Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

05.21.13Mapping TLAC 2.0–Your Help Needed

rewriteI started mapping out the chapters of an updated version of Teach Like a Champion last week.  I’m tentatively calling it TLAC 2.0.  The key idea is that TLAC has given rise to a “virtuous cycle”: When you give great people useful tools they do amazing things with them, things you wouldn’t have foreseen. They take good and make it great.  When that happens you’d be a fool not to have your pen and notebook ready. So TLAC 2.0 is a study of all that my team and I have learned by watching people use, apply and improve on the techniques from Teach Like a Champion.  And what the best teachers did with the techniques most of all was to make them rigorous. It’s been incredible to watch and learn, and the excitement only dimmed when I realized how out-of-date that made the original.  So I knew I had to re-write the book. 

Anyway, I’d love to hear what your best 2.0 ideas are.  What have you done with certain techniques to make them better? 

I’m also really interested in thoughts on Chapter 2, the planning chapter, as that’s the one I have the least amount of clarity on what version 2 will look like.  Finally, a guessing game: One–and just maybe two–of the techniques will expand so much that it (or they) is (are) going to get it’s (their) very own chapter in version 2.0. Anyone want to guess what technique(s)?

2 Responses to “Mapping TLAC 2.0–Your Help Needed”

  1. Janice Smith
    May 22, 2013 at 4:17 pm

    While I’d love for it to be J-Factor, I’m going to guess that it’s Checking For Understanding that’s about to earn it’s own chapter… perhaps J-Factor can be the second one?

    • Doug_Lemov
      May 22, 2013 at 9:08 pm

      Ha! You nailed it on the first try. CFU is indeed getting its own chapter. (gotta be some joy in that). Everybody writes will also probably get one!

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