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)