After the live lesson: turn quick-check responses into a focused follow-up

A quick check is most useful when it changes what you teach next. After a live lesson, review the pattern of responses, identify the specific idea that may be unclear, and plan a short follow-up that gives learners a chance to use it. Then check understanding again. Treat the results as evidence to investigate—not proof that every learner has, or has not, mastered the topic.

This approach reflects the Education Endowment Foundation’s guidance: formative assessment can help teachers identify learning gaps, while effective feedback should give learners useful direction towards the learning goal. A poll on its own does not close a gap; the teaching response and the opportunity to try again matter too. Read the EEF guidance on teacher feedback.

Start with the learning point, not the percentage

Imagine a live lesson on workplace risk controls. The tutor asks learners which control is shown when a business replaces a solvent cleaner with a water-based alternative. The answer options include substitution and elimination. A number of learners choose elimination.

That pattern may point to a particular confusion: learners recognise that the original product has gone, but may not distinguish replacing a hazard with a less hazardous alternative from removing the hazard altogether. It is a useful clue for planning—not a diagnosis of each person’s understanding.

EduMark Live’s public page describes quick checks with results as learners respond and combined class results. A tutor can use those results to notice an overall pattern and decide what to revisit, while avoiding assumptions about individual mastery from a class-level result. Explore EduMark Live.

A practical follow-up routine

1. Restate what the check was meant to find out. Name the learning point in plain terms: “Can learners distinguish substitution from elimination?” If the question checked something broader, narrow down what the response pattern might mean.
2. Look for the likely misconception. Compare the answer options, not just the correct-answer percentage. Ask what a particular incorrect option might reveal. If more than one explanation seems plausible, plan a follow-up question rather than deciding too quickly.
3. Choose the smallest useful response. If the class seems to be mixing up two terms, a brief contrast with examples may be enough. If responses are mixed or the concept depends on several steps, use a short worked example or guided practice before moving on.
4. Check again with a fresh example. Ask learners to apply the distinction to a new situation. Changing the context helps you see whether they can use the idea, rather than simply repeat the example they have just heard.
5. Decide what happens next. Use the second check to choose whether to proceed, revisit the idea with the whole class, or provide additional practice. If the evidence is still unclear, gather more information before making a firm judgement.

Example: a five-minute recap

After the solvent question, the tutor could give a concise contrast:

• Elimination: remove the hazard—for example, stop using the hazardous process or material.
• Substitution: replace it with a less hazardous alternative—for example, use a water-based cleaner instead of a solvent-based one.

Next, learners could classify two new examples and explain briefly what changed in each. The tutor might then ask one fresh quick-check question: “A workshop stops using a particular chemical and changes the process so it is no longer needed. Which control is this?” The explanation matters as well as the selected answer: it gives the tutor a better indication of whether learners understand the distinction.

If most responses now point to elimination and explanations support that choice, the tutor may move on while remaining alert for the distinction in later work. If confusion persists, a short follow-up task—such as sorting examples into the two categories and explaining one choice—may be more useful than repeating the same slide.

Keep the evidence in proportion

A quick check captures responses at one moment. Some learners may guess, misread an option or know the answer without being able to explain it. Others may understand the idea but select the wrong option under time pressure. Use the result alongside what you hear in discussion, see in practice, and learn from later work.

It also helps to make participation feel safe: explain that the check is being used to guide teaching, not to label learners. Focus feedback on the task and the next step, and give learners time to act on it. The EEF guidance emphasises planning how learners will receive and use feedback, rather than treating feedback as the end of the process.

Make the next lesson responsive

Before the next session, note one simple decision: what the quick check suggested, what follow-up you chose, and what you will look for next. For example: “Several responses confused substitution with elimination; recap the distinction, practise with two new cases, then check whether learners can justify their choice.” That brief plan turns a live-session result into a purposeful teaching move without claiming more than the evidence shows.

EduMark Live provides quick checks and combined class results that can inform a tutor’s next step. The interpretation, follow-up teaching and judgement about individual understanding remain part of the educator’s work.