Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

04.13.16 Workshop: Principles of Teaching for (Soccer) Coaches

I’m super excited to announce that I’m going to be running a workshop for soccer coaches in coordination with EDP Soccer on May 20 in East Brunswick, NJ. The workshop will focus on how to plan and run better training sessions.  I’ll be drawing on the work of cognitive scientists like Anders Ericsson, Daniel Willingham and…


02.24.16 Annals of Coaching: On Identifying Talent (& How That Shapes Coaching Decisions)

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…


02.09.16 On a Terrible Headline: U.S. Soccer Does Not Need Saving

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…


01.25.16 On Praise: Carol Dweck and Beyond

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,…


01.13.16 Annals of Coaching: Planning for Error

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…