Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

10.21.20 Some Handy Tools for Building Student Engagement in Online Classes

As most readers of this blog probably know we’ve been offering small group online webinar-style workshops this fall on remote teaching. The workshops allow us to connect to, share with and learn from teachers and school leaders everywhere and rarely a workshop goes by where we don’t learn something we can pay forward to teachers at…


09.18.20 How Memphis Rise Helps Teachers Build Vibrant Online Culture

Means of Participation is our phrase for a set of consistent procedures that describe clearly to students HOW they should participate in class at any given moment. When the Means of Participation is ambiguous–i.e. left unclear by the teacher–the results are mostly one of the following: Crickets: No one will violate the unspoken code of silence…


05.13.20 Means of Participation Online with Ben Esser

As you know we’ve been watching and posting a ton of video of great online teaching. We posted this great clip of Alonzo Hall and Linda Fraser’s A+ procedures and routines. We posted this great clip of Ben Esser ‘dissolving the screen.’ Today I want to share another clip of Ben, here taking a page from…


12.19.19 How Sadie McCleary Manages Student Participation (Video)

Happy Holidays, friends. I give you the gift of outstanding video to send you off into your winter break. This clip is of Sadie McCleary’s class. She’s a Chemistry teacher at Western Guilford High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. Generally this clip will inspire you- it’s such a beautiful example of how careful attention to building…