Manchester United played Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup this week and managed a 3-0 victory, but the most interesting thing about the match might have been Stuart James’ article in the Guardian about Mat Sadler, the Shrewsbury defender who played alongside Wayne Rooney on the England U17 team 14 years ago. The “reunion” between Rooney…
The Atlantic Monthly published a profile of my work with the U.S. Soccer Federation this month. It’s written by Amanda Ripley, a writer I admire greatly, and has a terrible and inaccurate headline (I think I am safe in assuming she didn’t write it). It’s also a headline that obscures some important observations for educators and…
I love Carol Dweck’s work and think Mindset should be required reading for educators, particularly as a guide to giving positive reinforcement to students. To summarize briefly, she describes how important a growth rather than fixed mindset is to children in determining how much they learn. If they love difficulty and challenge, if they say not,…
One of the most effective activities we do with teachers–both at Uncommon Schools and in our trainings–is planning for error (Plan for Error is Teach Like a Champion 2.0 technique #7). The idea is that if you spend a few minutes before your lessons anticipating 1) what your students are likely to get wrong or misunderstand…
Imagine for a minute a school that provides lots of useful feedback to teachers. Perhaps this describes your own school. Trusted colleagues and peers frequently see you teach. They have a shared vision of successful teaching that aligns to your own in large part and they take time to give you concrete practical advice to help…