Okay, I think I'm in love!! (don't tell my wife.)  Today's New York Times Magazine (disclosure:  they own me,) has a great feature article, "Can Good Teaching Be Learned?" about the work of Doug Lemov.  A former teacher, administrator and charter school founder, Doug became curious as to what made a great teacher.  Research has shown that excellent teachers are the single most important element in raising student performance.  So, how do you get excellent teachers?  And, can you make an excellent teacher?  Can you build a better teacher?

What Doug discovered was that excellent teachers not only shared certain qualities, but they developed a certain set of skills, especially when it came to classroom management. He enumerated 49 techniques, which he will describe in detail in his upcoming book Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College. As I read, I went away with the conviction that I was a pretty good teacher.  I use most of the techniques described, though a new one  I really loved is  "Cold Calling" which eliminates the problem of round robin reading without abandoning reading aloud entirely.  I have always been a big fan of "Positive Framing," a technique where you describe what you want in a positive way and then begin to praise students for doing it.  "Everyone clear your desk, please.  Thanks for getting your desk cleared so nicely, Rodney.  Oh, and I see Mary Beth has her's cleared, too.  Thanks, Mary Beth."

I can't wait to get my hands on the book, which has a late April release date.  With any luck, I'll convince the publisher, Jossey Bass, to get me an advanced review copy,  so I can review it and give you a preview of the 49 techniques.  In the mean time, check out the article online at the New York Times: it even includes video clip examples of many of the techniques!  I'm hoping it helps you make yourself into the kind of excellent teacher that encourages excellent student performance and academic growth.