Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

02.15.23 “Polling” As a Prelude to Cold Call

  Been thinking a lot lately about how much what a teacher does before a Cold Call shapes its success. Watch for example how in this clip BreOnna Tindall has her students write a response to a key question, then Turn and Talk to discuss their thoughts. When she Cold Calls the first student to share–he’s…


01.12.22 Support in a (Still) Difficult Time: More Free TLAC Online Modules

We are happy to announce that our TLAC Online modules have been fully revised and updated to align with Teach Like a Champion 3.0. In the modules, as in 3.0, we tried our best to focus on the impact each technique has on students, supporting educators in using the techniques strategically, to serve students and help…


09.10.21 The First Days (of Cold Call) with Bradi Bair

About a week ago I posted a clip of Bradi Bair Cold Calling with her math students at Memphis Rise Academy in Memphis, TN.  I wrote about how she observed which students had the best answers and used that to make her Cold Call an honor. This was a great way to build a positive culture…


08.31.21 Bradi Bair’s Cold Calling Models Positivity and Rigor

I’ve spent much of this week watching the first batch of video from school year 2021-22 classrooms. Watching classrooms with everyone masked is a bit disconcerting at first but it’s remarkable how quickly things feel closer to normal. Familiar interactions and relationships don’t take long to seem… well… familiar. And already there’s so much to learn….


08.24.21 A Graphic Representation of Timing the Name in Cold Call

A few days ago I came across the above outstanding illustration created by Luke Tayler, a geography teacher in Bahrain.  It captures in graphic form the power of timing the name during Cold Call. The basic idea is that when students know you might Cold Call and you use a structure of question-pause-name for your question,…