In summary, Champion can show new teachers a lot of low-hanging fruit—valuable techniques veterans like myself already use but remember figuring out the hard way. In particular, Champion shines a light on hard-to-explain non-verbal concepts that good teachers don’t always realize they’ve mastered and wouldn’t think to tell newbies about. I expect that a new teacher will get more immediate mileage out of Champion than from How Learning Works. Veteran teachers, though, are more likely to be unimpressed and notice some real blind spots in Champion. For example, the linked review’s discussion of SSR (sustained silent reading) vs. “popcorn” reading is, in my own experience, spot on.
I will make a note to revisit this comparison when I have read HLW.
I skimmed through Teach Like a Champion when it was first released, largely on the strength of the New York Times article about it. My take on it closely echoes this fair and critical Amazon review.
In summary, Champion can show new teachers a lot of low-hanging fruit—valuable techniques veterans like myself already use but remember figuring out the hard way. In particular, Champion shines a light on hard-to-explain non-verbal concepts that good teachers don’t always realize they’ve mastered and wouldn’t think to tell newbies about. I expect that a new teacher will get more immediate mileage out of Champion than from How Learning Works. Veteran teachers, though, are more likely to be unimpressed and notice some real blind spots in Champion. For example, the linked review’s discussion of SSR (sustained silent reading) vs. “popcorn” reading is, in my own experience, spot on.
I will make a note to revisit this comparison when I have read HLW.