of self-efficacy. If you've never heard of it, look it up...it is a powerful tool for teachers who have seemingly unmotivated students.
Also, I'm not a big fan of Round Robin reading as Mr. Lemov suggests in the book. You want independent reading with accountability? Check out Donalyn Miller's book "The Book Whisperer". I have to ask Mr. Lemov what the other teachers were doing when he was observing their independent reading time and seeing students not actually reading because there was no accountability. Where they doing their own thing? Reading their own book? Catching up on paperwork? What they should have been doing was quietly conferencing with students. Teachers should be well versed in literature geared towards their students age group. In all genres. So as the students are reading and you are conferencing and discussing the book, you know if the student is or is not actually reading it. THIS is true authentic accountability and reading instruction.
I wonder what book Mr. Lemov would suggest that they read as a round robin exercise.
I also find it wonderful that at his charter schools, they group the kids together homogenously in classes. So each classroom has a homogenous group of students. However, most of Lemov's readers will be public school teachers who have a mixed of learning disabled, gifted, and middle of the road students with a variety of reading abilities. Public school teachers don't have the ability to work with an entire homogenous class. They may be able to cobble together homogenous reading groups but I feel overall, Mr. Lemov's ideas about reading are better served in his own charter schools and the rest of us should take our cue from Donalyn Miller ("The Book Whisperer"), Gail Boushey, and Joan Moser ("The Daily 5").
Just as a Classroom management tool though, this book deserves 5 stars
December 29, 2012
My current professional development training is based entirely on this book. My first year of teaching was a nightmare. When the new administration took over and asked us to attend their training, I learned more about classroom management in those two weeks of in service than I did in both undergrad and graduate college. I'm in my second year now, and these techniques, paired with active practice, have turned me into a more confident and effective teacher. I had people observe who thought I was teaching for years.
The main point about TLAC is that effective champion teachers have a variety of tools at their disposal. These techniques give me confidence in that I know what I can do next if Tool A, or Tool B, or even Tool C doesn't work. This is a big book, and you obviously won't get through it all. It's one of those books you work through. I bought the ebook, which is great because I can just click on the links for the clips and watch right from my Kindle or iPad.
This is definitely one of those books I would recommend to new struggling teachers. Forget Harry Wong. If you're struggling with behavior, if you're in an inner city school, or if you're just running out of options because of a stressful teaching environment... this is the book you need.
The main point about TLAC is that effective champion teachers have a variety of tools at their disposal. These techniques give me confidence in that I know what I can do next if Tool A, or Tool B, or even Tool C doesn't work. This is a big book, and you obviously won't get through it all. It's one of those books you work through. I bought the ebook, which is great because I can just click on the links for the clips and watch right from my Kindle or iPad.
This is definitely one of those books I would recommend to new struggling teachers. Forget Harry Wong. If you're struggling with behavior, if you're in an inner city school, or if you're just running out of options because of a stressful teaching environment... this is the book you need.
June 24, 2020
If I could give this book negative stars, I would. Throw this book into the recycling bin if you've made the mistake of purchasing it and pick up a copy of Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed instead. As a teacher of four years, let me say that this is *not* how you manage a classroom if your goal is something other than reproducing whiteness and treating students like robots.
August 4, 2010
This is an excellent book for anyone who cares about "urban education" and its attendant issues. This books aims at teaching teachers how to develop a classroom culture in which city kids, ( a population left in the ash-heap of national education), can finally make significant progress.
The book is broken up into 49 techniques chunked into several groupings, like High Academic Expectations, Lesson Structure, Classroom Culture, etc. About half the techniques have corallary video clips shown on the included DVD.
The strength of this book is that it understands the psychology of student behavior and academic motivation. It understands the way poor communication between teacher and student is often the cause of disruptive behavior. Lemov says teachers absolutely must distinguish between incompetence and defiance on the part of the student. Furthermore, they should NEVER punish incompetence nor should they EVER let defiance go unchecked. Often the way teachers divine the difference between the two is through crystal clear instructions. The excellent technique called "What to Do" (#37) illustrates this.
Not suprising, Doug Lemov was a mediocre teacher for years before learning through observation how to become a great teacher. Just one example of that old adage that C students make the best teacher. Only though breaking down what the masters seemed to do intuitively could he finally understand the recipe of great teaching.
As I enter my tenth year, I plan to use this book extensively. Especially the stuff on management and engagment and classroom culture. Interestingly enough, my program this year will offer me an interesting perspective on the craft of teaching. I will be working with two classes of eleventh grade: the highest skilled (AP) and the least skilled (Regents Prep). So divergent are these that it raises the question of whether any common technique can duly serve both populations. We'll find out.
The book is broken up into 49 techniques chunked into several groupings, like High Academic Expectations, Lesson Structure, Classroom Culture, etc. About half the techniques have corallary video clips shown on the included DVD.
The strength of this book is that it understands the psychology of student behavior and academic motivation. It understands the way poor communication between teacher and student is often the cause of disruptive behavior. Lemov says teachers absolutely must distinguish between incompetence and defiance on the part of the student. Furthermore, they should NEVER punish incompetence nor should they EVER let defiance go unchecked. Often the way teachers divine the difference between the two is through crystal clear instructions. The excellent technique called "What to Do" (#37) illustrates this.
Not suprising, Doug Lemov was a mediocre teacher for years before learning through observation how to become a great teacher. Just one example of that old adage that C students make the best teacher. Only though breaking down what the masters seemed to do intuitively could he finally understand the recipe of great teaching.
As I enter my tenth year, I plan to use this book extensively. Especially the stuff on management and engagment and classroom culture. Interestingly enough, my program this year will offer me an interesting perspective on the craft of teaching. I will be working with two classes of eleventh grade: the highest skilled (AP) and the least skilled (Regents Prep). So divergent are these that it raises the question of whether any common technique can duly serve both populations. We'll find out.
February 6, 2011
This is a pretty good book, over all, for nitty-gritty, try-it-this-way teaching techniques. Whether you're already using them or not, the [mostly] lucid prose and examples provide food for thought for teachers who are seeking to improve their practice. There are several techniques I either want to try out for myself or work to improve on based on what I read.
That said, the book loses points for two reasons: 1) There are many parts of it that sound like ad copy for various charter schools. And charter school teachers are the only ones offered as examples of "champion" teachers. This is understandable given the author's background but irksome nonetheless. 2) If you are publishing a book about how to be the best, most rigorous teacher you can be, you should lobby your publisher to invest in the best, most rigorous copyeditor he can find. The textual errors run the gamut from minor typos to major meaning-changing omissions or accidental repetitions of text. There were places where I had to reread three and four times to figure out what the hell the sentence was supposed to say. Not cool.
That said, the book loses points for two reasons: 1) There are many parts of it that sound like ad copy for various charter schools. And charter school teachers are the only ones offered as examples of "champion" teachers. This is understandable given the author's background but irksome nonetheless. 2) If you are publishing a book about how to be the best, most rigorous teacher you can be, you should lobby your publisher to invest in the best, most rigorous copyeditor he can find. The textual errors run the gamut from minor typos to major meaning-changing omissions or accidental repetitions of text. There were places where I had to reread three and four times to figure out what the hell the sentence was supposed to say. Not cool.
December 30, 2019
Read the book and you'll get some fun tips. Read a little closer and watch the videos and you'll see it's all about controlling kids in high poverty areas, not teaching them.
June 26, 2014
This was a strongly recommended read from my administration. I read it somewhat begrudgingly but have to admit that many of the 49 techniques could be very useful. Particularly for new teachers, this book has some good, solid recommendations for how to increase student engagement. Until he gets to the section about reading. The last few chapters felt tacked on and beyond his realm of expertise. The more he discussed his strategies for teaching reading the more he seemed like someone obsessed with classroom control and less like someone interested in engaging students' minds and imaginations. Everyone reads the same book at the same pace. Ugh! That is the death knell of the love of literature. Yes, a short story, poetry, sections of a textbook, maybe an introduction to a novel can be read like that. Maybe before discussing a section in detail you can do a whole-class read-aloud with key passages re-read for emphasis. But don't make a whole class of students march lock-step through your selected class novel. Choice, self-pacing, and personal reflection lead to a love of reading. Not this approach.
He also put an odd emphasis on critiquing Nancy Boyles's reading strategies. This seemed like an oddly pointed diatribe in a book of useful strategies. And, of course, his bias toward charter schools is highly problematic. Surely he is aware that such a sample ignores the majority of schools that have a very different classroom structure. It worries me that public school administrators recommend a book that clearly does not speak to their situation.
He also put an odd emphasis on critiquing Nancy Boyles's reading strategies. This seemed like an oddly pointed diatribe in a book of useful strategies. And, of course, his bias toward charter schools is highly problematic. Surely he is aware that such a sample ignores the majority of schools that have a very different classroom structure. It worries me that public school administrators recommend a book that clearly does not speak to their situation.
March 1, 2019
I can understand both camps in the reviews for this book. Firstly, I agree wholeheartedly with those who say they wish the book existed when they began their career. The steps (although I felt them to be out of order), have a real-world basis and outstanding for anyone at the outset of their teaching life - even for those of us who train other teachers.
I can also understand the 'teach your grandmother to suck eggs' comments. Many of these steps/techniques/strategies have been around for a long time (whatever you call them or categorize them as being).
I'll use some of the references and examples and it's also nice to know that many things I've adopted and adapted over the years are now recognised and widely used.
I can also understand the 'teach your grandmother to suck eggs' comments. Many of these steps/techniques/strategies have been around for a long time (whatever you call them or categorize them as being).
I'll use some of the references and examples and it's also nice to know that many things I've adopted and adapted over the years are now recognised and widely used.
January 19, 2012
Some useful stuff for a college teacher.
I'm not the target audience (I teach art at a community college), but I found some useful stuff in the first 40% of the book. (I obviously read the kindle edition.)
This is aimed at k12 teachers (mostly upper elementary). It is basically a series of tips/techniques for teachers based on studying the techniques and practices of really successful teachers (at his schools). There is also some interesting talk about why technique is important as a supplement to a teachers philosophy--he's giving little tricks, not teaching you how to deliver material or plan your curriculum.
If you've been teaching for a while, he will probably also describe some thing you already do and talk a bit about why they are useful.
If you don't teach in upper elementary, I wouldn't bother with the last half of the book, but, like I said ,I found some of stuff useful.
I've implemented the "Do now" assignments that he recommends for passing periods between classes. I 've started putting something on the board before class starts to both encourage students to be there on time/early and to give those students who are their some practice/review.
I also made a point of rearranging desks for class discussion/lecture--something I've overlooked in the past. I share classrooms and often just use them as they are when I arrive. The book encouraged me to take the extra time to adjust desks.
This won't change your teaching overall, but it might help you polish and improve your technique.
if you teach a different level, you might just need to make some minor adjustments to make these work for your situation.
I'm not the target audience (I teach art at a community college), but I found some useful stuff in the first 40% of the book. (I obviously read the kindle edition.)
This is aimed at k12 teachers (mostly upper elementary). It is basically a series of tips/techniques for teachers based on studying the techniques and practices of really successful teachers (at his schools). There is also some interesting talk about why technique is important as a supplement to a teachers philosophy--he's giving little tricks, not teaching you how to deliver material or plan your curriculum.
If you've been teaching for a while, he will probably also describe some thing you already do and talk a bit about why they are useful.
If you don't teach in upper elementary, I wouldn't bother with the last half of the book, but, like I said ,I found some of stuff useful.
I've implemented the "Do now" assignments that he recommends for passing periods between classes. I 've started putting something on the board before class starts to both encourage students to be there on time/early and to give those students who are their some practice/review.
I also made a point of rearranging desks for class discussion/lecture--something I've overlooked in the past. I share classrooms and often just use them as they are when I arrive. The book encouraged me to take the extra time to adjust desks.
This won't change your teaching overall, but it might help you polish and improve your technique.
if you teach a different level, you might just need to make some minor adjustments to make these work for your situation.
November 2, 2020
I started this book enthusiastically, looking for some awesome life-changing teaching advice, but I quickly realized what kind of message the author will be passing on to his readers. The introduction was so insufferable I just had to put it down.
This part is what ended it for me (the author is describing the "champion teachers" he personally knows):
"[Julie Jackson] spent countless hours prepping, rehearsing possible dialogue, and writing individual notes to every student, and she elicits the same kind of dedication from her staff. Modeling dedications comes naturally to Jackson. She leaves her own two children at 5:25 am to ride the bus with her students and is not home until 8 pm. After spending time with her family, she often flips open her laptop and e-mails until late into the evening."
Can we PLEASE stop with the narrative of ever-suffering, self-sacrificing, not-having-a-life teacher as the only type of teacher who can be successful? I don't have children but I'm pretty sure that people who do would not be ecstatic about spending 1 hour a day with them, dedicating the rest of their time writing individual notes to students and e-mailing late in the evening.
America is already going insane having no work-life balance, why are we perpetuating the same sick example even further?
This part is what ended it for me (the author is describing the "champion teachers" he personally knows):
"[Julie Jackson] spent countless hours prepping, rehearsing possible dialogue, and writing individual notes to every student, and she elicits the same kind of dedication from her staff. Modeling dedications comes naturally to Jackson. She leaves her own two children at 5:25 am to ride the bus with her students and is not home until 8 pm. After spending time with her family, she often flips open her laptop and e-mails until late into the evening."
Can we PLEASE stop with the narrative of ever-suffering, self-sacrificing, not-having-a-life teacher as the only type of teacher who can be successful? I don't have children but I'm pretty sure that people who do would not be ecstatic about spending 1 hour a day with them, dedicating the rest of their time writing individual notes to students and e-mailing late in the evening.
America is already going insane having no work-life balance, why are we perpetuating the same sick example even further?
October 31, 2011
No book about teaching is going to be perfect for everything, since no part of teaching is ever the same for everyone. That being said, I thought there were a lot of useful and thought-provoking points to be had here. Sure, Lemov writes mostly about charter schools and charter school teachers, and sure, some of the techniques sound a little fascist, but that doesn't mean that they're not worth reading and thinking about, even if only to decide that they don't ultimately work for your environment.
Another plus: since teaching is such an insular profession--you know, you do your thing in your classroom but don't necessarily see how other teachers do things in any others--any book that gives me a window into other classes is fascinating to me. Even if they're not necessarily classes that sound like the classes I've had.
This book kind of made me wish I were teaching right now, so I could play with some of the stuff he mentions. I'd totally recommend it for anyone interested in pedagogy.
Another plus: since teaching is such an insular profession--you know, you do your thing in your classroom but don't necessarily see how other teachers do things in any others--any book that gives me a window into other classes is fascinating to me. Even if they're not necessarily classes that sound like the classes I've had.
This book kind of made me wish I were teaching right now, so I could play with some of the stuff he mentions. I'd totally recommend it for anyone interested in pedagogy.
October 13, 2014
I really loved this book and actually began using some of the teaching practices long before I knew the history of Uncommon Schools. Life would, of course, bring me down the road where I had the opportunity to interview and explore the school and was also provided a job offer for working at these schools. Unfortunately, after viewing their rigorous, military based school day where kids weren't even allowed to talk to each other during ANY part of the day and needed to follow strips of tape down the hallway to walk in straight lines with their arms GLUED to their sides like a stiff board and teachers had to use strange teaching practices and weren't allowed to develop their own lessons or strategies - I quickly decided I needed to decline the position since I could not shape my teaching practices to how they wanted to teach students. Although I don't agree with how they run their schools, a lot of their techniques written in this book are very helpful and would work well in a public school setting.
June 7, 2016
There are a few really good teaching techniques in this book. Unfortunately, they are clouded by the book's focus on younger kids--elementary and middle schoolers, to be precise. I felt that many of the techniques would not be welcome in a high school environment, and certainly not in the school where I'm student teaching. Paul Tough described one of the techniques, SLANT, best in a 2006 New York Times article; he basically said that students making use of SLANT seem to be like robots. The video clips that accompany this book clearly justify this observation.
I also felt that the examples were overly simplistic. Some techniques would work really well with kids learning grammar or math, but wouldn't translate well at all to literature. That said, I'm glad I am being exposed to so many charter-school-friendly pedagogical methods, even if all they make me do is feel glad that I won't be looking to work in one.
I also felt that the examples were overly simplistic. Some techniques would work really well with kids learning grammar or math, but wouldn't translate well at all to literature. That said, I'm glad I am being exposed to so many charter-school-friendly pedagogical methods, even if all they make me do is feel glad that I won't be looking to work in one.
September 11, 2011
I was very excited by this book, because so few books on teaching have actual specific techniques that can be used across content areas and for a variety of grades. The techniques described in the book seem very do-able, useful, and effective.
There are, of course, some caveats. The champion teachers he's followed are all at urban charter schools. The parents of charter school students have bought in; they want their children to be in a learning environment. Trust me, that's a lot different from the households of some of my former students.
Some have argued that the techniques are quite robotic and rely heavily on rote. I think those techniques are useful in some situations. Teaching isn't formulaic, and the talented teacher uses a variety of techniques at different times. Some will emphasize rote learning (times tables, for example), and some will allow for more creativity. These techniques are a useful addition to the talented teacher's toolbox.
There are, of course, some caveats. The champion teachers he's followed are all at urban charter schools. The parents of charter school students have bought in; they want their children to be in a learning environment. Trust me, that's a lot different from the households of some of my former students.
Some have argued that the techniques are quite robotic and rely heavily on rote. I think those techniques are useful in some situations. Teaching isn't formulaic, and the talented teacher uses a variety of techniques at different times. Some will emphasize rote learning (times tables, for example), and some will allow for more creativity. These techniques are a useful addition to the talented teacher's toolbox.
July 5, 2014
It's easy to write this book as an inner-city only book or a sign of the charter school movement in America ("listen, recent college grad! All you have to do is read this book and you too will be a master teacher until you decide to leave the profession, let another recent college grad take your place, and become complicit in the de-professionalization of teachers!") but I'd rather focus on this book's content rather than the politics of how it's used.
As for content.... it's a really, really, good book! Lots of no-nonsense tricks, tons of real-life examples. Some of these things I already do, some of these things I definitely could do better, some of these tips are easy and some take years to master. Regardless of difficulty, knowing them, codifying them, discussing them, is a good thing.
My only real issue is that these lessons don't all translate to running a workshop model classroom. We worskhop teachers need our own version of Doug Lemov!
As for content.... it's a really, really, good book! Lots of no-nonsense tricks, tons of real-life examples. Some of these things I already do, some of these things I definitely could do better, some of these tips are easy and some take years to master. Regardless of difficulty, knowing them, codifying them, discussing them, is a good thing.
My only real issue is that these lessons don't all translate to running a workshop model classroom. We worskhop teachers need our own version of Doug Lemov!
July 11, 2024
I read this book bc I had an observation on one of the featured techniques this week (silent solo). The silent solo exercise was a helpful procedure, but not really in a surprising way—writing about your thoughts before answering a question is helpful.
An issue I have with this book is how it features “low income” “urban” communities in conversations about expected behavior and learning norms.
It also soooo emphasizes making kids 100 percent compliant and focuses sooo much on “paying attention” in a way that I think is bad and also ineffective? I prefer a bit more whimsy in my rigor thank u.
update 6 months later after talking with teacher and administrator friends—- another huge strike against this book is that it’s not evidence based!!
An issue I have with this book is how it features “low income” “urban” communities in conversations about expected behavior and learning norms.
It also soooo emphasizes making kids 100 percent compliant and focuses sooo much on “paying attention” in a way that I think is bad and also ineffective? I prefer a bit more whimsy in my rigor thank u.
update 6 months later after talking with teacher and administrator friends—- another huge strike against this book is that it’s not evidence based!!
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April 15, 2025Asked a friend of mine for a book recommendation to help with teaching high schoolers, since he is a tremendous teacher whom I respect. He recommended this book, with the caveat that I ought not to take most of it too seriously (as some of it might be actively harmful). However, he told me to key in on these few sections specifically: No Opt Out, Circulate, Cold Call, Entry Routine, Tight Transitions, 100 Percent, What to Do, Threshold, Positive Framing, Emotional Constancy, and Normalize Error.
January 8, 2022
This is the worst book I've read this year, possibly ever... Apparently it has been written for idiots who should have never become teachers.
It gives such obvious advice - let me paraphrase its content using a different example: "In order to get a teaspoon from the drawer you must first open the drawer - we call this phase 'opening the drawer'. Let me show you a video clip of someone opening the drawer..."
Facepalm all the way...
It gives such obvious advice - let me paraphrase its content using a different example: "In order to get a teaspoon from the drawer you must first open the drawer - we call this phase 'opening the drawer'. Let me show you a video clip of someone opening the drawer..."
Facepalm all the way...
June 12, 2020
Doug's compliance and military type of approach didn't sit well with me. It was tough to get through to usable strategies as the author crafted a positive tone about charter schools throughout the book. It also reinforced stereotypes of young black students and teachers playing savior. Rarely were any strategies associated with caring for kids and building relationships. I wouldn't recommend this to any of my edu colleagues.
May 4, 2023
This books makes me think of joyless classrooms, but gets credit for having some great tips that I would like to implement. Maybe a good read for someone new to the classroom that really struggles with management, but also kind of reads like VCR instructions...cherry pick the good stuff, use what works for you. 3.5 stars.
July 11, 2013
This book has some good ideas, but overall I couldn't stand the way it was written (like the demanding nature it was written and reads). While I was reading it I felt like he was almost insulting everything I was doing wrong. I just did not like this book.
August 15, 2023
Well that was a long book. I feel torn about it because in a way it is a very useful book and it made me actively change the way I prepare my lessons, but on the other hand it was too long and messy with an author that I felt tended to overexplain everything. I would say it is a book I wish I had before my first year of teaching.
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