Checking for Understanding Using TAPPLE:
A Proven Strategy for Every Classroom
At DataWORKS Educational Research, we believe that effective teaching requires more than just delivering content. It requires continuously verifying that students are learning what is being taught while it’s being taught. This is the foundation of our TAPPLE strategy for checking for understanding.
What Is Checking for Understanding?
Checking for understanding means continually verifying students are learning what is being taught while it’s being taught. This means stopping every couple of minutes to make sure students are actually learning as you teach. It’s not about looking at quizzes, homework, or test scores after the fact. It’s about checking in real time, every single day.
The TAPPLE Method
TAPPLE is a comprehensive checking for understanding strategy developed by DataWORKS Educational Research and featured in our books Explicit Direct Instruction: The Power of the Well-Crafted, Well-Taught Lesson and Explicit Direct Instruction for English Learners. Let’s break down each component:
T: Teach First
Before you ask questions, teach first. This provides equal opportunity so every child can answer. Avoid questions like “Who knows?” or “What is this?” Your job as a teacher is to teach first, then verify students are learning what you just taught.
For example, when teaching two-step equations, you would explicitly teach the four steps: read the problem, isolate the term with the variable, perform inverse operations, and solve. Only after teaching these steps do you begin checking for understanding.
A: Ask a Specific Question
Ask a specific question about what you just taught. No opinions allowed. Specific questions might include “How did I solve this problem?” or “How did you just solve this problem?” You can also ask concept-based questions like “What does the answer mean?” or “Tell me in your own words what the definition is.”
Avoid opinion questions like “Does everybody understand?” or “Do you know how to solve it?” Most students won’t self-identify when they’re confused, making these questions ineffective for gauging actual understanding.
P: Pause, Pair Share, and Point
Pause: Research shows it takes 3 to 5 seconds for humans to think of an answer. For English Learners, allow 8 to 10 seconds. English Learners often translate the question into their home language, answer in their home language, and then translate back. Without adequate wait time, not all students can process the information.
Pair Share: This is a super practice for checking for understanding. Have students turn to their partners and answer questions with each other for every question you ask. Assign A partners and B partners, then direct the pairs: “A partners explain to B’s” or “B’s go first.”
With pair share, everybody answers every question. Make sure students use complete sentences with academic language. You don’t want students to simply say “six.” You want the complete sentence: “The perimeter of the polygon is 6 inches.”
Point: If students are pair sharing with papers in front of them, have them point to their partner’s paper while explaining. For example, “A partners, point to B’s paper and explain how to solve that problem” or “Point to the paragraph in your partner’s book and show where the character traits are being revealed.” This kinesthetic activity keeps students engaged and focused.
P: Pick a Non-Volunteer
After students have pair shared and rehearsed their answers, pick a non-volunteer to measure if everyone is learning. The pair share provides excellent rehearsal, especially for English Learners who are practicing oral language.
Always pick a non-volunteer. Don’t call on hand-wavers. When you rely on volunteers, it’s usually the same two or three students answering throughout the entire lesson. With non-volunteers, all students participate. Use popsicle sticks, 3×5 cards, or some other mechanical system for calling on students randomly.
If you’re truly checking for understanding, you’re conducting a poll. Your poll isn’t accurate if you only call on three volunteers who probably already know the answers.
L: Listen to the Response
Listen to the response to make an instructional decision. Every time students answer, you need to make a decision: Are they with me? Do I need to reteach? What do I need to do next?
E: Effective Feedback
There are three simple choices for effective feedback:
Echo if correct: Sometimes just repeating the answer helps other students hear it and affirms to the student that they have the correct answer. “You isolated the variable by doing the inverse operation. Very good. What was that inverse operation? The inverse operation was addition. Addition. I added three to both sides.”
Elaborate if tentative: If the student’s answer is a little tentative, rephrase it and make it sound better. You don’t need to reteach. “You isolated the variable by adding. Yes, and what did I add? Three. I added three to both sides to keep it balanced. That’s how I isolated the variable. Very good.”
Explain if incorrect: This is super important. If two students in a row can’t answer, reteach. Don’t fish for the answer by calling on students until you find someone who knows. Just stop and reteach.
A Critical Detail: Ask Before You Pick
Look carefully at the sequence: you ask the question before you pick the non-volunteer. You should ask “Students, how did I solve this problem? Explain to your neighbors. In a minute I’m going to ask one of you.”
If you call the name first (“John, can you answer this question?”), that person starts thinking while the rest of the class stops thinking. Make sure you ask the question first, let everybody think about it and discuss it, then pick the non-volunteer.
TAPPLE in Action
Here’s how TAPPLE flows in a real lesson:
- Teach first: Explicitly teach the content
- Ask a specific question: “How did I isolate the variable?”
- Pause: Give students 3 to 10 seconds to think
- Pair share: “B’s, talk to A’s. What did I do to isolate this variable?”
- Pick a non-volunteer: Use your randomization system
- Listen: Determine if students understand
- Provide effective feedback: Echo, elaborate, or explain as needed
Why TAPPLE Works
TAPPLE works because it ensures every student engages with the content multiple times. Students hear the teaching, think about the question, rehearse their answer with a partner, and then listen as classmates respond. This multi-layered approach provides numerous opportunities for learning and catches misunderstandings immediately, not days later on a quiz.
The pair share component is especially powerful for English Learners, giving them a low-stakes opportunity to practice academic language before potentially being called on in front of the whole class.
Getting Started with TAPPLE
TAPPLE is the foundation of all our trainings at DataWORKS Educational Research. To learn more about implementing TAPPLE and other explicit direct instruction strategies in your classroom, visit our website at dataworksed.com or explore our books Explicit Direct Instruction: The Power of the Well-Crafted, Well-Taught Lesson and Explicit Direct Instruction for English Learners.
Download the TAPPLE Poster for your classroom.
Remember: checking for understanding isn’t optional. It’s essential. With TAPPLE, you have a systematic, research-based method to ensure every student learns what you’re teaching while you’re teaching it.
