- Replace 'does everyone understand?' with checks that give real information
- Use wait time, no hands up and cold calling without fear
- Act on what a check tells you, in the same session
The question that tells you nothing
"Does everyone understand?" gets nods from people who do not, silence from people who are unsure, and nothing from the people you most need to hear from.
A useful check has three properties:
- Everybody answers, not just volunteers.
- The answer shows thinking, not recall of the last sentence you said.
- You can see the answers quickly enough to change what you do next.
Four techniques worth the effort
Wait time. Ask, then count to five silently. Most people wait under a second. Five seconds transforms both the number and the quality of answers.
No hands up, plus cold calling. You choose who answers. Done warmly and predictably it raises participation. Warn the group it is how you run sessions, so it feels like norm, not ambush.
Whole-class response. Mini whiteboards, a show of fingers one to four, or a quick poll. You see everyone at once.
Hinge questions. One well-built multiple-choice question where each wrong option reveals a specific misconception. Right answer, move on. Wrong answers clustered on option C, reteach that point now.
You ask a hinge question. Six of fifteen pick the same wrong option. What is the best next move?
Feedback that gets used
Assessment only counts as formative if something changes as a result.
- Give feedback on the task, not the person.
- Be specific enough to act on: "your conclusion restates the question, add what the evidence showed" beats "more detail needed".
- Build in time to act on it. Feedback nobody responds to is admin.
- Less, more often, beats a long comment at the end.
5 questions. Pick an answer to see whether it is right and why.
1.Typical teacher wait time after a question is closer to:
2.A hinge question is designed so that:
3.Cold calling works best when:
4.Assessment is formative only if:
5.The weakest check of understanding is:
Write one hinge question for your next session, with one deliberately wrong option.
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