Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

12.10.14 Practice Perfect Podcast with Athlete By Design

Did a really interesting interview about Practice Perfect with Jeremy Boone, who runs Athlete By Design.  He does podcasts on coaching with a variety of folks generally smarter and more glamorous than me.  Now I see why. He was meticulously prepared for the interview and the result was that 1) We ended up talking about a…


12.08.14 Academic Systems: A TLaC 2.0 Preview

Just about a month now and Teach Like a Champion 2.0 will be out in stores. Here’s a tiny little preview: a discussion from the Systems and Routines chapter on the power of routines on the academic side.  Basically when you have a procedure and routinize it you make what you do more efficient (so you…


12.08.14 Tacit Accountability Part II

Posted on Friday about the topic of Tacit Accountability after several really productive days reflecting on developing coaches (and other teachers) with folks from the US Soccer Federation and affiliated organizations. The idea is that in developing people–coaches, teachers, students, players–we want to build a culture where the expectation is that feedback gets used and where…


12.05.14 ‘Tacit Accountability’ and the Art of Making People Better

“Accountability,” a colleague once said, “is a gift. It’s a way to help people make sure they accomplish the things they want to do.”  It was an unorthodox way of thinking about the concept.  Most people hear the word “accountability” with a negative connotation.  Nobody likes to be held accountable.  Few people really enjoy holding others…


12.05.14 Annals of Coaching: A Brief Reflection on Selflessness, Ego and John Wooden

I’ve been reflecting this morning on sideline behavior. My colleague Chris Condron, a coach and PE teacher in New jersey, was commenting on the culture of screamers among many college coaches–how there’s a culture that valorizes behavior on the sidelines that we should probably be able to see is counter-productive. And, Chris posited, those behavioral norms then…