Understanding checks allow teachers to identify any misconceptions that students may have and to explain things that they are still struggling with. Rosenshine's sixth principle suggests that teachers take intermittent periods during the lesson to stop and evaluate if students have understood the learning material. Teachers can do this by asking students to give a presentation, share their opinion about the lesson, summarize information, and correct students' mistakes. Student comprehension checks ensure that students have a clear basis for their learning and prepare them to learn the next topic.
As a teacher, I recognize that many of the pedagogical texts that are presented to teachers in training have been replaced or, worse, discredited as educational myths. Barak Rosenshine (1930-2001), professor and expert in educational psychology at the University of Illinois, explored teacher teaching together with Robert Stevens and identified the effectiveness of the methods and approaches practiced by the most successful teachers. These roles were determined based on previous research on successful teacher training and student achievement programs.
