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BLOG NO.428

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You finish explaining the lesson.

You look around the classroom and ask:

“Any questions?”

And what happens?

Silence.

Nobody raises a hand.

So you assume:

“Okay, they understand.”

Not necessarily.

Sometimes the children are quiet because they don’t know what question to ask.

Sometimes they don’t want to admit they are confused.

Sometimes they think everyone else understands.

And sometimes…

They don’t even know that they don’t understand yet.

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So instead of ending every lesson with:

“Any questions?”

Try asking better questions.

1. “What is one thing you learned from this lesson?”

This tells you what actually stayed with them.

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2. “What part was confusing?”

Now you’re giving them permission to say:

“Ma, I didn’t get this part.”

That’s much more useful than waiting for them to formulate a question.

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3. “Can you explain this in your own words?”

If they can explain it without simply repeating your words, that’s a stronger sign of understanding.

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4. “Show me how you would solve this.”

Especially in Mathematics, Science and other problem-solving subjects.

Don’t only ask for the answer.

Ask them to show their thinking.

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5. “Give me an example.”

If they can apply what they have learned to a new example, you are getting closer to actual understanding.

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“6. What would you tell a friend who missed this lesson?”

This one is powerful.

It forces the learner to retrieve the idea and explain it.

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And here’s something teachers need to remember:

A classroom without questions is not necessarily a classroom without confusion.

Sometimes, the problem isn’t that learners have no questions.

They simply don’t know how to ask them.

So don’t make “Any questions?” your only method of checking understanding.

Your job isn’t just to ask:

“Did you understand?”

Your job is to gather evidence that they understood.

Because:

Silence is not proof of understanding.

👉🏽 Nodding is not proof of understanding.

👉🏽 “Yes, ma!” is definitely not proof of understanding.

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Ask better questions.

Check the learning.

Don’t just assume it.