Students need time to process; students need time to respond.
As a teacher, I am helping no one by spitting out questions rapid fire to a classroom full of blank faces.
This is an obvious yet crucial lesson to learn as educators.
When we ask questions of students, how do we let them process what we're asking? Do they free write? Do they draw? Do they graphically organize their thoughts? Do they share with a neighbour? Do they discuss as a class?
I like to use a mixture of the options above but my habitual go-to for processing is the think-pair-share formula. When using this method, however, with my eye on the clock, I sometimes skip a step. Sometimes I go right from the thinking to the class-sharing. Sometimes they think, pair, and then we move on to the next question (remember - the process is often more important than the answer!).
And sometimes, just sometimes, I skip the thinking altogether.
This happens more often than I realize. Remember, I've already thought through the lesson. I'm familiar with the material; I know where we're headed. I'm often thinking about the follow-up question as I'm simultaneously asking its predecessor.
But my students haven't thought about it yet.
Often, I subconsciously expect to see hands shooting up in the air the second a question has left my mouth. When it doesn't happen instantly, I am sometimes tempted to ask a more scaffolded question, thinking that they probably didn't get it the first time.
The key piece that I forget in all of this is to wait. Wait, and let them think.
Before they chat with their neighbour, before they share with the class, they need time to translate what they've heard or seen, understand it, and begin to form a response.
While some articles I've consulted have referred to the ideal wait/think time to be between 3-5 seconds (with the actual average of teachers waiting 1-1.5 seconds), I would argue that the more time the better, especially for our slower-processors. If you count 10 seconds of silence, it feels like an awkward amount of time. You don't quite realize how long it is.
Imagine if all students got to experience that amount of time to process, before they were asked to transform their thinking. We might see our students asking more thoughtful extension questions. We might see our students forming opinions and taking the time to justify and reason them. We might see our shy or reserved students developing confidence in their thinking. The results could be powerful.
Have you experienced The Power of 10 Seconds?
Referenced Readings:
Using "Think-Time" and "Wait-Time" Skillfully in the Classroom
Asking and Answering Questions
A Questioning Strategy: The Power of Wait-Time/Think Time
As a teacher, I am helping no one by spitting out questions rapid fire to a classroom full of blank faces.
This is an obvious yet crucial lesson to learn as educators.
When we ask questions of students, how do we let them process what we're asking? Do they free write? Do they draw? Do they graphically organize their thoughts? Do they share with a neighbour? Do they discuss as a class?
I like to use a mixture of the options above but my habitual go-to for processing is the think-pair-share formula. When using this method, however, with my eye on the clock, I sometimes skip a step. Sometimes I go right from the thinking to the class-sharing. Sometimes they think, pair, and then we move on to the next question (remember - the process is often more important than the answer!).
And sometimes, just sometimes, I skip the thinking altogether.
This happens more often than I realize. Remember, I've already thought through the lesson. I'm familiar with the material; I know where we're headed. I'm often thinking about the follow-up question as I'm simultaneously asking its predecessor.
But my students haven't thought about it yet.
Often, I subconsciously expect to see hands shooting up in the air the second a question has left my mouth. When it doesn't happen instantly, I am sometimes tempted to ask a more scaffolded question, thinking that they probably didn't get it the first time.
The key piece that I forget in all of this is to wait. Wait, and let them think.
Before they chat with their neighbour, before they share with the class, they need time to translate what they've heard or seen, understand it, and begin to form a response.
While some articles I've consulted have referred to the ideal wait/think time to be between 3-5 seconds (with the actual average of teachers waiting 1-1.5 seconds), I would argue that the more time the better, especially for our slower-processors. If you count 10 seconds of silence, it feels like an awkward amount of time. You don't quite realize how long it is.
Imagine if all students got to experience that amount of time to process, before they were asked to transform their thinking. We might see our students asking more thoughtful extension questions. We might see our students forming opinions and taking the time to justify and reason them. We might see our shy or reserved students developing confidence in their thinking. The results could be powerful.
Have you experienced The Power of 10 Seconds?
Referenced Readings:
Using "Think-Time" and "Wait-Time" Skillfully in the Classroom
Asking and Answering Questions
A Questioning Strategy: The Power of Wait-Time/Think Time
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