Wait Time
"Allow students time to think before answering. In this technique you wait a few seconds before calling on students to answer. Typically, teachers wait only about a second after asking a question – a method unlikely to lead to the most thoughtful answer. By waiting longer, you are more likely to improve the quality of answers and the number of students who volunteer to answer. You can do this by narrating hands (“One hand. Two hands, now three.”), providing prompts to use the wait time well (“I’m seeing people go back to the chapter to see if they can find the scene.”), and also by simply stopping talking!" (http://massp.org/downloads_massp/the_main_idea/teach_champion.pdf)
Examples and Resources
Video #1
Using "Think-Time" and "Wait-Time" Skillfully in the Classroom
Chuck Norris and Student Wait Time
Using "Think-Time" and "Wait-Time" Skillfully in the Classroom
Chuck Norris and Student Wait Time
Video #2 Below (Elementary, but still worth watching for our learning)
Ms. Vargas' Wait TimeMs. Vargas from Uncommon Schools' North Star Academy uses Wait Time to engage more brains in a question. We count three seconds between the first hand and the second hand, and 16 seconds before Ms. Vargas has almost every hand.How long do you think the average teacher waits before taking an answer from a raised hand?
Posted by Teach Like a Champion on Monday, April 25, 2011