Teach like a champion chapt.s 3 and 4

1. Discussion
Notes from:
Teach Like a
Champion
Chapters 3 & 4

2. Structuring &
Delivering Your
Lessons
Chapter 3

3. I…We…You
I: Teacher delivers key information or models
We: T ask students for help completing task gradually allowing more autonomy
You: Students practice task on their own
I do…I do
You help…You do
I help…You do
You do and do and do
The “I” Techniques:

4. The Hook
An introductory moment that draws in learners
A story, analogy, prop, media, importance, a challenge
It’s short, doesn’t interfere, it’s energetic and optimistic
It can be over-used

5. Name the Steps
Students should learn the steps in a task,
refer to the map, then leave the map behind with competence
Teachers sometimes name the steps
1. Identify the steps (<5, clear and concrete, S. take notes, posted)
2. Make them “sticky” (a catchy name, or mnemonic,
use a learning them and refer to it when you want them used)
3. Build the steps (use a challenge, have students help build the steps)
4. Use two stairways (ask questions about the problem and the steps)

6. Board = Paper
Teach students how to be students
teach note-taking

7. Circulate
Move throughout the room
layout should accommodate proximity to each student
Engage with students as you circulate
teach, remind, reinforce, pre-correct
Move systematically
universally but unpredictably
Keep your observational position of power

8. I…We…You
I: Teacher delivers key information or models
We: T ask students for help completing task gradually allowing more autonomy
You: Students practice task on their own
I do…I do
You help…You do
I help…You do
You do and do and do
The “WE” Techniques:

9. Break It Down
In response to student error, break down the question to the least
degree possible where the student will have success.
(e.g. long “a” symbol or “that’s a long ‘a’”)
Provide an Example
(best for material learned previously where the student needs a reminder)
Provide Context
Provide a Rule
Provide the Missing or First Step
Rollback
(repeat the wrong answer to the student – use emphasis, not sarcasm)
Eliminate False Choices

10. Ratio – 1
The proportion of cognitive work students do in your classroom
Strive for Thinking Ratio and Participation Ratio
Unbundle: Break ?s into smaller parts to share the work
Half Statement: Let the student finish it.
What’s Next: Start with “OK what do I do first?”
Feign Ignorance: “So then I get the answer, right?”

11. Ratio – 2
Repeated Examples: Ask for more, especially ones that differ
Rephrase of Add On: Ask a student to rephrase
or improve a peer’s answer
Whys and hows: To explain an answer
Supporting Evidence
Batch Process: Discussion as Volleyball not ping pong
and intentionally taught
Discussion Objectives: Your job is to steer any
talk back to your objective

12. Check for
Understanding – 1
By Gathering Data
Ask a sampling of students – high to low
Stop teaching (move forward) only after students get it right
several times in a row, not just once
Align your questions to your objectives – what your students will
ultimately be responsible for
Use fewer yes/no questions and fewer self-reports of
understanding (e.g. thumbs-up, -down)
Use observation as a way of checking for understanding.
Circulate during work times. Standardize and simplify the ways
students respond so that you can check quickly (“Under the ___”)
Use dry erase boards or papers as formative assessments

13. Check for
Understanding – 2
By Responding to Data
Act quickly on gaps in student mastery – Stop and fix it; then
move on
Don’t let misunderstandings build up
Re-teach in a slightly different way, or explain with different words
or examples
Re-teach just the problem step, or at a slower pace, in a different
order, to select students, with more repetitive practice

14. I…We…You
I: Teacher delivers key information or models
We: T ask students for help completing task gradually allowing more autonomy
You: Students practice task on their own
I do…I do
You help…You do
I help…You do
You do and do and do
The “YOU” Techniques:

15. At Bats
Great lessons have plenty of opportunity for repetition –
building “muscle memory”
Go until they can do it on their own
Use multiple variations and formats
Grab opportunities for enrichment and differentiation

16. Exit Tickets
They provide the teacher with data and they set work and learning
expectations for students
Quick – 1 to 3 questions
Focus on one key objective so you can use the data(use multiple
formats so you know students can generalize –
e.g. 1 open response / 1 multiple choice)
The analysis can lead to great “Do Nows” (#29)

17. Take a Stand – 1
Have students make a judgment about
the answers given by their peers
“Stand up if you agree with _________”
“She said 81. That’s not right, is it, __________?”
“How many people think _____________ is right?”
“How could she check her work to see if she is right,
___________?”
“Show me the answer with your fingers”
“Is he right, ____________?”
“How many people got the same answer as _______________?”

18. Take a Stand – 2
Ask students to take a stand whether the
original answer was right or wrong
Sometimes ask students to defend
“Why is your thumb down?”
Use white boards or slips of paper to
ensure they are accountable on their own
Praise and acknowledge the ‘bravery’
in selecting unpopular answers

19. Engaging Students
in Your Lessons
Chapter 4

20. Cold Call – 1
Cold Call for a few minutes every day for predictability
Engage students before they tune out –
use cold calling at the beginning of class
The less a Cold Call carries emotion,
the less it seems tied to what a student has or has not done
Consider different methods of tracking who has been called upon
A Cold Call is substantive (not e.g. “What did I just say?”)
The goal is for the student to get the answer right (80% success rate)
The question and what an answer could look like should be clear

21. Cold Call – 2
Scaffold: start with simple questions and progress to harder ones. More difficult
questions build on the student’s success. (Positive Momentum)
Use “Question…Pause…Name” to ensure that every student hears the question
and begins to prepare an answer
Continue using hands up as well as Cold Call to keep the incentive for hand-
raising when required
Mix with Call and Response:
“Question…Pause…Name. Question…Pause…Class” or
“Great answer Name…Re-state Question…Class” or
use a clear signal (e.g. “Question…One, two…”)
Call and Response must be crisp.
(Serious, in sync, uniform tone, or “Let’s try that again.”)

22. Call and Response – 1
You ask a question, the whole class calls out an answer
Review and reinforcement – repeating a strong answer
High energy fun
Behavioral reinforcement – when on cue and repeated it makes crisp,
active,
timely compliance a habit
Five levels of intellectual rigor:
1. Repeat – what the teacher said or a familiar phrase
2. Report – Responding with answers to completed work
3. Reinforce – with new or important info after a correct Cold Call (#22)
4. Review – Asking about yesterday’s lesson or previous concept
5. Solve – needs a clear single answer and high likelihood all can do the
task

23. Call and Response – 2
Use a signal (an in-cue) – “Class!” “Everybody!” “One, two…”
It must be completely clear what type of response you are seeking –
individual, whole class, small group
Pitfalls:
Can allow for freeloading
Doesn’t allow for true checking for understanding
Reinforces room’s behavioral culture only if it is crisp
(“I like your enthusiasm – but let’s try again on the cue.”)

24. Pepper
Quick fundamental questions as review and reinforcement
Fast paced – with a correct answer move on; incorrect ask another person
Use it like a game – have students stand, or call on students in a unique way:
Use pick sticks, or
Head to Head (2 stand when one misses s/he sits and a new challenger
stands), or
Stand or Sit – students stand; they can earn their seats with a correct answer,
or
with all students sitting they can earn a place in line
It’s all about pacing – fast.
Don’t get mixed up with discussions of answers, corrections – limit talk to just
answers rather than the game

25. Wait Time
Waiting makes it more likely you’ll receive a high quality answer
Waiting taps into new ideas and students
Less time wasted re-processing poor answers
3 to 5 seconds narrated at the beginning –
“I’m looking for people who are pointing to the passage with the answer” “I’m
waiting for more hands” “I’ll give you a few seconds, because this is a tough one”
Use the narration to call for and reinforce the specific learning and responding
behaviors you are seeking

26. Everybody Writes
Ask students to prepare for more ambitious thinking and
discussion by reflecting in writing for a short interval
Allows the teacher to:
1. Observe thoughts (read over shoulders) and select effective responses
2. Cold call naturally “What did you write _________?”
3. Give every student a chance
4. Steer students’ thinking in a fruitful direction
5. Students remember twice as much by thinking a writing before a discussion
Everybody Writes increases your Ratio (#17)

27. Vegas
Production Values – dramatic effect with teacher delivery
Like a Faucet – Quick on / quick off like a faucet – e.g. Student say “ooh, aah”
every time they here the key phrase or word –use a signal to indicate start stop –
do not allow it to ‘leak’ into other lessons or be used when not asked for
Same Objective – must support, not distract from, the lesson’s objective
Chorus Line – Everyone is doing the same thing at the same time. They must
know the format and rules
On Point – As soon as it is off focus immediately correct and reinforce the
standards of excellence