10 Simple Ways Tutors Can Check for Understanding

Posted by eden

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10 Simple Ways Tutors Can Check for Understanding

Practical Strategies Every Tutor Should Use

Checking for understanding is one of the most important parts of effective tutoring. It is the bridge between teaching and true mastery. It helps you identify learning gaps, prevent misunderstandings, and ensure your student is truly absorbing the material, not just memorizing steps or guessing.

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Use these ten simple, high-impact tutoring strategies in any session to assess comprehension quickly and accurately, and to make your tutoring sessions more effective.

1. Use the “teach-back” method:

Asking students to explain the concept in their own words reveals true comprehension versus superficial memory.

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Tip for tutors:

Start with, “Imagine your friend missed the lesson, explain the key idea in three sentences.” If they can teach it clearly, they understand it. If they can’t, reteaching or reframing is needed.

2. Watch their process, not just the final answer:

Observing step-by-step work helps identify where confusion begins, differentiating a careless mistake from a conceptual gap.

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Tip for tutors:

Ask students to verbalize their thinking while completing the task.

3. Give a similar question with a twist:

Applying a concept to a new example demonstrates transfer of learning. 

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Tip for tutors:

Change numbers, wording, or context to test transfer of learning.

e.g., If you taught how to find the area of a rectangle, ask them to find the perimeter, or change the units from centimetres to metres.

 

4. Ask for a summary:

A quick summary shows whether they grasp the main idea and its relevance. 

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Tip for tutors:

Ask: “What was the main point of this?” or “Why did we use this strategy?”

5. Look for misconceptions:

Students often develop common  misunderstandings. Knowing these allows you to target your questions strategically.

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Tip for tutors:

Ask probing questions such as, “Why did you choose that step?” to uncover flawed logic.

6. Use visual models or drawings:

Visual explanations help translate abstract concepts into tangible forms, immediately clarifying their thinking and revealing any gaps.

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Tip for tutors:

Encourage students to draw diagrams, graphs, number lines, or story maps.

7. Try “what if” questions:

This helps test flexibility and depth of understanding by changing the context.

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Tip for tutors:

Ask: “What if this number was zero?” or “How would your strategy change if you had a character with the opposite personality?”

8. Have students check or correct sample work:

Evaluating someone else’s work helps them recognize errors and deepen understanding.

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Tip for tutors:

Provide a sample of work that contains a common, simple error and ask the student, “Find the mistake and explain why it’s wrong.”

9. Ask them to predict the next step:

Prediction requires a comprehension of the underlying process and goal, moving beyond simple step-by-step memorization.

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Tip for tutors:

“Based on the goal, what is the next step, and why are we doing it?”

10. Observe confidence, body language, and hesitation:

Understanding isn’t only verbal — behaviour often reveals more.

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Tip for tutors:

Hesitation, silence, sighing, or rushing suggests uncertainty. If you see this, use a non-judgmental prompt: “It looks like you’re rethinking that. Tell me what just went through your mind.”

Effective tutors don’t just teach, they constantly check for understanding. These ten strategies help ensure your student isn’t just completing tasks but truly learning, retaining information, and feeling confident in their abilities. Consistent use of these ten techniques will transform your sessions, ensuring your student isn’t just completing tasks but truly learning, retaining information, and feeling confident in their abilities. This leads directly to stronger, measurable progress and greater long-term success.