Teaching Techniques from "Teach Like a Champion"

We are continuing our discussion on Teaching Techniques.  To remind you, the book,  Teach Like a Champion, by Doug Lemov discusses 49 teaching techniques to put students on the path to college. 

TECHNIQUE 4: FORMAT MATTERS

Use Format Matters to prepare your students to succeed by requiring complete and proficient grammar every chance you get. Texting has become one of societies most popular way to communicate and words have shortened into acronyms, for example,  TTYL, OMG, WAYD, etc. Students are writing how they are texting and they need to know that proper grammatical format is important in their written communication.  Yes, you should correct slang, syntax, usage and grammar in the classroom.

KEY IDEA: It's not just what students say that matters but how they communicate it. To succeed, students must take their knowledge and express it in the language of opportunity. 

TECHNIQUE 5:  WITHOUT APOLOGY

Many of us have made this statement or something similar,  " Guys I know this is kind of dull. Let's just try to get through it." Without Apology means do not assume something will be boring to the students. A belief that content is boring is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Also "Blaming It" meaning blaming an outside entity that the lesson or assignment has to be taught because it's on the test or the state is making me teach this material is another way we apologize for the lesson to be taught. 

KEY IDEA: Assuming something is too hard or technical for some students is a dangerous trap. Use some of these alternative comments: "This is really tricky. But I haven't seen much you couldn't do if you put your minds to it." and " This material is great because it's really challenging!" 

I believe the next technique is not new to many of us. We have heard it used consistently since the common core has come around. 

TECHNIQUE 6: BEGIN WITH THE END

To sum, Begin with the End means:

1. Progressing from unit planning to lesson planning
2. Using a well-framed objective to define the goal of each lesson
3. Determining how you'll assess your effectiveness in reaching your goal 
4. Deciding on your activity 

KEY IDEA: Your first job is to choose the rationale that is most productive: Why are you teaching the material you're teaching? What's the outcome you desire? How does this outcome relate to what you'll teach tomorrow and to what your students need to have learned to be ready for the fourth, or eighth or tenth grade?

The greatest sign of success for a teacher...is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist."       -M. Montessori