What Are They Thinking? The Ultimate Guide to Checking for Understanding

David Goodwin is a trust-wide Teaching and Learning Lead in the East of England, working with colleagues across Early Years to Key Stage 4. He writes, speaks, and occasionally illustrates ideas about teaching and learning. He remains, first and foremost, a learner.

• Introduction Section 1: Checking for Understanding and Prior Knowledge 1. Prior Knowledge and Schema Theory2. Prior Knowledge and Meaning Making3. Prior Knowledge and ConsolidationSection 2: Checking for Understanding and the Science of Learning 4. The Illusion of Learning5. Desirable Difficulties: The Paradoxical Nature of Learning 6. Assessment: The Bridge Between What is Taught and What is Learnt Section 3: Checking for Understanding in Action 7. Ratio: Involve All Students All of The Time8. Cold Calling9. Mini Whiteboards10. Hinge Questions11. Exit TicketsSection 4: Checking for Understanding and...12. Checking for Understanding and SEND13. Checking for Understanding and Adaptive Teaching14. Checking for Understanding and Early Years15. Checking for Understanding and OracyClosing Thoughts

Checking for understanding can be seen as something teachers do naturally and instinctively, and whilst there is truth in that, it would be foolish not to give checking for understanding the careful consideration and thought it deserves. This is where this book stands out, as the author tackles the importance of checking for understanding (the why) with key points teachers must be aware of from the illusion of learning to poor proxies for learning. Followed by practical advice for teachers, ranging from exit tickets to mini whiteboards. This book contains strategies that teachers can implement in their classroom to ensure checking for understanding helps both the teacher and the learner. A fascinating book by David Goodwin, one to add to every staffroom professional learning library!Kate Jones, Author and Senior Associate for Teaching and Learning at Evidence Based Education.It's tempting to follow the Hermione Grangers of the classroom—the students who always have a hand up, who make lessons look smooth, who already know the answers. But our job isn't limited to designing instruction for the kids who find school easy. We're here to make sure every child gets a turn to engage in the great conversation—the most interesting ideas our species has made. This book refuses to confuse nodding along with understanding, or busy activity with learning. It treats checking for understanding not only as what it is—the engine of responsive teaching—but as an expression of an ethical commitment: that every child can succeed when we support them to shine and show what they know.Zach Groshell, PhD, USA. Former teacher, author, instructional coach, podcaster, chief learning scientist.This is a generous, thoughtful guide to the most important question in teaching: what are they thinking? David Goodwin shows, with clarity and warmth, how to make students' thinking visible and their learning real. Given David's deep understanding of the science of learning, What are they thinking? is research-rich, practical, and deeply humane. An essential book for every teacher and the basis for ongoing CPD. I'll be recommending it widely.Mary Myatt, education writer and speakerThis excellent book by David Goodwin covers a lot of ground: cognitive science, desirable difficulties, formative assessment, motivational theory, questioning, scaffolding, adaptive teaching… and a lot more besides. Its scope and detail are impressive. Importantly, it also offers a great deal of exemplification across a wide range of subject areas, supporting teachers to understand how principles might be applied in practice. For all of these reasons, it should be a very valuable resource to anyone interested in developing their teaching practice.Bruce Robertson, Next Level Educational CEO, and author of The Teaching Delusion trilogy and ‘Power Up’ seriesChecking for understanding is at the heart of great teaching, and yet it's also one of the most complex aspects of our job. What are they thinking? does a brilliant job of explaining why this part of teaching is so complex; considering the role that prior knowledge plays, how poor proxies can give us an illusion of learning, and what great checks for understanding actually look like as part of an adaptive teaching framework. The book distills the research in an accessible but thorough way, and yet this is also an eminently practical book. The sections on strategies such as hinge questions, cold call and the use of mini whiteboards are filled with helpful examples from a range of subjects as well as classroom vignettes which bring the strategies to life. This book not only gave me a wider depth of knowledge but it really made me think hard. What are they thinking? is a highly recommended read for any classroom teacher who wants to find out more about what their students know and understand.Rachel Ball, PD Specialist at Steplab, Co-author of The Scaffolding EffectWhat a magnificent book! Goodwin does a wonderful job of explaining the theory behind checking for understanding and applying it to the classroom to improve learning outcomes. I don't care what age you teach, what the subject matter is, or how long you've been in the teaching profession, What Are They Thinking? will deepen your knowledge and appreciation for what great teaching looks and sounds like in the classroom; how to efficiently and effectively assess student thinking and move students forward in the process of learning.Blake Harvard, Classroom Teacher and Author of Do I Have Your Attention?This book offers a clear, research-informed guide to checking for understanding and responding to what students actually know. Goodwin explains key cognitive principles in practical classroom terms and shows how they connect to responsive teaching. Strategies are presented with strong rationale and concrete guidance, making them easy to implement consistently. The result is a book that strengthens everyday practice, improves the accuracy of assessment in the moment, and helps teachers make better instructional decisions lesson by lesson.Professor Haili Hughes, Professor of Educational mentoring and coaching, Academica University of Applied SciencesIn What Are They Thinking?, David Goodwin tackles one of the most uncomfortable truths in teaching: we are often less certain about students' understanding than we think. This book goes beyond surface-level questioning strategies and digs into the cognitive science of prior knowledge, misconceptions, and memory, showing why learning is so easy to misjudge and so hard to secure. What makes this book stand out is its insistence that checking for understanding is not a routine but a responsibility. Hinge questions, cold call, and mini whiteboards are treated not as engagement tools but as instruments for better instructional decisions. This is a thoughtful, rigorous book every teacher will find beneficial to read.Sarah Cottinghatt, Research Lead at Steplab