Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

07.29.24 Scott Wells Models the Foundations of a Successful Cold Call

In our workshops on Cold Call we often provide a summary of four key things teachers can do while Cold Calling to ensure that the experience is positive, productive and successful. They are: 1) Preparation. Giving students time to prepare answers before a Cold Call helps them to develop quality ideas and often rehearse them in…


07.23.24 Using Writing in The (Reading) Classroom–The Amazing Success of First Year Teacher Emily Fleming

    Last week I had the pleasure of joining Kristen McQuillan, Natalie Wexler and Julia Cooper on a webinar sponsored by the Knowledge Matters campaign. Topic: The critical role of writing in reading comprehension. You can watch the webinar here: https://knowledgematterscampaign.org/post/writing-an-unsung-hero-of-reading-comprehension/ Meanwhile I thought I’d share a lovely video of a teacher using writing in…


07.13.24 Better Questioning for Athletes Starts with Clear Principles of Play

  I’m prepping this weekend to narrate the audiobook version of The Coach’s Guide to Teaching… which basically means reading my own book. Obviously that means noticing a lot of small things I’d like to change. But also noticing some passages that, as I learn more, I see even more value in. Here’s one, from the…


07.08.24 Advocacy Partnerships: Stories of Growth and Impact Part II

Our team’s extensive work in the education sector involves several advocacy partnerships—organizations we work with simply because we believe in their mission and purpose. One of the longest standing partnerships is with Man Up Memphis. In this blog post, Director of Advocacy and Partnerships, Brittany Hargrove, provides an update on what we’ve learned supporting their work in…


05.22.24 A Quiet Presence Montage–And How To Find Out More

  “Quiet Presence” is the idea that going lower and slower with your voice is the best way to help students focus optimally, especially in those moments when their attention is just beginning to fray. In some ways that’s the opposite of what you might expect. It’s a common mistake in the early years of teaching…