Doug Lemov's field notes
Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.01.10.19 Ms. Pacheco’s Kindergarten and the Importance of “Tracking, Not Watching”
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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
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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
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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. …