Elicit and Use Evidence of Student Thinking during Instruction

Teaching is a responsive endeavor—one that thrives not when students passively absorb information, but when they actively make sense of mathematical ideas, articulate their thinking, and refine their understanding through discourse. Research and guidance from NCTM’s Principles to Actions (2024) affirm that effective mathematics instruction depends on using evidence of student thinking to continuously assess and adjust teaching in ways that deepen learning. Yet eliciting and leveraging that thinking is both critical and complex. Students reveal their understanding in written work, classroom conversations, and collaborative problem solving—if we create the right opportunities. This whitepaper explores practical strategies for designing high cognitive-demand tasks, uncovering evolving student thinking throughout a lesson, and using that evidence to advance both individual and whole class progress toward meaningful learning goals.