classroom management
12. Don't ask "Do you understand?" The general question Do you understand-? is usually either a sign of laziness on the part of the teacher, or something teachers say while thinking of what they really want to say. It may fill up a space, but that is all it does. It is very rare indeed for students, particularly older students, to admit that they do not understand. Partly this is a natural desire to avoid appearing slow, but students also often unconsciously see another difficulty — if they say they do not understand they may be asked what they do not understand — and how do you explain what you don't understand? Part of being explicit involves the teacher checking whether students understand or not.