Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

05.17.24 Alexander Lisman Checks for Understanding in his Visual Arts Class

  We’ve had quite a few requests lately for examples of Teach Like a Champion techniques in Arts classes so it’s my pleasure to share this clip of Eagle Ridge Academy (Brighton, Colorado) art teacher Alexander Lisman’s Checking for Understanding in which he uses Active Observation and intentional feedback. Let’s set the scene. Alexander’s students are…


05.06.24 Matt Lawrey and the Effort to Help Athletes Learn to Watch Better

  A few weeks ago I spent a day at Atlanta United’s Academy with Matt Lawrey, one of my favorite coaches and talent developers. In the afternoon we joined Will Bates, who was coaching the U15s, to experiment with a few ideas we are both interested in. We’ve talked in the past about trying to socialize…


05.03.24 More Ace Footage from Scott Wells’ Classroom

Earlier this week I posted a clip of Scott Wells of Goldsmith Primary Academy as he Checked for Understanding with his students. Justifiably, the clip got rave reviews in a recent workshop and online as well.  No surprise that- you can see how sharp it is (and some of the highlights from my perspective at least)…


05.01.24 My England Travelogue Part 3: A Really Wonderful CFU Workshop in London

  Last week I shared two blog posts here and here about my week-long trip to England the week prior, in which I visited two really fascinating schools. The week ended with a two-day workshop in London on the topic of Checking for Understanding, co-sponsored by Ark Schools (thank you Victor Voutov, the king of workshop…