The Teachback method, also known as the Show-me method, is a communication confirmation method used primarily by healthcare providers to confirm whether a patient (or caregiver) understands what is being explained to them. When a patient understands, they can “teach back” the information accurately, thereby improving their health literacy.
The Teachback method can be applied to other contexts of generating understanding. There can be a significant gap in perceptions of how much information a student needs or how effective a teacher’s communication is. This can have various reasons, for example, a student does not understand the teacher’s terminology adequately, does not feel comfortable asking questions, or even has cognitive impairments.
The Teachback method not only can help teachers to understand students’ needs in understanding their subject matter, but also allows teachers to assess their own communication skills.
Teachback can be implemented by a software communication tool used to check understanding, i.e., two or more people can check whether they are progressing toward a shared understanding of a complex topic.
Teachback: http://teachback.org/
Literature, e.g.:
Sharples, M., de Roock , R., Ferguson, R., Gaved, M., Herodotou, C., Koh, E., Kukulska-Hulme, A., Looi, C-K, McAndrew, P., Rienties, B., Weller, M., Wong, L. H. (2016). Innovating Pedagogy 2016: Open University Innovation Report 5. Milton Keynes: The Open University; https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.20677.04325
Herodotou, C., Sharples, M., Gaved, M., Kukuluska-Hulme, A., Rienties, B., Scanlon, E. & Whitelock, D., 2019, Innovative pedagogies of the future: an evidence-based selection. Frontiers in Education, 4, Article 113; https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00113
Talevski, J., Wong Shee, A., Rasmussen, B., Kemp, G., Beauchamp, A. (2020). Teach-back: A systematic review of implementation and impacts. PLoS ONE, 15(4): e0231350; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231350