What is an effective way for a teacher to assess students' understanding of a lesson?

Administering a quiz that aligns with the learning objectives is a highly effective way to assess students' understanding of a lesson because it provides a structured method to evaluate specific knowledge and skills that were intended to be learned. Quizzes are designed to measure students' comprehension directly, and when they are thoughtfully aligned with the learning objectives, they help ensure that the assessment accurately reflects what students should know and be able to do after the lesson.

This approach allows for objective grading and provides immediate feedback for both the teacher and the students. The teacher can identify which concepts have been understood and which may need further review. Additionally, quizzes can inform future instructional decisions and help track individual and class-wide progress over time.

The other options, while useful in their own right, serve different purposes or provide indirect measures of understanding. Observing student behavior during the lesson can give insights into engagement but doesn’t directly assess comprehension. Collecting homework assignments offers feedback on practice but may not accurately reflect a student's current understanding if completed independently, and discussing concepts in pairs encourages collaboration and verbalization of ideas, though it also may not provide clear evidence of individual understanding.