A common ineffective way teachers check for understanding in the classroom is by asking a variation of the question, “Does everybody get this?”

If not that, then what?

Today’s post will offer a number of ideas, and you can also explore The Best – & Quickest – Ways To ‘Check For Understanding.’

‘Make Student Thinking Visible’

Tyler Wayne Gilbert is an instructional coach for a large Central Valley district in California, an education consultant, and a San Diego State University doctoral student pursuing an Ed.D in educational leadership:

If there’s one truth I’ve learned as both a classroom teacher and instructional coach, it’s this: Students can appear engaged without actually being engaged, and they can nod along without ever truly understanding. That’s why checking for understanding isn’t optional—it’s the heartbeat of effective instruction. Without it, we risk teaching lessons to ourselves instead of to our students.

The most effective ways I’ve found to check for understanding all share one common thread: They make student thinking visible. When we can see it, we can respond to it. When it stays hidden, we are left guessing.

First, I’ve learned to rely on questions that probe thinking, not just answers. Asking, “Does that make sense?” almost guarantees a polite nod or silence. Instead, I ask, “Why might someone disagree with this? What would you say to convince them?” These types of questions don’t just confirm whether students know the right answer; they reveal how deeply students can reason with the content.

Second, I’ve come to value low-stakes demonstrations of learning. Quick writes, sketches, or verbal one-sentence summaries allow students to translate ideas into their own words. When a student can explain a concept clearly to a peer, I know learning is taking root. These moments also shift the ownership of learning back to students. They are not simply passengers on the instructional ride—they’re in the driver’s seat.

Third, I make it a point to sample widely. Too often, we rely on the same handful of eager volunteers, giving us a skewed picture of what the class actually understands. Cold-calling, random name generators, or even “turn-and-talks” broaden participation, reminding every student that their thinking matters. When every voice is included, our instructional decisions are more accurate and equitable.

Fourth, entrance/exit tickets have become a simple yet powerful tool. They don’t have to be fancy. A single question—carefully crafted—can expose both clarity and confusion. More importantly, entrance/exit tickets are only as valuable as what we do with them. The next day’s instruction must reflect what we learned from student responses. Otherwise, the check is performative, not purposeful.

Finally, I’ve discovered the power of listening in on peer conversations. When students explain concepts to one another, misconceptions bubble up, creativity sparks, and authentic learning unfolds. Sometimes, the richest data come not from a test or a ticket but from the conversations students have when they think we’re not listening.

In the end, the most effective checks for understanding are less about tools and more about habits. They require us to slow down, to notice, and to respond in real time. Because when we consistently make student thinking visible, we not only check for understanding, we build it.

A ‘Forward-Looking Focus’

Matthew Johnson is a father, husband, and high school English/language arts teacher in Ann Arbor, Mich. He is the author of Flash Feedback: Responding to Student Writing Better and Faster—Without Burning Out and Good Grammar: Joyful and Affirming Language Lessons That Work for More Students:

A glance at popular representations of teachers might lead one to believe that the secret to being a good teacher is to say the right things in the right way—to stand in front of a group of young people and deliver in a way that moves them. 

And while presentation and performance matter, just as important are the moments we stop speaking and listen, as learning is a collaborative activity where both sides play equally important roles. 

One particularly important form of listening in the classroom is checking for understanding, which is well explained by Blake Harvard in his book Do I Have Your Attention when he says the following:

It is important that, during class, we take these measures of knowledge quite frequently. When you think about it, not assessing (and listening to what that is communicating) is akin to driving to an unknown destination without any form of map; you don’t know where you’re going and you don’t know when you’ll get there. (p. 89)

Harvard’s point is well supported by research and just makes sense, and yet regular checks for understanding can be rare in practicing classrooms, which tend to constantly move on to the next problem, the next lesson, and the next unit. 

The reason for this forward-looking focus is pretty simple: time. There is never enough time to do and cover everything, which brings up the question of how teachers can build in more moments to check for understanding, even as they continue to move forward. In my own classroom I’ve found two tools in particular to be really helpful for doing this: 

Tool #1: Student Annotation/Narration of Their Own Work

Historically, marking student papers has been the domain of teachers, but there is great value to having students discuss via annotations their thinking and choices made. This is helpful for the students, as it trains them in metacognitive thinking, and it is equally helpful for teachers as a way to track student thinking and understanding, while also saving some time because students have already begun the process of responding to the work. 

For an example of this, let’s take commas, which are a perennial issue for a 9th grade teacher like me. I used to do comma worksheets, but mastery on those worksheets rarely transferred to better comma usage in student writing. Now, I have students write a short paper on a topic of their choice where they narrate through annotations why they used commas to connect certain sentences or add extra information. And the results have increased understanding for both parties. I get a better understanding of their thought process and what is sticking, and they must develop a far deeper understanding of commas than they ever did when we were doing worksheets alone. 

Tool #2: Group Feedback

Peer response often has a bad reputation—and for good reason. When untrained students are asked to respond to the work of classmates, the social and academic pressures often cause them to shut down and provide minimally useful feedback. But with the right conditions, students can give remarkably good feedback, while also giving us a window into their understanding. 

A good first step in this direction is outlined by Dylan Wiliam in Embedded Formative Assessment. In it, he says to imagine that a teacher has a test coming up and before the test, she gives a practice quiz. Instead of collecting the quiz or going over the answers, though, she gives an extra quiz to each table group and has the students come up with the answers for the blank quiz together. As the students work through the quiz, they can then explain points of confusion to each other while the teacher floats around, noting both meta trends (which might inform future lessons) and individual areas of struggle. And best of all, at the end, the teacher won’t take home papers, but they will take home a far better understanding of how students are understanding the subject.

From Kahoot to fists-to-fives, there are many, many ways to check what students know, but these two tools in particular have helped me to better teach and better understand my students, all while trimming down my own workload. 

‘Vibe Checks’

Kayla Towner is a product manager and technology instructor for Utah Education Network (UEN) and a Teacher Fellows leader in Salt Lake City:

My most effective ways to check for understanding are threefold.

First, we must have clear learning outcomes (learning intentions, learning objectives, learning goals, etc). Otherwise, what is the lesson’s point if those are unclear? Learning intentions state what students will learn, understand, or be able to do by the end of the lesson. It’s the goal for student learning. Example learning intention: "Learn how multiplication and addition help solve real-world mathematical problems involving volume for our school garden.”

Then, the success criteria are how students will show they have achieved the learning intention. They are specific, measurable, and observable indicators of success. They are the evidence of learning from your lesson or the proof of learning from the activities or tasks, not the activities and functions themselves. It’s the question, “How will I know if students have met success?” Example success criterion: “I can accurately calculate the volume of at least three different garden beds using multiplication or addition.”

Then I would use proficiency scales with my learning outcomes to quickly check student understanding. Proficiency scales are a tool that aligns to levels of complexity and provides teachers and students with an accurate picture of expectations. According to the Edutopia article by Michael McDowell, “Aligning Instructional Strategies and Competency-Based Assessment,” somebody can use a simple 4.0 scale to monitor current performances (formative and summative assessments).

I would get a “vibe check” from my classroom and quickly ask them to show with their fingers if they are 4-3-2-1 based on our school’s proficiency scales. A vibe check is a quick, informal way to gauge student understanding. If most of my students reported back with a 3 or 4, I know they understand core principles, and some students can transfer that knowledge. However, if students reported back with a 1 or 2, I know I must slow down and discover any misconceptions or confusion.

Finally, incorporate a formative assessment at the end of each lesson, such as a quick exit ticket, whole-class discussion, individual student reflection, or even a quiz. These formative assessments are crafted carefully to be accurate indicators of the learning outcomes, ensuring that everything aligns seamlessly. For instance, consider the example Exit Ticket: Garden Volume Challenge, which effectively evaluates students’ understanding of the lesson.

Checking for Understanding Is like Building a House

1. Laying the Foundation = Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

• Just like a house needs a solid foundation, your lesson starts with clear learning intentions and success criteria.
• These blueprints guide the construction and help everyone understand what a “finished” product should look like.
  

2. Framing the Structure = Proficiency Scales (4-3-2-1)

• Builders constantly check for alignment and stability as the walls go up. This is your ongoing formative assessment.
• The 4-3-2-1 proficiency check is your level tool: a quick, effective way to gauge student understanding in the movement.
• It helps you spot or fix misconceptions before they become structural issues.
  

3. Final Walk-Through = Exit Tickets, Reflections, Assessments

• Before handing over the keys, you do a final inspection—this is your exit ticket, student reflection, or quick summative assessment.
• It confirms whether the learning is solid and ready to be built upon in the next lesson.

‘At the Forefront of Any Lesson’s Planning’

Francis (Skip) Fennell, a former classroom teacher, principal, and supervisor of instruction, is an emeritus professor of education and graduate and professional studies at McDaniel College in Maryland.

Beth McCord Kobett is a professor and dean in the School of Education at Stevenson University, where she works closely with early-childhood, elementary, and middle school preservice teachers:

We believe that thinking about “checking for understanding” begins when a teacher starts planning a mathematics lesson. Initial planning includes consideration and selection of the lesson’s math topic and, importantly, how students will be engaged doing the math they are learning during the lesson—including task creation or selection and identifying the materials to be used by students.

As such planning occurs, a parallel plan for how lesson-based formative assessment is considered and implemented must occur. We suggest that regardless of the instructional focus of a mathematics lesson or a related intervention, the use of a lesson-connected formative assessment directly related to the teacher’s planning and instruction provides the focus and direction for checking for student understanding. Our critical point: Formative assessment is not an afterthought; it’s your daily guide to check for student understanding.

Let’s consider how the following formative-assessment techniques that we know you likely use every day should be recognized and valued as effective and readily adaptable ways to check for student understanding.

1. Observation: You observe students all day long! Legitimize what you see by targeting observations during mathematics class to check for student understanding within a lesson. For example, consider the extent to which students: understand how to use materials related to the lesson, are able to engage representations [number line] involved in the lesson’s activities, and discuss their use in a problem’s solution.

Questions teachers must consider related to the use of observation to check for understanding include:

• What strengths or challenges do you expect to observe? And how will you know “it” if you see (observe) it?

• How will you record and provide feedback related to what you observe?

2. Interviews: An interview is the perfect opportunity to extend what you have observed. Such opportunities with individual students or small groups allow you to dig deeper into a student’s statements, written responses, and use of representations to frame your assessment of their understanding.

Questions to be considered as you plan a day’s mathematics activities and use of interviews include:

• Who would you want to interview and why?

• What responses might you anticipate from students? Would they reveal understandings?

3. Show Me: Check for understanding by having students show you what they know! This performance-based response by a student or group of students extends and often validates what you have observed and what you may have asked within an interview. Have students show a solution strategy, how they used a drawing, how they might extend a pattern, etc. Connecting back to instruction, a “show me” response often provides a heads-up for redirecting student responses during the lesson.

Questions to be considered as you plan a day’s mathematics activities and possible use of show me to check for understanding.

• Where might show me opportunities occur, and what do you hope to learn from them?

• What might you anticipate from students from a performance standpoint? (For example, understandings, possible mathematical challenges or strengths, extensions of the math focus of the lesson.)

In summing up, it is critically important to recognize that how we determine, interpret, record, and discuss student understandings is centered on the big idea that mathematical understandings are developmental—what students understand at any given time. So, checking for understanding must be at the forefront of any lesson’s planning and implementation. Our comments highlight the importance and influence of lesson-based formative assessment in monitoring such student understandings.

Thanks to Tyler, Matthew, Kayla, Skip, and Beth for contributing their thoughts!

Today’s post answered this question:

What have you found to be the most effective ways to “check for understanding”?

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on X at @Larryferlazzo or on Bluesky at @larryferlazzo.bsky.social.

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