Hinge questions serve as crucial checkpoints during a teaching session to assess if the content presented was understood. Asking a hinge question helps check if the learners have understood a topic just presented. The next teaching session hinges on this question whether to reiterate the concept or to move forward.

Typically, a hinge question is a multiple-choice question that includes possible misconceptions about the topic (called ‘distractors’) along with the right answer. It helps quickly identify misunderstanding, as students must choose the correct response and eliminate incorrect choices.

To create a good hinge question, boil down the main idea you’re teaching, anticipate any misconceptions and errors, then combine the correct answer with three to five distractors.

Hinge questions:

• act as a quick feedback for teacher and learner.
• fix misunderstandings/misconceptions about a topic.
• improve participation and promote discussions.

• [I] When switching sections in slides, I could introduce a hinge question.