Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

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…


03.16.17 A Postcard from a South African Classroom

Found this picture in a blog post by an organization that supports teachers in South Africa, Edupeg. It’s of a teacher named Ms. Shezi who teaches grade 4 at Bonisanani Primary in South Africa. I found it both informative and inspiring: The blog described her class this way: Ms. Shezi already has well established Entry and Exit…


06.21.16 Tracking, Not Watching: A Field Guide 2.0 Excerpt

One of the most important skills for any teacher or coach is observing during independent practice. It’s one of the keys to Checking for Understanding. Joaquin Hernandez, Jen Kim and I put some new framing on this critical topic in the 2.0 version of the Teach Like a Champion Field Guide, which comes out in September. …