Wait Time: A Priceless Teaching Technique for Teachers

Wait time! So simple yet so powerful.

Many times, teachers unknowingly make students come up with hasty conclusions by the way they ask questions and demand for the answers in class.

Scenario

The teacher asks five-year-old pupils to mention major landmarks leading to the houses. And, in less than three seconds the teacher is breathing down on them to supply answers. Before you know it the teacher begins to get angry when the pupils cannot supply him/her with reasonable answers.

The next time the teacher does the same thing and so you see a cycle where pupils are trying to meet up with a teachers expectation of ‘prompt’ but ‘poorly thought out’ answers.

Try out Wait time!

It is a learning tool used by teachers but if well understood and utilized by the teacher it will largely contribute to developing one of the most important 21st-century skills, critical thinking.

How does it work?

• You ask a question.
• Tell the student to think about it by weighing other options before arriving at an answer.
• Give the student quality time to think about the answer (the teacher decides the length of time, based on the nature of the question).
• Prompt the students when it appears they are not getting the answer as quickly as they should, the problem may be with your question.
• Listen for qualitative responses from the students.

Result

•  It will increase the child’s ability to think in class.       It will increase the chances of a child to transfer the skill to his/her personal life.
•  The child will come up with better decisions and answers
•  The is most likely to solve problems easier and more frequently than a child who does not think though question.
• This will ultimately prepare that child to become an influencer as he/she will become a problem solver.

How well do you use this tool in your classroom?