Rosenshine’s principle of ‘checking for student understanding’ suggests that teachers should regularly assess how well their students are comprehending the material they’re learning. This can be done through various strategies such as group discussions, quizzes, and question and answer sessions. By doing this, teachers can provide assistance to those that need it, as well as help all students reach their full learning potential.

1. Ask Closed-ended Questions: Ask concise questions that have specific answers as opposed to open-ended questions. For example, “Which of the following is an example of Newton’s first law? a) An object at rest stays at rest b) An object in motion stays in motion c) An object in motion accelerates d) Force equals mass times acceleration.”

2. Peer-to-Peer Discussion: Allow students to discuss the topic amongst themselves and then present their answers to the rest of the class. For example, have students break into small groups and discuss a specific question or concept and then each group presents their findings to the class.

3. Cold Calling: Cold calling is when a teacher calls on a student without any warning. This technique forces students to be prepared and engaged in the lesson. For example, randomly select a student and ask them to explain a concept that was just taught.

4. Think-Pair-Share: Have students take a few moments to think about a question and then discuss it with a partner before sharing their answers with the class. For example, ask students to think of a potential problem or consequence of a certain action and discuss it with a partner before sharing their thoughts with the class.

5. Clicker Technology: Use clickers or other technology to conduct anonymous “pop” quizzes throughout the lesson to gauge student understanding. For example, ask students to respond to a multiple-choice question on their clicker and have them discuss their answers with their peers.

6. Exit Tickets: Have students complete an exit ticket at the end of class that assesses their understanding of the material. For example, have students write a brief summary of the lesson and then discuss their answers with the teacher before they leave.

7. Self-Assessment: Have students assess their own understanding of the material before they leave class. For example, have students rate their understanding of the lesson on a scale of 1-5 before they leave.

8. Collaborative Learning: Encourage students to work collaboratively to complete tasks and assign roles to each student. For example, have students work in groups to complete a task and assign a leader, a note-taker, a reporter, etc. to each group.

9. Socratic Seminars: Have students engage in a discussion about a topic and guide them to draw their own conclusions. For example, have students discuss a question and have them evaluate the arguments and evidence presented.

10. Concept Maps: Have students create concept maps that illustrate the relationships between concepts. This encourages students to think critically and will help them to understand complex topics. For example, have students create a concept map that illustrates the relationships between different areas of mathematics.