Teach Like a Champion 2.0

1. Gather Data on Student Mastery Through Objective Assessments

Every artist—teachers included—is an artisan whose task is to study a set of tools and unlock the secrets of their use.

Reject Self-Report. Replace subjective questions like "Does everyone understand?" with objective assessments. These include quick, observable checks that provide concrete data on student comprehension. Self-reporting is unreliable, as students may not know what they don't know or may be hesitant to admit confusion.

Targeted Questioning. Implement a series of carefully chosen, open-ended questions directed at a strategic sample of the class. This approach provides a snapshot of understanding across different skill levels. Plan questions in advance to ensure precision and efficiency, and use Cold Call to involve all students, not just volunteers.

Standardize the Format. Design materials and classroom space to streamline observations. Consistent layouts and designated areas for work allow for quick and efficient data collection. This standardization enables teachers to identify patterns and trends in student understanding more easily.

2. Act on Data and Cultivate a Culture of Error

The topics have shifted, but the principle is the same, and there are again so many teachers who in allowing me to observe their work have taught me deep and durable things, some of which I recognized in the moment and some that struck me only later—sometimes much later.

Plan for Error. Anticipate common mistakes and prepare responses in advance. This proactive approach reduces anxiety and increases the likelihood of effective intervention. By knowing potential pitfalls, teachers can seamlessly integrate corrective measures into their lessons.

Culture of Error. Create a classroom environment where students feel safe making and discussing mistakes. Normalize error by praising risk-taking and framing mistakes as learning opportunities. This encourages students to willingly expose their errors, allowing teachers to address them more effectively.

Excavate Error. Dig into errors to understand where students struggle and how to best address those points. Analyze wrong answers to identify patterns and misconceptions. This process informs reteaching and helps refine instructional strategies.

3. Set High Academic Expectations Unapologetically

My approach in this book reflects that experience. I have tried to describe the techniques of champion teachers in a concrete, specific, and actionable way that allows you to start using them tomorrow.

No Opt Out. Ensure that students who won't try or can't answer practice getting it right. Turn "I don't know" into success by providing support and guidance. This technique reinforces the expectation that everyone participates and takes responsibility for learning.

Right Is Right. Hold out for answers that are "all-the-way right" or all the way to your standards of rigor. Don't settle for partial or nearly correct answers. Push students to use precise language and provide thorough explanations.

Stretch It. Reward "right" answers with harder questions. Challenge students to apply their knowledge in new settings, think on their feet, and tackle more complex problems. This builds a rigorous classroom culture and encourages continuous growth.

4. Plan Lessons Intentionally with the End in Mind

My goal was to find as many such teachers as I could and honor them by focusing on, and studying, their teaching.

Begin with the End. Start with unit planning, then move to lesson planning. Define the objective, decide how you'll assess it, and then choose appropriate lesson activities. This ensures that all lesson components are aligned with a clear learning goal.

4 Ms. Use four criteria to write an effective lesson plan objective:

• Manageable: Can be taught in a single lesson
• Measurable: Success can be measured by the end of the class period
• Made First: Designed to guide the activity, not justify it
• Most Important: Focuses on what's most important on the path to college

Post It. Display your lesson objective where everyone can see it and identify your purpose. This helps students understand the learning goal and stay focused on the task at hand. It also provides a reference point for discussions and activities.

5. Structure Lessons for Clarity and Engagement

What I found was that while each great teacher is unique, as a group their teaching held elements in common.

Do Now. Use a short warm-up activity that students can complete without instruction to start class every day. This sets a tone of productivity and allows the learning to start even before you begin teaching. It also provides a quick review of previously learned material.

Name the Steps. Break down complex tasks into steps that form a path for student mastery. This makes the process more transparent and easier for students to follow. It also allows you to provide targeted support and feedback.

Board = Paper. Model and shape how students should take notes in order to capture information you present. This helps students develop effective note-taking skills and ensures that they have a clear record of key concepts.

6. Pace Lessons Dynamically to Maximize Learning

This book is about the tools of the teaching craft. More specifically, it's about the tools necessary for success in the most important part of the field: teaching in public schools, primarily those in the inner city, that serve students born to poverty and, too often, to a rapidly closing window of opportunity.

Change the Pace. Establish a productive pace in your classroom. Create "fast" or "slow" moments in a lesson by shifting activity types or formats. This keeps students engaged and prevents boredom.

Brighten Lines. Ensure that changes in activities and other mileposts are perceived clearly by making beginnings and endings of activities visible and crisp. This helps students stay focused and transition smoothly between tasks.

All Hands. Leverage hand raising to positively impact pacing. Manage and vary the ways that students raise their hands, as well as the methods you use to call on them. This keeps students engaged and accountable.

Work the Clock. Measure time intentionally, strategically, and often visibly to shape both your and your students' experience in the classroom. This helps students develop time management skills and stay focused on the task at hand.

7. Build Ratio Through Strategic Questioning

My goal was to find as many such teachers as I could and honor them by focusing on, and studying, their teaching.

Wait Time. Allow students time to think before answering. If they aren't productive with that time, narrate them toward being more productive. This encourages deeper thinking and allows more students to participate.

Cold Call. Call on students regardless of whether they've raised their hands. This keeps all students engaged and accountable. It also allows you to assess understanding across the entire class.

Call and Response. Ask your class to answer questions in unison from time to time to build energetic, positive engagement. This is a great way to review key concepts and vocabulary.

Break It Down. When a student makes an error, provide just enough help to allow her to "solve" as much of the original problem as she can. This helps students learn from their mistakes and develop problem-solving skills.

Pepper. Use Pepper as a fast-paced, vocal review to build energy and actively engage your class. This is a great way to review foundational skills and information.

8. Build Ratio Through Intentional Writing

The funny thing happened on the way to TLAC becoming a global phenomenon. As teachers have learned from Lemov, he has learned from them.

Everybody Writes. Prepare your students to engage rigorously by giving them the chance to reflect in writing before you ask them to discuss. This allows all students to formulate their thoughts and participate more effectively.

Art of the Sentence. Ask students to synthesize a complex idea in a single, well-crafted sentence. The discipline of having to make one sentence do all the work pushes students to use new syntactical forms.

Show Call. Create a strong incentive to complete writing with quality and thoughtfulness by publicly showcasing and revising student writing—regardless of who volunteers to share. This provides a model for excellence and encourages continuous improvement.

Build Stamina. Gradually increase writing time to develop in your students the habit of writing productively, and the ability to do it for sustained periods of time. This helps students develop focus and concentration.

Front the Writing. Arrange lessons so that writing comes earlier in the process to ensure that students think rigorously in writing. This prevents piggybacking and encourages independent thought.

9. Build Ratio Through Structured Discussion

One of the key messages of this book is that solutions to teaching's achievement gaps exist. There is no gap that has not been closed already by some teacher somewhere.

Habits of Discussion. Make your discussions more productive and enjoyable by normalizing a set of ground rules or "habits" that allow discussion to be more efficiently cohesive and connected.

Turn and Talk. Encourage students to better formulate their thoughts by including short, contained pair discussions—but make sure to design them for maximum efficiency and accountability.

Batch Process. Give more ownership and autonomy to students—particularly when your goal is a discussion—by allowing for student discussion without teacher mediation, for short periods of time or for longer, more formal sequences.

10. Establish Systems and Routines for Efficiency

This book is about the tools of the teaching craft. More specifically, it's about the tools necessary for success in the most important part of the field: teaching in public schools, primarily those in the inner city, that serve students born to poverty and, too often, to a rapidly closing window of opportunity.

Threshold. Meet your students at the door, setting expectations before they enter the classroom. This establishes a positive tone and reinforces behavioral norms.

Strong Start. Design and establish an efficient routine for students to enter the classroom and begin class. This maximizes instructional time and sets a tone of productivity.

STAR/SLANT. Teach students key baseline behaviors for learning, such as sitting up in class and tracking the speaker, by using a memorable acronym such as STAR or SLANT.

Engineer Efficiency. Teach students the simplest and fastest procedure for executing key classroom tasks, then practice so that executing the procedure becomes a routine.

Strategic Investment: From Procedure to Routine. Turn procedures into routines by rehearsing and reinforcing until excellence becomes habitual. Routinizing a key procedure requires clear expectations, consistency, and, most important, patience. Even so, it's almost always worth it.

Do It Again. Give students more practice when they're not up to speed—not just doing something again, but doing it better, striving to do their best.

11. Maintain High Behavioral Expectations Consistently

This book is about the tools of the teaching craft. More specifically, it's about the tools necessary for success in the most important part of the field: teaching in public schools, primarily those in the inner city, that serve students born to poverty and, too often, to a rapidly closing window of opportunity.

Radar/Be Seen Looking. Prevent nonproductive behavior by developing your ability to see it when it happens and by subtly reminding students that you are looking.

Make Compliance Visible. Ensure that students follow through on a request in an immediate and visible way by setting a standard that's more demanding than marginal compliance. Be judicious in what you ask for, specifically because it will uphold the standard of compliance.

Least Invasive Intervention. Maximize teaching time and minimize "drama" by using the subtlest and least invasive tactic possible to correct off-task students.

Firm Calm Finesse. Take steps to get compliance without conflict by establishing an environment of purpose and respect and by maintaining your own poise.

Art of the Consequence. Ensure that consequences, when needed, are more effective by making them quick, incremental, consistent, and depersonalized. It also helps to make a bounce-back statement, showing students that they can quickly get back in the game.

Strong Voice. Affirm your authority through intentional verbal and nonverbal habits, especially at moments when you need control.

What to Do. Use specific, concrete, sequential, and observable directions to tell students what to do, as opposed to what not to do.

12. Build Character and Trust Through Positive Interactions

This book is about the tools of the teaching craft. More specifically, it's about the tools necessary for success in the most important part of the field: teaching in public schools, primarily those in the inner city, that serve students born to poverty and, too often, to a rapidly closing window of opportunity.

Positive Framing. Guide students to do better work while motivating and inspiring them by using a positive tone to deliver constructive feedback.

Precise Praise. Make your positive reinforcement strategic. Differentiate between acknowledgment and praise.

Warm/Strict. Be both warm and strict at the same time to send a message of high expectations, caring, and respect.

Emotional Constancy. Manage your emotions to consistently promote student learning and achievement.

Joy Factor. Celebrate the work of learning as you go.

Last updated: April 24, 2025