Reduced feedback, and especially feedback that’s deliberately faded from specific to general, is a quiet but powerful way to shift responsibility from the teacher’s correction to the learner’s cognition. And that’s exactly what education is supposed to do.
Our latest chat on ‘It’s Your Time You’re Wasting is about whether pedagogy trumps subject knowledge www.youtube.com/live/3YRLO2j... it is also available as a podcast on Podbean, Apple, Amazon & Spotify - with @didau.bsky.social and yours truly…
As I continue to write my book, Teacher Hacks: Geography, I'm drafting something on the role of Big Ideas in creating geographical meaning, exploring the metaphor that knowledge had a topography.
Thoughts and feedback welcome!
An interesting thread on the pivotal role of checking for understanding in adaptive teaching.
Ultra-Processed Minds: The End of Deep Reading and What It Costs Us
An erudite long-read by co-author, colleague, and friend @carlhendrick.substack.com - More than worth the time and effort to read!
#EduSky
open.substack.com/pub/carlhend...
Loving the bearded chap
A thing of beauty
9/
In short:
C4U isn’t an optional extra — it’s the engine of adaptive teaching.
Without it, we’re just flying blind.
8/
And with that data, action is key:
• Reteach
• Reframe
• Simplify
• Use more examples
• Scaffold or fade support
Otherwise, adaptive teaching is just another label slapped on poor implementation.
7/
These techniques reduce the “blind trial and error” Nuthall warned about.
They tell you:
• Who’s got it?
• Who hasn’t?
• Do I reteach?
• Can I push further?
They give you data to adapt your teaching in real time.
6/
If you want to get better at adaptive teaching, invest in the tools that make student thinking visible:
• MWBs (mini whiteboards)
• Hinge questions
• Cold calling
• Exit tickets
• Retrieval checks
5/
How do you adapt instruction if you don’t know what your students are thinking?
Without C4U, adaptive teaching is just educated guesswork.
4/
But here’s the catch:
If adaptive teaching is to mean anything, it must start with being in step with your students.
And that means checking for understanding (C4U).
3/
Adaptive or responsive teaching is everywhere right now.
It’s the buzzword of the moment — and for good reason.
We should aim to maintain high expectations for all, not return to “differentiation” that diluted learning and widened gaps.
2/
Graham Nuthall, in The Hidden Lives of Learners (2007), reveals a powerful truth:
“Much of what happens in classrooms is invisible to teachers.”
That’s a big problem for adaptive teaching.
1/
I’m increasingly convinced:
You can’t talk meaningfully about adaptive teaching without talking about checking for understanding.
Let me explain why. A thread.
Look forward to new teacher coaches in our, @WALKTHRUs_5 coaching book.
PS. Stay informed:
→ snacks.pepsmccrea.com