Tools like Fist to Five, (where students put up a fist for 0 and all their fingers to represent a 5), ABCD, (students hold up cards with identifiers to answer questions or rank understanding), and Thumbs, (students hold a thumbs up, middle or down) are all very fast ways to get data from your class, or from specific individuals. There are nearly infinite variations on this tool, so create your own version for your class!

Fist to Five/ABCD/Thumbs/... tools can help teachers:

• Get anonymous data by having students cover their eyes or put their heads down first

• By being personalised to your class and can easily become part of normal classroom expectations

• Get group or individual formative data to help drive your lesson in real-time

• Allow for 3, 5, or even 15 seconds of 'wait time' between asking a question and getting the response

• Have students put their heads down to keep it anonymous

• This type of check in can be used for very quick 1-on-1 assessments of individual students without other students noticing

• This type of formative can be used multiple times per lesson, but it may not be a bad idea to make note of the results as you go for later reflection

• Tasks such as these can be great if used across classes. See if any other teachers want to try it as well!