Teach Like a Champion 2.0: 62 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College by Doug Lemov Norman Atkins 2 edition

by Doug Lemov

Teach Like a Champion 2.0 compiles the feedback gathered from real teachers in real classrooms around the world. This book describes hoe to adjust classic teaching techniques to be even more effective, implement entirely new techniques that keep students on track, and translate theory into action with video demonstrations.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Professional Development, School, Leadership, Reference

Paperback

Published January 1, 1940

About the author

Doug Lemov is an American educator and author. He is currently Managing Director of Uncommon Schools, a non-profit charter management organisation that manages 42 charter schools across New York, New Jersey and Boston.

Reviews

[Riegs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Doug Lemov shills ed reform garbage that teaches children "learned helplessness," over-reliance on the adult, and a lack of self-advocacy or creativity. As an experienced public AND charter school teacher who's been trained in 1.0 a zillion times and seen the results, I have nothing to say but to toss this in the trash.

**Update: JK. Turns out, I have a lot to say.**
What is your teaching experience, and what do you want to gain from this book? I think the strategies are good for a beginner, but my experience over time demonstrated the flaws in Lemov's overall philosophy. In long-term practice, the strategies are overly authoritarian and reduce student self-advocacy. This book has gained traction amongst ed reformers who aim to "turn around" low performing schools. Lemov's philosophy aims to put blame on teachers, implying poor classroom management is why students don't perform. If you teach, you know that "low performance" is 1) problematic at best as a phrase, and 2) has a zillion other factors besides the teacher.

To me, this book preaches compliance. Compliance is not learning, it's obedience. I worked in 3 different low-income urban schools where administrators demanded teachers follow these strategies to the letter. I know my personal experience influences this review, but authoritarian strategies executed on low-income children or children of color leave a bad taste in my mouth. I saw educators harm children by demanding their "100%" compliance (Strategy #36!) in an institution they already view as unfeeling and uncaring towards their needs. At its worst, Teach Like a Champion can feel like executing the Phillip Zimbardo Prison Experiment in a classroom: total compliance.

An authoritarian classroom is one where students avoid critical thinking or creativity, because they're waiting for permission to act. (Hence the learned helplessness.) Certain strategies force the adult to do more work than the student when applied in practice. For example, #1 -"No opt out" and #22 - "cold-call" implies that even if a student came to class without having read the materials, or without a pencil, you should force them to participate anyway by giving it to them. In the materials case, the student then observes that you'll simply provide them whatever they don't bring - and thus becomes empowered to act more helplessly, and be less responsible with executive functioning. Cold-calling is also a cruel way of putting kids on the spot, honestly. When we were in school, we all hated those teachers! Why continue to make school a humiliating experience? These are classic participation dilemmas with no easy answers, but humiliating students or filling in the deficits for them (instead of having them feel the weight of an appropriate consequence) aren't empowering strategies.

The "Setting High Behavioral Expectations" strategies are especially authoritarian in practice. They demand exacting behaviors from students who likely cannot follow them to the letter. Strategy #36 "100 percent" is reductive - there may be good reasons why certain students aren't following a direction. Or, they may be following it, but the adult misperceives their behavior. For example: students may be doodling at their desks, but also listening. It may not be "tracking the speaker," but it's still listening. Some kids can't follow all directions to the letter due to personal challenges. As a consequence, I've also seen teachers force those kids to do things over and over until every gets 100% (#39 - "Do it again"), which only aggravates them and reduces the importance of the task.

Again, a decent book for beginners learning classroom management strategies, but definitely not one to take to heart. Lemov is also accountable for his role in selling the philosophy to charter schools/the ed reform movement, and causing harm to children. If you believe children should learn compliance over self-advocacy or critical thinking, you should rethink your life as an educator. After several years of Doug Lemov, I certainly had to.

[Carolynn Jimenez · Rating 1 out of 5]

End carceral pedagogy. This book promotes ideas that deprofessionalize teaching. It is more important to develop an ideology (like in the works of Freire, hooks, or Emdin) or to situate learning in evidence-based practices (like in John Hattie’s works) than to learn discrete skills and police students’ language and behavior. The references section for this is paltry—less than a page. We need a liberatory pedagogy for Black and Latinx students.

[Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sheer number of concrete, easy-to-employ strategies in TLAC makes it worth a read. Most of Lemov's strategies are common sense, but not always something you think about when you're actually teaching, so it helps to have them explained in detail here.

This book doesn't, however, work in every classroom. I tried applying multiple strategies at once and they wound up backfiring on me--but I teach gifted high schoolers, so I think that for them, all the rigid emphasis on management isn't really productive.For elementary or middle school, though, I think these techniques are better. I would have found them helpful during student teaching (7th and 8th graders). With modifications, I'm still a fan of good old bell ringers, exit tickets, and "right is right."

Also I agree with other reviewers: there doesn't seem to be much joy or smiling in the classrooms that are featured on the TLAC website. That suggests a problem with over-rigidity in TLAC classrooms.

What is a "champion" teacher, anyway? Is it one who can control kids? Because when they do go to college, students must be able to control themselves ...

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot of merit in some of the techniques compiled here, but after spending more than a month slogging through, I'm not sure it outweighs the sexism, classism and racism that underpin Doug Lemov's philosophy.

From questionable case studies on the (most often female) erring young teacher, through utterly tone-deaf passages on the efficacy of exerting control to force a student (with a benign smile, of course!) to do something "she does not want to", to moralistic judgments of "incompetent" students - there's a whole lot more that makes me question why a teacher should be so eager to prove themselves "better" than their students.

Despite the faux-wholesome "joy factor" ending, Lemov's kumbaya philosophy doesn't quite align with the embedded videos of teachers in Uncommon Schools barking orders at primary school kids like drill sergeants.

Teach Like a Champion is undoubtedly a cult classic by now, but it concerns me that adherents are willing to throw out consideration for students' wellbeing in favour of results at all costs.

[Tagcaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recommend this book for new teachers. We were handed this book last fall and told to read it. After 27 years of teaching and hundreds (maybe thousands) of hours at Professional Development not much in the book was new to me. I found it tedious to read, if only because it felt repetitious to me.

However, it is a good book with it's tons of strategies to use. I do think it should be read by new teachers.

[Michael Loveless · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teach Like a Champion 2.0 by Doug Lemov is the best education book I've ever read. Lemov looked for schools that were outliers, achieving amazing results on standardized tests in neighborhoods where other schools were getting very poor results. He then went into those schools and observed the teachers, noting techniques that were being used by many different teachers. He video-taped the teachers, named the techniques, taught them to other teachers, and then watched them use and adapt them. In the end he had 62 techniques. The book clearly describes them, giving many examples as well as video clips so the reader/viewer can understand the techniques. They are simple and highly practical. Most of them could be tried by the reader the next day in his or her own classroom.

The only negative I see is that a number of the techniques would are geared more to younger kids, but even many of those techniques could be adapted to older students. I highly recommend this book, especially to new or young teachers.

[Bea Elwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why books like this are written like this... honestly suffer from cognitive overload after a few pages so a book this size takes a really long time to get through. But by god, I read the whole thing!!! and have a few techniques I'm ready to work on this year. Next year hopefully I can skim and refine as I need to go. Seriously, worth the effort and a must read for any teacher.

[Brendan Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super-helpful book, especially in its approach to increasing student thinking and designing systems for classroom management. I love the emphasis on writing as thought-processing!

The sheer number of techniques in this book is pretty overwhelming, and not everything will work for every teacher, but I appreciated the practicality and applicability of all his examples.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Packed, and I mean packed, with many ideas to improve student learning by improving teaching and teachers' effectivenss. This works for all content areas and offers enough explanations and examples to make implementing these techniques fairly easy. No generalities here, the techniques are specified.

The author looked at test scores and demographics across the country along with lessons and what makes some teachers great in order to develop his list of techniques (strategies). At first blush, the book may seem overwhelming (or at least it seemed that way to me) because there is so much in it, but once I started reading it, I quickly fell in love with Lemov's presentation. And this book includes a DVD with 75 videos. I didn't watch them all, but the ones I did watch solidified the information in the book.

I read the book cover to cover but I'm not sure if that's the optimal way to go about this. I think it's better to take your time reading this and have conversations with others after each chapter. Maybe read it cover to cover and then go back and reread a chapter/technique and implement that before moving on. I LOVE that Lemov's first chapter is Check For Understanding. That's what learning is all about, isn't it?

I would love to see everyone at my school read this book, discuss it, and then determine which strategies they would like to use in their classes. Many are already using some of these, so it would be wonderful to have a conversation about this.

I visited Lemov's website and spent a bit of time there (he also provides urls to his other social media options). Wow, a person could look up from this website and realize a few days had passed. (That's the overwhelming part I was referring to earlier!)

I teach an English grad level college course each summer and use the book Bridging English which offers many strategies. You can be that I will be adding some of the techniques from this book to my course lessons the next time I teach the class!

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of interesting and engaging ideas and techniques to use while working with students with the often stated goal of preparing students for college. Lemov hits the point again and again time is your biggest enemy. Lemov explains in the classroom set up, organizing the routines, and transitions done well are ways to save on the economy of time. Everything in the class should be designed to save time on incidentals to devote the most time possible to learning, engaging, and assessment. The book is set up using examples from champion teachers. Lemov takes the reader on a tour to meet the teachers and visit the classrooms he visits because, “they take teachers and teaching seriously and strive to focus every decision on serving teachers and increasing student achievement, two goals that are, if not synonymous, then at least deeply synergistic.” (Lemov, 2015, 13)

[Jason Anger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having come to this book somewhat later in my career than some (going into my 7th year), I can now see why it’s such a classic of its genre. I won’t use every technique in the book, and there are many that I already do, but that’s not really the point. The book is what it is and it’s silly that so many want to criticize it for what it isn’t. If I had read this earlier in my career, I’d be a better teacher now and I will be a better teacher moving forward for having read it, of that I’m sure. In fact, if you replaced my time I college with a student teaching placement and this book, my students would have benefited and my debt wouldn’t have accrued. A shame that it took a Twitter account for me to hear of Lemov, who deserves to be mentioned alongside other education titans such as Hirsch and Willingham. For my small part, I’ll be making sure more people in my circle read him.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was a good book until I saw the training videos for this method. It's downright scary. The classrooms in the training videos are authoritarian to an extreme. The kids look like they can't breathe without permission and the teachers seem so angry. I give it 2 stars because most people who read it will implement a few strategies and move on, but I can't give it more because of the backwards vision Lemov has for the classroom.

[Mits · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was exactly what I was looking for as a beginning teacher - my ed program did a great job of giving me first hand experience and exposing me to educational theory, but I really needed something to explicitly guide me through the day to day when I needed to give my mentors a break from my barrage of questions. While I did not like all of the techniques described in this book, certainly wouldn't feel comfortable using others, and did find some too prescriptive and controlling for high school students, I got many good ideas for how to use new tools in my classroom. I also think it's nice that the author explicitly acknowledges that not all of these tools are useful for all teachers, and that teachers should use the ones they feel work best with their teaching style, students, and desired outcomes. I understand that some teachers do not like this book and consider it antithetical to culturally responsive teaching (and have problems with Uncommon Schools in general)- I did not find it to be so, but am also very willing to hear more of these teachers perspectives and am willing to change my mind about this book. I also reserve judgment on the Uncommon Schools program as a whole. However, at the present, I think that teachers can easily pick and choose which tools they want to use and how and still create welcoming and culturally responsive classrooms.

[Joseph Herbert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2020

Look, I get it. Teaching is hard and overwhelming, particularly when you're just starting out. I loved this book as a first-year teacher because I didn't know better. It took me many years to unlearn the oppressive pedagogies this book promotes. But make no mistake: you will be harming students by following the techniques that Lemov suggests.

TLAC promotes compliance-based education. It is used to help inexperienced White teachers learn how to control the Black and Brown students in their classrooms. No one uses these techniques in predominantly White and affluent schools, so I have to wonder why we think students of color are the ones who need their education to be laden with strictness, control, and conformity to White culture (hint: the answer is that we view students of color as deficient and needing to be "fixed"; in other words – racism).

Ultimately, to successfully teach children, you need to see, recognize, and validate their full humanity. TLAC encourages you to force students to repress their humanity.

Do not conflate compliance with engagement. Do not conflate control with teaching. And, most importantly, do not buy this book!

[Eugene Kernes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great teaching tool that unlike how its title suggest to be used for k-12th grade purposes, can be used for college purposes as well. Rather than suggest various grand theories, Lemov creates ways to make use of class time more efficiently and effectively to get more out of the scare resource. The book is exceptionally well written. A minor problem is when some techniques or explanations requires the use of techniques in later chapters, which reduces the impact on the technique under discussion. The repeating of major themes such as the culture of error, time matters, and various techniques helps digest, process, and learn them more efficiently. It sometimes seems that the readers has to take for granted the end result of using the techniques and the students behavioral outcome such as students might not actually consider or see the techniques as described in the book. The videos are also helpful, but show the positive outcome without major distraction, would have been slightly more helpful to see when things go wrong, or completely wrong, which can allow the teachers to prep for the emotional aspects more directly.

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is complete and utter trash. One of the biggest problems with this book is that there are no sources/references to support the myriad of claims made in this book. How do I know that these strategies are rooted in research when I can’t look the research up myself? This book also clearly discriminated against students of color living in poverty. The authors of this book wish for teachers to have complete control of their classroom, down to how a student sits at their desk.

I threw my copy of this book out once I realized how problematic it is. There are many other well-researched and anti-racist books out there for teachers. Steer clear of this one.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a lot of talk about increasing 'rigour' in classrooms, but little advice about how this could be achieved. This book sets out to do just that. After thousands of hours observing teachers who consistently achieve outstanding results in schools where such results are not common, author Doug Lemov and his team have distilled the information collected into a well organised and accessible text. The book contains 62 techniques commonly used by teachers and explains why they work and why they are necessary in order to raise standards.
An inspiring read.

[Matt Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as part of my Teach First training. The Summer Institute frequently referred to this book and for good reason. The collection of a huge number of practical techniques makes this a very valuable read, particularly for new teachers like myself. Although there were a few techniques that I did not cover, I would recommend this book to any new teacher. I liked how Lemov highlighted the potential for a firm but fair teacher and this book may have been the biggest influence on me as a teacher.

[Jana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love this book when I bought the first version, but after using some of these techniques many felt disrespectful to my students. There’s some really good granular ideas here, but the focus on teacher control of student bodies and 100% attention felt disrespectful at times. Read it, use what helps, and throw out the rest. Remember to build relationships with your students as that helps create not just compliance but willingness to learn.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I will continue to refer back to. We read this during out PLCs this year andy principal is so happy to see that I have used so many of these techniques in my classroom. It helps with classroom management. I have grown as an educator as a result of implementing these strategies into my classroom.

[Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read for all teachers! It provides teacher skills and techniques that'll increase student engagement and help your classroom management. The best way to read this book is by reading a section, implementing it in the classroom then reading more. Otherwise it's just overwhelming and pointless if not implemted.

[Lara Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am currently get my Master's in Special Education. Even though this book was never assigned, I used it often in my essays. It really should be required reading for all teachers. If more teacher used the methods and techniques described in this book, fewer students would struggle to learn. I highly recommend this book to all teachers!!!

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only had to read 5 chapters for a class I am in, but really loved what I did read. Excellent tips that I plan on using next semester when I am full time student teaching and beyond when I have my very own classroom!

[Christie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a great book of strategies for teachers if they're struggling with something specific or if they're coaching other teachers. But just reading the book feels a whole lot like, "just do everything better." It's a bit overwhelming.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for all teachers. Packed full of clear concise methods to improve our craft. The examples and videos are very helpful. One of the best books on teaching I've seen.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly fabulous and full of such great, specific, helpful tips.

[Elizabeth Jackson Queiroz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of my favorite books on teaching that I have read. It is so helpful and easy to read. It is such a great reference books as well. I would recommend this book to all teachers.

[Ronnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great tips, but it was written in such a condescending way to students that I got the impression that the author has never spoken with a real student before.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soms een beetje langdradig maar we een boek met goede tips

[Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic information and scenarios. Terrible layout.