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TXTS 4 Teachers

Teaching Students How to Productively Use Wait Time

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It’s no secret that wait time is an effective strategy to allow students time to process information and to generate a response. Indeed, intentionally incorporating three, five, or ten seconds of wait time allows for increased quality of student responses.

As a reminder, there are two types of wait time-

Wait Time One: Time provided after asking students the initial question.
Wait Time Two: Additional time directly after a student’s response.

Engage students in the effective use of wait time by teaching expectations related to thinking, responding, and listening. For example, you might use the process below:

  • Prepare open-ended questions

  • Use the term think time—which conveys the purpose for pausing

  • Be explicit about the reason for the two pauses

  • Expect all students to prepare a response

  • Use scaffolds, signs, and symbols to support the process

Wait time is a powerful tool for your students! Don’t keep it a secret from them! 

Click HERE to learn more about implementing wait time in the article, “A New Rhythm for Responding.”

Reference:

Sattes, B. D., & Walsh, J. A. (2015, September 1). A new rhythm for responding. ASCD. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/a-new-rhythm-for-responding