Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

11.17.16 A Great Example of the PIPP–Private Individual Precise Praise–from Chile

One of our favorite classroom moves is the PIPP…Positive Individual Precise Praise, a name that has to make the final four of unwieldy names. The origin of this name came was that it comes from the Private Individual Correction (PIC). The idea is that if you have to correct a student on their behavior or effort during a lesson,…


01.25.16 On Praise: Carol Dweck and Beyond

I love Carol Dweck’s work and think Mindset should be required reading for educators, particularly as a guide to giving positive reinforcement to students.  To summarize briefly, she describes how important a growth rather than fixed mindset is to children in determining how much they learn.  If they love difficulty and challenge, if they say not,…