He is a cult celebrity among the teaching profession, but author and educator Doug Lemov believes the real heroes are the teachers working hard in every classroom.

In an interview in this week’s TES, the US teacher-turned-writer talks about the follow-up to his bestselling book Teach Like a Champion, and gives an insight into what he thinks makes a great teacher.

“I think that one of the things that great teachers have is that they’re constantly thinking about the experience of the classroom through their students’ eyes,” Lemov says. “One of the techniques I understand much better now than I did in the first book is ‘double plan’. What great teachers do is plan what they’ll be doing but also what their kids will be doing.”

Teach Like a Champion has become a bible for many teachers, with its step-by-step guides and techniques on how to improve classroom practice.

The updated edition, Teach Like a Champion 2.0, is due out in the new year. Lemov says it “elevates” certain aspects of the original, giving teachers a clearer idea of what works.

Read the full interview in the 28 November edition of TES on your tablet or phone or by downloading the TES Reader app for Android or iOS. Or pick it up at all good newsagents.