Talk Nerdy to Me: Using Discussion as Formative Assessment in Science Class

Want to know what your students really think during science class? Turn up the talk! This post shows how structured discussion can double as a powerful formative assessment tool—revealing ideas, misconceptions, and reasoning in real time. Bonus: it’s fun, fast, and doesn’t require grading stacks of papers

Elizabeth MayenscheinMay 27, 2025Deeper Understanding, Reasoning, Discussion Routines, Respectful Disagreement, Get students talking, Conceptual Understanding, Real-time LearningComment