Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College

I purchased this book shortly after it was published at the advice of one of my administrators. What I found was less about teaching and more about having heavy-handed authoritarian control over students. Instead of an emphasis on developing comprehension or reasoning, or fostering healthy relationships with students, this book seems to prioritize getting students to do what you as an adult want them to do by making the teacher the sole figure of authority. As someone who taught in classrooms in public schools for a decade, I found little value in this - it literally just sat on my shelf. As someone who now is studying education at the doctoral level, I find myself increasingly concerned that this book not only still exists but is actually being purchased by people. I would give it zero stars if that were an option

What a horrible book. Spare yourself, and if you're in a program or school that is using this as a guide, exit quickly.

This book promotes an oppressive pedagogy. The majority audience is young white teachers and a huge segment of their population is students of color. The pedagogy is about control. Put it all together and you have a book that perpetuates and encourages racist patterns in our schools.

I wanted this to be a good book. I had been told it would be a good book by an education professor of mine.It's not. While there are a few good ideas in the book, I thought there was something wrong about the book that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Once I saw the videos that accompany the book, well, then it became clearer. The teachers are scared. They want 100% of students to be under their control 100% of the time.They seemed like jail wardens.Listen, as a new teacher, I understand that class can seem like chaos, that you can feel people will judge you for the noise, or the seemingly-wasted time, or the challenges students make to your teaching. But your job isn't to train them for jail; it's to train them to think. And thinking means sometimes challenging authority. That's OK.

This book is about compliance, not education. Students in a "teach like a champion" classroom have no voice, and they aren't learning just because they are sitting straight with their hands folded.

While there may be some good advice sprinkles through this book I can't help but see the white saviourism in his videos and his carceral techniques in helping black and brown kids achieve. This goes by the theory of compliance based education. Where you control their bodies to a weird degree. Do not recommend.

The cornerstone of great teaching is building kind, respectful relationships with students. Not using simple, demoralizing techniques to get compliance.

Are you being forced to buy this because it is it new "it" thing? While the ideas are good the author seems to think that the charter school model is the best for all cases and all students. If your class is not super high paced with your students always on edge like west point then it won't be the thing for you. As an ESL teacher in NYC we have to take things slower and in a very different way. Just saying the title should be, Try some of these things as they can help you become a better teacher but not all of these things are perfect or best suited for all teacher or students.

Life-changing, career-changing, with student success at its heart, this book smashes through mealy-mouthed pseudo-liberal tokenism and gets to the very heart of why we teach: to open doors and make life better for as many students as possible, most particularly those for whom the doors may not be opened at home. Bravo and hallelujah.

Excellent book written by a man who comes across as insightful and blessed with real common sense. This books reads like it wants to help you become a better teaching and not showcase how great the author is. I have taught in extremely challenging schools for ten years and have consistently been graded as a good to outstanding teacher by both my peers and the government and I was better the following day after reading the first few chapters. For the last 8 years I have been involved with the mentoring of trainee and new teachers and in the delivering of whole school CPD - this role just got easier. The trick to getting the most out of this book is to read it with an very open and honest mind - many, many of the tips are familiar, but do you really do them well and do you really do them all the time. If you add consistency to the tips in this book you will fly. There are even some brilliant and decievingly simple techniques that border on the micro management of the class, but as a practioner that runs a behaviour unit I can wholeheartedly endorse this approach. I have started using this book in a weekly 30 minute coaching breakfast and the attendees get better by committing to a couple of techniques every week - I recommend teachers to buy this book and not let the title put them off.

A bible for new and experienced teachers. This book unpicks what great teachers do in a way that allows one to understand and learn their techniques. Superb.

I got the title of this book from the TV programme currently running on BBC3 and thought would be good to have a copy as I am training to be a teacher. Comes with a DVD and gives instructions on where to use the DVD in the book. Great book to keep in the bag or at hand while I am training.

Great book for reference with so many helpful pointers. Be careful though as it seems to say that there is only one correct way to teach which would eliminate any teacher creativity.