I don’t use the hand comprehension checks anymore. Not only do the kids lie about what they are getting, but also it takes too much time and sometimes leads to English. Instead, and many of us already use this, I just have them put a thumb up in response to my thumb up as if to ask them where they are with their understanding – thumb straight up at 12:00 is full comprehension, 3:00 is “kind of” and 6:00 is “not at all”. For me it’s quicker, more efficient, and feels, for some reason, slightly more honest than the hand checks. I want them all to be at 11:00 or higher or I go back and do it again.
