Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

06.09.20 Putting It All Together: Scenes from Joshua Humphrey’s Asynchronous Math Lesson

Just finished watching footage of Joshua Humphrey, who teaches math at KIPP St. Louis High School. Joshua’s lesson was full of great moves that I thought others would benefit from watching as much as I did. Background: The footage I’m sharing is of an asynchronous lesson. Joshua’s students watch two short asynchronous lessons per day and…


05.22.20 Excerpt: The Coach’s Guide to Teaching

I’m closing in on my manuscript deadline on my new book, The Coach’s Guide to Teaching. The sense of urgency–some might call it desperation–is palpable. But I’ve just finished Chapter 4, which is about Checking for Understanding. Here’s an excerpt to whet your appetite. Hope you enjoy John Wooden was among the greatest coaches of the…


03.26.19 Tracking the data: From Classroom to Soccer Pitch

When I do workshops for soccer coaches I routinely show them videos of amazing classroom teachers at work and we talk about how to adapt and apply the ideas they use in a coach’s setting. One of the videos I show coaches most frequently is of Denarius Frazier, one of the best math teachers I know….


01.10.19 Ms. Pacheco’s Kindergarten and the Importance of “Tracking, Not Watching”

      Wanted to take a moment to share a really lovely and elegant video from Narlene Pacheco’s kindergarten classroom at Partnership NYC’s Immaculate Conception School in the Bronx. Narlene’s teaching demonstrates a lot of elements of the Check for Understanding (CFU) technique, most of all Tracking Not Watching– the idea that careful observation for…