Over recent weeks, our whole-school professional learning has centred on the work of Doug Lemov and his Teach Like a Champion framework. As a staff, we are working collectively to embed consistent rituals and routines across the school so that every boy experiences clarity, purpose, and high expectations in every lesson.
At the heart of this work is a simple but powerful principle: learning becomes stronger when students are required to think. As cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham reminds us, “Memory is the residue of thought.” When students actively retrieve knowledge, rather than simply re-reading or listening, it strengthens understanding and long-term retention.
Cold Call: Promoting Excellence and Respect.
One key strategy we are embedding is Cold Call. This is not simply a questioning technique, but a thinking routine that signals every question is for everyone. It ensures that participation is equitable and that every boy’s ideas matter.
Cold Call:
Promotes voice equity across the classroom
Builds attentive engagement and accountability
Strengthens retrieval and checking for understanding
Normalises mistakes as part of the learning process
This approach strongly reflects our value of Respect, ensuring all students are included in the intellectual life of the classroom, and Manakitanga, as teachers create supportive environments where boys feel safe to contribute and grow. Research shows that classrooms using consistent cold calling see increased voluntary participation and confidence over time.
Do Now: Pursuing Excellence Through Routine
We are also embedding consistent “Do Now” activities at the beginning of lessons. These short retrieval tasks, completed in silence, establish a calm and purposeful start while reinforcing prior learning.
Effective Do Nows:
Strengthen memory through effortful retrieval
Prime students for new content
Surface misconceptions early
Create predictable and focused routines
As Robert A. Bjork explains, effortful retrieval makes learning more durable. When every lesson begins with clarity and purpose, we signal our commitment to Excellence, not just in outcomes, but in daily habits.
Together, these shared practices are building a consistent teaching and learning culture across the College. Through structured participation, high expectations, and supportive relationships, we are ensuring that our values of Excellence, Respect and Manakitanga are visible not only in what we say, but in what happens in every classroom, every day.
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