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Sunday, March 1, 2026

Teacher < > Coach

The best teachers I know follow this recipe:

  • Relentlessly craft lessons that cause students to acquire and retain knowledge relevant to the subject matter. On continuous loop, in many and varying ways.
  • Persistently present students with skill development activities that require usage and habitual application of that knowledge. On continuous loop, in many and varying ways.
  • Expose students to, and require them to wrestle with, novel situations in which the students must transfer the acquired knowledge and skills to new contexts/problems. Providing ongoing feedback as the students productively grapple and struggle.
The best coaches I know follow this recipe:

  • Relentlessly craft lessons that cause students to acquire and retain knowledge relevant to the subject matter. On continuous loop, in many and varying ways.
  • Persistently present students with skill development activities that require usage and habitual application of that knowledge. On continuous loop, in many and varying ways.
  • Expose students to, and require them to wrestle with, novel situations in which the students must transfer the acquired knowledge and skills to new contexts/problems. Providing ongoing feedback as the students productively grapple and struggle.
The best teachers I know are superb coaches. The best coaches I know are superb teachers.