Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

03.19.20 “Pause Points”: A clip from Sara Sherr’s (Online) Classroom

I want to share the two very short clips from Sara Sherr’s online classes at Uncommon Preparatory High School this afternoon. Sara has been using asynchronous videos to teach her students. If the term ‘asynchronous’ is unfamiliar, here’s a quick primer. In the first clip Sara is beginning her lesson. I want to coin a term…


03.18.20 Our First Round of Videos of Online Teaching

As promised I’m going to share some early video of what teachers are doing online and some observations about what seems to work. Some reminders: None of this is perfect–either what the teachers do or our advice based on it. We’re all figuring it out together in difficult circumstances and on the fly. Right now, as…


03.18.20 Mastering Remote Teaching– Intro: Two types of Learning

As you probably know, watching video of teachers in action and sharing bright spots is what my team and I love to do. And while everything has changed in terms of what teachers are being asked to do, we think it’s still helpful to see peers in action and borrow ideas. So starting today we’ll be…


02.27.20 For Coaches: The Importance of Perception-Based Questions

Thanks to all the supportive folks who’ve been asking “Hey, how’s that coaching book coming?” The answer is: slowly. But it’s coming. I was chatting with a friend about how to ask better questions of athletes and it reminded me of a section on the importance of using questions to train athlete’s eyes. As Todd Beane…


02.12.20 Emily DiMatteo Builds Knowledge Through Embedded Nonficiton

I’m excited to share this video of Emily DiMatteo’s English class. First, it’s a great example of how Embedded Nonfiction can infuse a discussion with background knowledge and thus build its rigor. That’s an idea we’ve been passionate about for a while but have recently come to realize it hard to implement well without a curriculum….