Putting the "All" in Checking for Understanding

One of the most common gaps I see when working with teachers is a lack of intentional strategies to check for understanding—or relying on a few students to represent the whole class.

Learning in the classroom often happens beneath the surface—it’s not always visible. Even the most engaging lesson can fall flat if students don’t truly understand the material. If we press on, relying only on occasional checks like, “Does anybody have any questions?” we risk leaving gaps unaddressed. Not surprisingly, most students won’t raise their hands—admitting confusion takes confidence and courage.

WHY?

First, let's ask: why is checking all students for understanding so important? It comes down to three key areas:

THE OBVIOUS

1. Understanding: Ensuring students grasp the material before moving forward. If we rush ahead without checking comprehension, we risk cognitive overload and miss opportunities to reteach, clarify, or deepen understanding.

LESS OBVIOUS

2. Attention: Keeping students focused and engaged in the learning process. These quick check-ins ensure students are actually paying attention. You can’t learn something you’re not focused on.

RARELY TALKED ABOUT

3. Relationships: When you use techniques to check all students for understanding, you demonstrate that every student’s progress matters. This creates a culture of care and connection where students feel valued and supported.

I'm a big advocate of "cold calling," or strategic hands-down questioning, when done correctly, because it prompts all students to think. However, you still don't know what all students understood.

Good strategies like "cold calling" or strategic questioning are excellent tools to gauge understanding. (See related articles below.) However, even with the best methods, it’s challenging to check if all students understood. We’re often relying on a percentage to represent the whole, and time is always limited. It’s never going to be a perfect science, but we can aim to be more inclusive.

Below are some effective strategies, explicitly focused on ensuring every student’s understanding is checked, grouped by categories:

1. Show Me

These strategies provide quick and visible checks for understanding and listening. Examples include:

• Response Boards: Students write their answers and hold them up for the teacher to see. Craig Barton’s video on managing response boards offers great tips, such as controlling the flow by calling on specific sections of the room first. Watch here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBayieSHaK4&t=1s

• Quick Signals: Use fingers indicating 1–4 for levels of confidence and answers to questions. Thumbs up, thumbs down for Agree/Disagree. For anonymity (no cheating), use heads down on desks.

The key is making these methods quick, visible, and inclusive, ensuring even quieter students or those reluctant to speak are actively engaged.

2. Listen and Learn

The key here is to circulate and eavesdrop. Work the room. These strategies allow you to gather a fuller picture of the class’s understanding, going beyond the vocal few. 

• Brain Dumps: Give students a few minutes to write everything they know about a topic. (No peaking!)

• Quick Writes: Pose a focused question for a short, written response.

• Peer Re-Teach: Students explain concepts to one another while you circulate and eavesdrop, and assess their understanding. This approach also helps surface misconceptions and informs your next steps.

3. Examples/Non-Examples

This strategy focuses on showing clear examples and non-examples to help students differentiate concepts:

• Present students with examples and non-examples: “Which of these is a water shed? Which aren't?"

• Introduce intentional errors: Ask students to identify and correct mistakes in a problem or argument. This is great for lesson opening. Students love finding mistakes that aren't their own.

This approach develops critical thinking and helps students distinguish correct by understanding what they aren't. Works for all age groups. 

Examples and non-examples help students differentiate concepts and help teachers uncover misconceptions.

4. Keep Using These

Some strategies I see more regularly in classroom — and written about when discussing 'Checking for Understanding'.

• No Hands Up/Cold Call: Ensure participation by calling on all students, not just those eager to raise their hands. Pair this with partner talk to give everyone time to think before responding.

  
  

• Probing Questions: Ask deeper follow-ups like, “Can you elaborate?” or “Can you give me an example?” Use vocabulary prompts: “Describe this using terms like contrast or rhythm.” Encourage students to generate their own examples to solidify understanding.

  
  

• Exit Tickets: This classic strategy closes the lesson and guides future planning. Pose a specific question related to the day’s key learning objective, such as “Solve this problem” or “Give an example of [concept].” Use responses to assess understanding without needing to mark an entire set of books. Keep a set handy to grab and use when needed.

Bringing It All Together

Checking for understanding isn’t about adding more to your lesson plan—it’s about making small, intentional tweaks that provide valuable insights into student learning. By varying your strategies and ensuring they are inclusive, you create a classroom where every student’s understanding matters.

What’s one strategy you’ll try tomorrow to ensure every student is seen? Lots has been written about checking for understanding. Start with one technique and focus on all students.

More really helpful articles on Checking for Understanding.

"How to Get Checking for Understanding right in the Classroom" by Mark Roberts (TES)

"Principles of Instruction" by Barak Rosenshine

"Checking for Understanding: Why it Matters and How to do it." by Tom Sherrington