In this formative assessment check-in, Donna introduces a simple yet powerful classroom strategy for checking student understanding before moving on to exit tickets. The approach is straightforward: after teaching a skill or concept, teachers ask students to flip their paper over and independently write down what they’ve learned. This is not pair work—it’s a solo exercise designed to gauge individual comprehension. As students write, teachers walk around the room to observe their responses, gaining immediate insight into whether the class grasped the material. This method offers deeper, more thoughtful feedback than multiple-choice questions, as writing forces students to articulate their understanding. If teachers notice patterns of errors or misconceptions, they can address them right away. However, Donna emphasizes the importance of doing so sensitively: rather than calling out specific students, teachers should wait and address the issue collectively, using plural phrasing like "some of you might have written..." to avoid embarrassment. This approach helps clarify misunderstandings for those who struggled while also reinforcing correct reasoning for those who succeeded, providing both scaffolds and enrichment. Writing, Donna argues, is a powerful tool for checking understanding—it works for students and even adults. By implementing this quick, low-prep strategy, teachers can instantly see where their students are, clarify misconceptions, and support diverse learning needs in the moment. The segment concludes with a reminder to keep the practice simple and effective.
Hi, this is Donna with your formative assessment. Check in minute and today I want to talk about a neat strategy that we can use in the classroom before the kids get to the exit ticket. And I know a lot of us are probably doing this, but in case there's anybody who's new to teaching, an easy strategy to check for understanding that really puts the onus on the kids is right after you're teaching something, a skill or some kind of concept or content, before moving on, have your kids, if they have paper, flip their paper over or give them a piece of paper, whatever you're working on, and literally have them write it out. And we know this isn't pair work, this is absolutely independent. And walk around the room, if it's set up in rows or whatever, and see what the kids are writing down. And that's gonna let you know in the moment whether or not they got it. And what's neat about this strategy is that because you're seeing what kids are writing down and right away you know, oh oh, I need to clarify this, you can do it immediately. And their answers are a little more thoughtful than say picking A, B, C, or D. So based on what you're seeing, if you're seeing a pattern or you're seeing something and you wanna clarify right away, you can do it in the moment. So, and a neat way to do this, where you're not calling out those kids. So when you're walking between the rows, don't like stop near Donna and be like, hey, I just wanna clarify this. You know, wait till after you walk around and maybe pick a neutral space in the room or wait a couple minutes, and then you might wanna say, you know what? I can see where some of you might have picked C and always make it plural, right? Always make it plural. I can see where some of you might have picked or some of you might have wrote this down. I can see where some of you might have said this and then explain that almost like a distractor. And me, if I got it right, that's giving me a boost, right? Like, okay, and it's also providing enrichment because you're providing clarification and you're letting me know why I'm right. And at the same time, if I got it wrong, you're providing those scaffolds that I need to make sure I get it right or that misconception is clarified. So again, simply by having your kids write it down and writing is a very powerful tool in terms of checking for understanding because nothing tells you more if a kid is getting it than if they can write it out. And not even a kid, right? This could be grown folks. You ask somebody to write something down that tells you immediately how well they know that topic or skill. So again, real quick, turn the paper over, write it down in the moment, you're walking around the room, you're seeing where your kids are at and immediately you clarify any misconceptions, you provide scaffolds to the kids who need it and that enrichment to the kids who got it. And that's your minute. See you next time.
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
The strategy involves having students independently write down their understanding of a concept immediately after instruction, before moving on to an exit ticket.
Teachers walk around the room to observe students' written responses, allowing for real-time assessment of comprehension.
This method provides more thoughtful answers than multiple-choice questions (A, B, C, D) and helps identify patterns or misconceptions instantly.
To avoid singling out students, teachers should wait and address errors collectively, using plural language (e.g., "some of you might have written...") to create a neutral, supportive environment.
Clarifying misconceptions benefits both those who got it wrong (by providing scaffolds) and those who got it right (by reinforcing their understanding through enrichment).
Summary:
In this formative assessment check-in, Donna introduces a simple yet powerful classroom strategy for checking student understanding before moving on to exit tickets. The approach is straightforward: after teaching a skill or concept, teachers ask students to flip their paper over and independently write down what they’ve learned. This is not pair work—it’s a solo exercise designed to gauge individual comprehension.
As students write, teachers walk around the room to observe their responses, gaining immediate insight into whether the class grasped the material. This method offers deeper, more thoughtful feedback than multiple-choice questions, as writing forces students to articulate their understanding. If teachers notice patterns of errors or misconceptions, they can address them right away.
" to avoid embarrassment. This approach helps clarify misunderstandings for those who struggled while also reinforcing correct reasoning for those who succeeded, providing both scaffolds and enrichment. Writing, Donna argues, is a powerful tool for checking understanding—it works for students and even adults.
By implementing this quick, low-prep strategy, teachers can instantly see where their students are, clarify misconceptions, and support diverse learning needs in the moment. The segment concludes with a reminder to keep the practice simple and effective.
FAQs
The strategy is to have students flip their paper over and write down what they just learned before moving on, as an independent check for understanding.
It allows the teacher to see in the moment what students wrote, providing immediate insight into whether they understood, and writing reveals deeper understanding than multiple-choice answers.
The teacher should walk around, note patterns, and then address misconceptions without singling out students, using plural language like 'some of you might have written this.'
It provides enrichment by clarifying why their answer is correct, giving them a confidence boost and reinforcing their understanding.
It offers scaffolds and clarifies misconceptions, helping them correct their understanding in the moment.
To prevent embarrassment, the teacher should wait and address the class as a whole, using neutral language that doesn't single anyone out.
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