Honorable Mention: No Opt Out, Right is Right, 100 Percent

     Teach Like a Champion

To recapitulate, the top five Teach Like a Champion Techniques including in this blog have been:

• Technique #30: Tight Transitions
• Technique #24 and #22: Pepper and Cold Call
• Technique #27: Vegas
• Technique #25: Wait Time
• Technique #5: Without Apology

     I hope that reading my blog has peaked your interest in reading Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov.  It is well written, and easy to follow with techniques listed by goals varying from setting behavioral and academic standards, to establishing classroom culture.  The 2010 print version of the book comes with a DVD, so that you may see these techniques in action, before implementing them yourself. 

     With 49 techniques in this book, there are a lot of suggestions on how you can improve your craft.  Below are three honorable mentions of techniques not including in this blog, but ones I have seen implemented quite successfully in my K-5 school: 

(All descriptions are in Lemov’s own words)

• Technique #1: No Opt Out- A sequence that begins with a student unable to answer a question should end with the student answering that question as often as possible. (p. 28)
• Technique #2: Right is Right- Set and defend a high standard of correctness in your classroom. (p.35)
• Technique # 36: 100 Percent- There’s one acceptable percentage of students following a direction: 100 percent.  Less, and your authority is subject to interpretation, situation, and motivation. (p.68)

Technique #5: Without Apology

Teachers should not apologize for granting students knowledge, yet many times we apologize for teaching content we think students will find boring.  Students might groan and we play into it saying “I know, but it is something you have to learn.”  We should never make excuses, or impose our own lack of interest on students, which is why champion teachers educate without apology.  The premise of Technique #5 Without Apology (pp.51-55) is that teachers should not acknowledge a concept may be dull, but simply teaching it as if it is the most exciting thing in the world.  This also relates to not saying to the students something such as, “You’re going to be tested on it, so you have to learn it.” Lemov says, “Our job is to find ways to make what we teach engaging and never assume that students can’t appreciate what’s not instantly familiar to them or what does not egregiously pander to them” (p.52). You can admit to students that material will be difficult, and it may take them time to understand it, so long as you follow it up with a positive message such as, “I know you can do this,” or “We will get through this together if we put our minds to it.”

Technique # 5: Without Apology in Action

Prior to reading Teach Like a Champion, I was guilty of apologizing to my students for math lessons, which established the basic skills they needed, rather than a fun skill building game.  Through research on this technique I found ways to avoid this and adapt the dialogue to fit my kindergarteners.  I tell my students at the beginning of a lesson, “We are going to learn something today that you will use the whole rest of your lives!  It will also help you play a fun game I have for us tomorrow. You wouldn’t try playing a game without learning the rules first right?”  I end my lessons with,  “It’s ok if you didn’t understand everything today.  We are going to keep working on it, and before you know it, you’ll be an expert.”   When I receive a groan from the class, I tell them, “Even though you might not think you will like this, we will work together to make it fun while we learn.”  I might also say, “Just think about how much smarter you will be after you learn this!”

Technique #25: Wait Time

     In an effort to maintain a lively pace, teachers sometimes do not allow for an appropriate length of wait time.  On average, teachers wait about two seconds before they either call on a student, or answer the question themselves.  Technique #25 entitled Wait Time (pp.134-136) helps champion teachers overcome their fear of long wait times, and observe how the extra time allows students to think deeper about a question, giving a more-well rounded answer.  Doug Lemov wrote that extending wait time by five seconds allows for students to increase the length and validity of their answers, as well as increases the number of students who volunteer.  Students think at different processing speeds, so waiting the additional time allows them to process the question and formulate an answer supported by evidence.  Five seconds can seem like an eternity while you are waiting for your students to formulate their answer, so what should you do?  Lemov suggests using Narrated Wait Time, where you inform the students why you are waiting and what you are expected them to do.  Giving prompts allows students to productively find an answer to the question, rather than just stare at you with a look of fear hoping you will not Cold Call them.  Some suggestions for Narrated Wait Time include: (as found on pp.135-136)

• “I’m waiting for more hands.”
• “I’d like to see fifteen hands before we hear an answer.”
• “I’ll start taking answers in ten seconds.”
• “I’m seeing people thinking deeply and jotting down thoughts.  I’ll give everyone a few more seconds to do that.”
• “I’m looking for someone who’s pointing to the place in the passage where you can find the answer.”

Technique #25: Wait Time in Action

     Taking Lemov’s advice into consideration, I now wait for at least ten to twelve hands to be in the air, before I call on someone, which equates to about eight to ten seconds of wait time.  If after the ten seconds I still only have five hands in the air, I announce to the students that I am waiting for more hands in the air before I will call on someone, and will direct them towards how they can solve the problem.  I might point to an anchor chart, or reread a portion of a mentor text that I want them to focus on.  I blend Lemov’s Wait Time techniques with the Whole Brain Teaching technique “Blow it in your Hand”.  I ask the students a question and rather than blurt it out or raise their hand, they put their hand to their mouth and blow air into it.  When I see every student with their hand by their mouth I tell them to “release” and they shout out their answer.  This is most often used in Morning Meeting after counting the days in school.  I blend this technique with Pepper, and call on three students, generally those who responded slightly after the group, to repeat the answer in order to ensure they were not just calling out a random number to allude to participation. 

Technique # 27: Vegas

          Intrinsic motivation is an ongoing struggle for many students, which in turn means teachers have to work harder to foster the want to learn.  Doug Lemov has one way to do this by adding a little pizazz to review.  Technique # 27 of Teach Like a Champion entitled Vegas (pp. 141-143) adds excitement to definitions and review through rhythm and song, so students look forward to mini-lessons as well as concept review, and are eager to participate.   Lemov is quick to point out, “Vegas isn’t sparkle for sparkles sake…it’s upbeat but often short and sweet, on-point, and when it’s done it’s done.” That means that a Vegas style review should only up to a minute, be orchestrated, and have a signal for when the activity stops and the students regain quiet focus on the teacher. If it is a song with moves, then the entire class is performing it in unison, which stops with a hand signal or auditory clue.  100 percent of class participation must be given, or the activity stops.  If students are singing off key or using the moment to fool around, it is important for the teacher to regain control of the class before the class turns their attention to their peer misbehaving.  The teacher should stop the students, instruct them again about what they should be doing, and then try the activity again. 

Technique #27: Vegas in Action 

Wanting my Kindergarteners to build intrinsic motivation toward learning, I chose to utilize the Vegas technique. Each key concept in math, writing, and reading has been given a rhyme and a movement.  Students are taught the motions and words for the sequence whole group, then turn to a partner and mirror the sequence with them.  For example, in reading students practice the retelling framework of characters, setting, first, next, then, and last using the motions of pointing to themselves, paralleling their hands with the floor, then miming a ladder for each transition word, making their voice louder with each rung.  A key part to Vegas’ success is students following a cue to stop the sequence, otherwise this engagement technique undermines classroom management.  For my class, I chose to ring a bell to signify that they must stop, turn back towards me, and wait quietly.  It took a few practice tries over the span of two days, but eventually they got the hang of stopping on cue.  The bell was already a management technique in place during turn and talks, so it was a matter of carrying over the behavior to anytime they were turned away from me sharing with a partner.

Technique #24: Pepper (a variation on Technique # 22 Cold Call)

     The majority of my implemented engagement techniques come from Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov. Technique #22 Cold Call (pp.111-123) is a great way to keep students on their toes and paying attention because they never know who might get called on. However, with Cold Call you're only getting feedback from one student.  Instead of just using Cold Call, I blend it with Technique #24 Pepper (pp. 131-134).  Pepper derives its name from the warm-up practice used in baseball where the ball is thrown and hit randomly at a fast pace.  For the little sluggers in the classroom, Pepper is when a teacher calls on several students at random, one after the other.  This allows for students who may have been Cold Called and answered incorrectly to get a chance at redemption by listening to a peer answer correctly and then answer correctly themselves.   

Technique #22: Pepper in Action:  

     When using Pepper in my classroom, five students answer the same question in fast succession.  First, I call on a student who raised their hand, then call on a student who did not raise their hand to check to see if they were also able to answer the question.  If that student is unable to answer, I call on a different person who had their hand raised, have them answer, then return to the second student to have them answer again.  Each time I ask a question, I call on at least five different students to give the answer, before the whole class answers the question chorally.  By doing this, I ensure that each student is called on at least once during the 30 minute math lesson.  Because students never know when I am going to call on them, they pay closer attention to the lesson.  By maintaining a lively pace, students have less of an opportunity to lose focus.  For example, if my low achieving students are still writing an equation and the rest of the class is finished, rather than have them sit and wait, I begin a Pepper sequence.  Hearing the number sentence repeated helps the lower students write the sentence by connecting auditory processing to visual, and those students who are finished remain engaged.