Formative assessment is a method of evaluating student understanding during the learning process so that the teacher can respond and modify instruction if necessary. Formative assessment tasks give teachers multiple, continuous, and authentic data points to evaluate student learning and respond, rather than a more high-stakes, end-of-unit test, for example. They can take many different forms to suit the various talents and dispositions of the students in each class.
Backward design, as articulated in the Understanding by Design framework by Wiggins and McTighe, involves defining desired goals for student learning, evidence that the goals have been met, and planning learning tasks, experiences, or instruction around essential questions.
Guided Inquiry is a framework designed by Carol Kuhlthau et al. that encourages students to construct meaning through a process of asking questions and discovering answers.