Teach Like A Champion -- Book Review

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The book club at school this past month read, Teach like a Champion by Doug Lemov.  Our principal selected the book for us and my son said it was because he (the principal) did not want us to teach like a bunch of losers.  Thanks Mike for the vote of confidence.

Teach like a Champion is a wonderful book with great techniques to engage students in discussions.  The book is focused on setting the children on the right path to college. 

Many of the techniques are not new techniques, however it is nice to refresh your thinking once in a while.  After teaching for a million years you tend to do the same thing over and over.  The book is a gentle reminder that they’re other techniques to use to engage the students and get them excited about learning.

Here are a couple of techniques I want to make sure I incorporate in my teaching right away:

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.  (Yes!  How many times do you hear---Oh!  I forgot!)

2.   The Hook-a short introduction that captures what is interesting or engaging about the material

3.   Name the Steps—teach the process slowly so the children understand what to do next

4.   Exit Ticket—a single question or problem to solve at the end of class.  I have seen teachers create something on Pinterest for this:

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5.   Cold Call—call on students regardless of whether they have raised their hands

Other Good Points from the Book:

“Students who know more words learn more words.”

Teach lots of vocabulary!

“Read aloud to your student regularly.” 

 It will teach more vocabulary and expressive language.

In my opinion, I think all teachers should read this book.  It is very valuable to refresh your teaching style or if you are just beginning, this is perfect to get you started.