Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College 1st Edition

I first learned about Lemov's book after reading a NY Times article about the author, bought the book when it first came out last spring, and have spent the last few months implementing the ideas. I am excited about the changes these techniques brought to my classroom! If you are a teacher, finish reading my review, then click that add to cart button. This is the resource you have been looking for if you want practical and SPECIFIC things to actually do in your class. If your college ed classes were like mine, they were all about theory and never showed you things that you should DO. This book helps solve that.Unlike most technique books, Teach Like a Champion (yes, yes, terrible title) is not some regimented "system" that expects you to take it whole or not at all. Rather, it is essentially a list of techniques that highly successful teachers often use. The tools come from KIPP and other charter schools that take the "no-nonsense" approach. I thought I wasn't that type of teacher. I thought I was about encouraging self-learning and academic exploration. But after seeing the academic success of his ideas, and seeing how they RESULT in the type of student I had hoped mine were (but weren't yet), I'm pragmatic enough to change course.Lemov breaks the techniques down into basic categories like lesson planning, behavior management, etc. Each technique is given a pithy name, which I found to be surprisingly useful. By naming the techniques the way he did, he makes them more easily implemented. In the heat of the moment, when I only have half a second to think, the names allow me to intentionally use them. It's a lot easier to say to yourself "okay, I'm going to positive frame" than it is to think "okay, I'm going to describe what it is that I want to see, instead of describing what I currently am seeing." They're mnumonics.After naming each technique, Lemov explains his theory behind it and provides examples, scripts, etc. Some of the ideas are complex. It is impossible to actually absorb the book all at once, especially since so many of the techniques take practice to do well. But you can reflect on the things you most want to try and there is enough information to get you started. I began with Cold-Calling (calling on students that I want to hear from, not by who raised their hand). After I was practiced enough, I could tack on another tool. And after that another. And so on.Nobody uses all of the techniques. Maybe the idea won't fit the student's age group, or the teacher's personality, or the school's culture. Lemov encourages flexibility instead. And I like his pragmatism; if it works great! If not, try something else. I teach high school, so some ideas (like an entry song) won't fly. But others will. I thought enforcing SLANT (sit-up, listen, ask questions, nod, track speaker) wouldn't work, but my students had strong buy-in and in-class discussions noticeably improved. Most importantly, every week I can tell my craft is improving.

Teach Like A Champion is hands down the best book that I have read (to date) that aims to improve one's teaching skills. What is especially nice about it is Lemov's tone. As you reading his book, he is very humble about his suggestions and reassures you that all of the techniques he mentions are not some new fancy development that he's invented but rather simple observations he's noted various successful teachers enacting. Another helpful aspect of this book is the way the techniques are broken down. Most of his techniques are discussed in less than one-two pages. He is very concise and deliberate about his wording so that you are sure to understand and remember the content of his suggested techniques without having to re-read the passage again and again. Yet another beneficial feature of Lemov's book is the numerous examples he provides for his readers. He makes sure to use examples from a wide range of topics and not just one content area or grade level and they are all easy to visualize for teachers with any sort of experience. All of the techniques he mentions are also age and subject indiscriminate so an educator of any class would benefit from reading the entire book cover to cover. The techniques are also able to work with any demographic of students whether they are privileged or underprivileged, urban, rural or suburban, with or without disabilities.Although you might not agree with all of the techniques or his reasoning for including them, you will undoubtedly walk away from reading the book with a clearer understanding of how to implement good teaching. His techniques help you build a classroom culture revolving around discipline (how to do the right thing), management ("reinforcing behavior by consequences and rewards"), control, influence, and engagement. Again, what he has outlined is not magic but with a conscious effort and practice anyone using even just a combination of some of Lemov's techniques is bound to see an improvement in classroom participation, student confidence, student behavior/misbehavior, and overall classroom efficiency. Lemov's book functions on the assumption that the students entering your classroom do not behave the way they should because they do not know any better, therefore, once you explicitly teach them what you expect of them, with enough practice most, if not all students, will fall into line. When done properly your students will certainly be college and career ready!