Mrs. Sherrill is an excellent math teacher. This past weekend, she spent a lot of time preparing a review lesson on adding and subtracting integers, excited about how it combined difficult subject matter with hands-on learning. She had introduced the concept earlier in the week but wanted to focus on it a little more before the students’ quiz on Friday.
The lesson was a hit! The students loved using math manipulatives to work with negative numbers. Walking around the room, Mrs. Sherrill listened to the students speak about the process and move their blocks around to demonstrate to their group members what to do next. They seemed to get it! She was proud of her students (and herself).
She allowed the students to work independently for a while, and at the end of the class period, she asked, “Does anyone have any questions?” No hands went up. “Great,” she thought, “we can move on from this.”
The next morning, her students took the quiz. The result? About 35% of the class had challenges with the assessment. Shocking results for Mrs. Sherrill! What happened overnight? How did they “lose” all the knowledge they’d gained in the last 24 hours?
The truth is that a third of the class never fully understood the concept. If Mrs. Sherrill had checked for understanding, she would have known which students needed extra help and been able to adjust her instruction before the quiz.
What is a check for understanding?
A check for understanding is a quick method used by educators to gauge whether their students grasped the materials being taught. Teachers can use questions, prompts, quizzes, polls, and even informal discussions to check if students understood and identify any confusion early so instruction can be adjusted if necessary.
You can think of checking for understanding as an added step in the teaching process. The most important part of this teaching strategy is checking whether students are retaining the information while you are still teaching it, not waiting until after the lesson is over. Short formative assessment are a great way to check for understanding, but they don't need to be pencil-and-paper checks.
No matter how you prefer to do it, checking for understanding doesn’t need to take a lot of time. Something as simple as having students use their fingers to show how well they understood the lesson can be a check.
Why is checking for understanding important for students?
The importance of checking for understanding lies in its ability to help educators maximize instructional time. It’s a daily activity that shouldn’t be reserved for observation days. If you want students to retain the subject matter, you should try to incorporate these checks into every lesson. That may sound tedious, but it doesn’t have to be.
The truth is that most of us try to check for understanding even if we don’t realize it. For example, a student who is confused on an assignment might rephrase it in their own words to make sure they understood it correctly or a teacher might watch their students’ body language for signs of confusion. Unfortunately, these efforts usually fall short.
How to check for understanding during a lesson
Let's go back to Mrs. Sherrill's classroom and her lesson on adding and subtracting integers. When Mrs. Sherrill asked if her students had any questions and no hands went up, she assumed they understood and moved on. If she had instead asked targeted questions, such as "can anyone explain how to add -3 and 5 using the manipulatives?" and called on students randomly, ensuring that all students were engaged and participating, she would've had an easier time identifying students who needed additional help.
But that is just one example of how Mrs. Sherrill could've checked for understanding. Here are five more simple check for understanding strategies to use in your own classroom:
1. Signals
This is the easiest and most effective way to check for understanding during the middle of a lesson. Body language alone can often tell you how a child feels if you look closely enough, but you can also ask them to use signals to express their feelings. For example, you can:
- Make a chart where students can move clothespins or write their names to show how well they understand a topic.
- Use a four-finger rating system. Students hold up one finger to show that they don’t understand, two for “I’m a little confused,” three for “I understand,” and four for “I’m able to teach others.”
- Have students hold up self-assessment cards to show where students stand. Usually self-assessment cards use colors to represent understanding (red, yellow, green).
2. Write it out
A straightforward way to check for students’ understanding at the beginning, middle, or end of a lesson is to ask them a question. Then, have each student use a dry-erase marker to write their answer on a small whiteboard. With a flash of the board or glance at a desk, you’ll quickly be able to assess who understands and who doesn’t. This works really well for math or other subjects where the answer is very short, like a word or number.
If you want to dig a little deeper, have students write a one-minute paper. To check for understanding this way, teachers write a brief question on the board and have students answer it as completely as they can in just one minute. You might also ask students to write for a minute about one of the following:
- Unanswered questions
- The most important thing learned
- Most surprising things learned
3. Talk it out
Using discussions to check for understanding allows students to articulate their thoughts and reasoning, providing teachers with immediate insight into their comprehension and their way of thinking. There are several different forms of this, such as:
- Think-pair-shares: Students are asked to considered a question independently, then they discuss with a partner before they share with the whole class.
- Socratic seminars: A discussion where the teacher acts as a facilitator, asking questions that help students think deeply about a subject.
- 3-2-1 discussions: Students talk to a partner (or teacher) about three things they didn’t know before, two things that surprised them about this topic, and one thing they want to start doing with what they’ve learned.
4. Use exit tickets
Exit tickets are an excellent option for the end of a lesson. On a slip of paper or index card, students write down any questions they have about the lesson or respond to a prompt that assesses their understanding and turn it in to the teacher. They might ask students to:
- Answer specific questions
- Write a summary
- Perform self-assessments
- Use Where-I-stand cards (have students write their names on an index card labeled with one of the following: got it, almost there, or reteach needed)
- Take classroom polls
5. Extension projects
These tasks take a little more class time but are still worthwhile. Allowing students to get creative can show you what they know in a fun and engaging way that appeals to different students' strength, interest, and background.
Project examples include:
- Creating a collage/poster presentation on the lesson or unit
- Making a postcard that explains the important things learned
- Crafting flashcards to test themselves and their classmates
- Designing a short quiz for classmates to take
Checking for understanding best practices
The best way to begin checking for understanding is to jump right in. If you’re not sure where to start, consider these best practices:
- Ground the lesson to an objective by posting it publicly and referencing it during the lesson.
- Call on students (even those who don’t have their hands raised) and use scaffolding when asking questions.
- Don’t allow opt-outs. All students must answer questions posed to them and participate in the discussion, even if they don’t know the answer.
- Don’t give up! Checking for understanding isn’t always easy, but it is rewarding and will help you become a more effective teacher in a short period of time.
How does checking for understanding impact student learning?
Regularly checking for understanding is a proven and efficient strategy for keeping teaching on track. It’s simple and effective, making it a valuable tool for educators looking to manage their classroom smoothly and keep a close eye on student outcomes. By actively gauging student comprehension, educators can make timely adjustments, ensuring that learning remains effective and focused.
So, if you’re not used to checking for understanding in your classroom, now is a perfect time to start.
This article was adapted from a blog post initially developed by the education technology company Classcraft, which was acquired by HMH in 2023. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.
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