Checking learners’ understanding

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Using assessment to check learner understanding can be a useful starting point in a lesson. Checking understanding at the start of a lesson can support progression and coherence – that lessons take account of prior learning.

Working with learners to develop learning intentions and success criteria makes clear what they are learning and how they might achieve it. The Education Endowment Foundation classes metacognition as a highly effective and well-evidenced approach to making significant progress in learning.

Checking learner understanding at the start of the lesson

Educators can use quizzes to check learner understanding. Google and Microsoft Forms are available in glow.

Educators can use collaborative spaces, such as Microsoft Whiteboard to share and group ideas using ‘post-its’. to check the understanding of a group of learners. Microsoft Whiteboard is available in glow.

Educators might build on the flipped learning approach by providing learners with the opportunity to present their learning from home. Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint are available in glow.

Share learning intentions and success criteria with learners

Educators can communicate learning intentions and success criteria with learners using the chat/posts function in Classroom or Teams. Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams are available in glow.

Educators can create a rubric that explains what the learning intention is and what different levels of success might look like. These can be shared with learners so that they are clear on their outcomes. They can also be used by educators to provide quick feedback to learners. Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams are available in glow.