Podcasts
Assessment Podcasts
Topics on this page:
- Assessment for Deeper Learning Podcasts:
- On Assessment for Deeper Learning
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About these podcasts
We’ve created these “5 minute or less podcasts” to provide you with a preliminary introduction to our modules in the “Formative Assessment Moves” framework (Duckor & Holmberg, 2017) aimed at facilitating deeper learning.
Designed for easy listening and lively interchanges, these podcasts offer new metaphors and analogies to stimulate curiosity about ambitious teaching and deeper learning using formative assessment moves that are easy to learn.
Building another set of pathways to the formative assessment moves framework© introduced in our IAEP-sponsored module series, the listener will experience new opportunities to recognize and re-imagine the use of “soft data” that emerges during and across a set of lessons. As the FA Podcasters remind us, the goal of all the FA Moves is to advance student learning in real-time with respect and care in diverse classrooms.
The IAEP Center is committed to your success and we believe that formative assessment is the key to deeper learning and visible learning for all.
Topics on this page:
- Introducing 7 High-Leverage Formative Assessment Moves for Deeper Learning
- Priming for Deeper Learning Podcast
- Posing for Deeper Learning Podcast
- Pausing for Deeper Learning Podcast
- Probing for Deeper Learning Podcast
- Bouncing for Deeper Learning Podcast
- Tagging for Deeper Learning Podcast
- Binning for Deeper Learning Podcast
- On Closing Opportunity Gaps During Instruction Podcast
Podcast 1: Introducing 7 High-Leverage Formative Assessment Moves for Deeper Learning
Synopsis: This podcast provides you with an overview of the “Formative Assessment Moves” framework (Duckor & Holmberg, 2017) and focuses on assessment for learning aimed at deeper learning. It introduces each move–priming, posing, pausing, probing, bouncing, tagging, and binning–and sets the stage for the next modules in the learning pathway.
Source: Duckor, B., Holmberg, C., & Notebook LM. (2025a). Introducing 7 high-leverage formative assessment moves [Podcast]. IAEP Center.
Podcast 1: Introduction to FA Moves
Podcast 2: On Priming and Setting the Stage for Deeper Learning
Synopsis: This podcast provides you with an overview of the “Formative Assessment Moves” framework while focusing on priming students for learning to learn.
Focus on FA practice: Priming moves set the stage for any formative assessment-rich classroom context by preparing the groundwork with students, establishing and agreeing on norms and values, and ensuring that all students’ voices can be heard in the process of assessment for learning routines. The podcasters consider various modalities, types, and purposes of priming moves aimed at building and sustaining a safe, inclusive, and dialogic community of learners who are ready to engage in formative assessment practices.
Source: Duckor, B., Holmberg, C., & Notebook LM. (2025b). The art of priming and setting the stage for ambitious teaching and deeper learning [Podcast]. IAEP Center.
Podcast 3: On Posing Questions for Deeper Learning
Synposis: This podcast introduces you to the concept of “Posing” moves. Essential questions, hinge questions, diagnostic questions, Socratic questions, open-ended questions–all of these types of questions can be posed during a lesson to build and check for understanding.
Focus on FA practice: Posing is the art of asking questions that deepen learning experiences and size up learners’ needs in a lesson and across the unit. The podcasters consider various modalities, types, and purposes of posing moves that drive the process of checking for understanding with rich learning targets.
Source: Duckor, B., Holmberg, C., & Notebook LM. (2025c). The art of posing questions for ambitious teaching and deeper learning [Podcast]. IAEP Center.
Podcast 4: On Pausing for Deeper Learning
Synopsis: This podcast introduces you to the concept of “Pausing” moves. Wait time, think time, processing time–all of these types of support cognitive learning strategies can be used during a lesson to build and check for understanding.
Focus on FA practice: Pausing is the art of giving students–and ourselves as teachers–adequate time to think and respond, as individuals or in groups, to questions in the classroom learning environment. The podcasters consider various modalities, types, and purposes of pausing moves to aid in the process of checking for understanding.
Source: Duckor, B., Holmberg, C., & Notebook LM. (2025d). The art of pausing and use of wait-time for ambitious teaching and deeper learning [Podcast]. IAEP Center.
Podcast 5: On Probing for Deeper Learning
Synopsis: This podcast introduces you to the concept of “Probing” moves. Seeking explanations, justifications, and elaborations by questioning responses–all of these types of deeper learning strategies can be used during a lesson to build and check for understanding.
Focus on FA practice: Probing is the art of asking follow-up questions that use information from actual student responses, inviting all students to elaborate, to go deeper, to push beyond their “first draft” answers. IThe podcasters consider various modalities, types, and purposes of probing moves to aid in the process of checking for understanding.
Source: Duckor, B., Holmberg, C., & Notebook LM. (2025e). The art of probing on responses for ambitious teaching and deeper learning [Podcast]. IAEP Center.
Podcast 6: On Bouncing and Sampling for Deeper Learning
Synopsis: This podcast introduces you to the concept of “Bouncing” moves. Increasing student participation, student engagement, student uptake, student self-efficacy, student agency–all of these types of deeper learning strategies can be used during a lesson to build and check for understanding.
Focus on FA practice: Bouncing is the art of sampling a variety of responses intentionally and systematically to better map terrain of student thinking during a lesson. The podcasters consider various modalities, types, and purposes of bouncing moves to improve the representativeness of student responses while checking for understanding.
Source: Duckor, B., Holmberg, C., & Notebook LM. (2025f). The art of bouncing and sampling responses for ambitious teaching and deeper learning [Podcast]. IAEP Center.
Podcast 7: On Tagging and Recording Soft Data for Deeper Learning
Synopsis: This podcast introduces you to the concept of “Tagging” moves. Scribing, writing, recording, illustrating, noting, visualizing –all of these types of deeper learning strategies can be used during a lesson to build and check for understanding.
Focus on FA practice: Tagging is the art of publicly representing variation in student thinking by creating a snapshot or a running record of a class’s responses. The podcasters consider various modalities, types, and purposes of tagging moves to include more student voices, and hence better understand prior knowledge, p-prims and misconceptions, during the process of checking for understanding.
Source: Duckor, B., Holmberg, C., & Notebook LM. (2025g). The art of tagging and recording soft data for ambitious teaching and deeper learning [Podcast]. IAEP Center.
Podcast 8: On Binning for Feedback and “Next Steps” for Deeper Learning
Synopsis: This podcast introduces you to the concept of “Binning” moves. Using rubrics or answer keys is the most common way to bin student performances. Categorizing, sorting, ranking, evaluating, grading–all of these types of assessment strategies and evaluation tools can be used to gauge understanding and to help determine possible next steps.
Focus on FA practice: Binning is the art of noticing patterns in student responses, categorizing them along learning trajectories, and using real-time assessment classroom-based data to inform next steps with students. The podcasters consider various modalities, types, and purposes of binning moves to aid in the process of checking for understanding–the heart of formative assessment–in addition to providing a summative mark or grade.
Source: Duckor, B., Holmberg, C., & Notebook LM. (2025h). The art of binning for feedback and “next steps” for ambitious teaching and deeper learning [Podcast]. IAEP Center.
Podcast 9: Focus on FA Moves to Close Opportunity Gaps During Instruction for Deeper Learning
Synopsis: This podcast offers examples of how to use the “Formative Assessment Moves” framework at the classroom or school-level to support teachers who aim at closing opportunity gaps in linguistically, culturally, and economically diverse classrooms. The podcasters note the availability of FA-driven, inquiry-based lesson plans and describe how to use video-based, formative assessment-driven lesson study to connect PLCs, inservice professional development and work in teacher preparation programs.
Source: Duckor, B., Holmberg, C., & Notebook LM. (2025i). Focus on FA Moves to close opportunity gaps during instruction for deeper learning [Podcast]. IAEP Center.
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