Wait! There are different types of wait time?
It seems like every year we wonder about teacher talk versus student talk. Am I talking too much during instruction? Are all of the students engaged in opportunities to respond? As teachers, coaches, and administrators, we often reflect on whether instruction is student-centered. Sometimes it feels like we’re doing everything right, but the students still aren’t motivated: Our students aren’t trying; they don’t put in effort; it’s the same students responding every time. But what if it’s something else? Low student participation may cue us to intentionally focus on providing wait time.
We know that students perform better in class when we have predictable routines. Discussion, questioning, discourse, and any other opportunity to respond that require an immediate response have to be structured to provide processing time. We call this “wait time.” Here are a few important terms from the last 50 years of educational research to clarify what we mean:
- Wait Time 1: after a question, provide at least three seconds of silence for thinking about a response before students respond (Rowe, 1974, 1986).
- Wait Time 2: after a student responds, provide a pause for other students to collect their thoughts about what was said (Rowe, 1974, 1986).
- Think Time: during routines such as Think-Pair or Notice and Wonder, provide longer periods of time for students to engage in critical thinking (Stahl, 1994).
The difference between wait time during classroom discourse and think time during critical thinking routines is important so that we don’t use the wrong instructional move at the wrong time. We don’t need long pauses during discussions; it would slow us down and potentially cause students (and teachers!) to lose focus. Those long pauses are meant for critical thinking routines such as Think-Pair; if you remove the think time from Think-Pair, you have accidentally used Turn To Your Neighbor instead. Although Turn To Your Neighbor (with a 3-5 second wait time) is a useful routine, we should always know when we are intending to use a routine to serve an instructional purpose. Many of us have accidentally turned one routine into another by removing the think time!
During classroom discourse, if we feel like we’re asking good questions and the students don’t seem motivated to participate, Early and colleagues (2023) suggest to try three things:
- Count to three in your head before calling on a student and after they respond.
- Give the class several weeks to get used to the new routine.
- Select students who don’t volunteer (e.g., use popsicle sticks).
Wait time is a great focus for data-based decision making in schools that function as a professional learning community. It’s also a great goal for coaching or teacher self-reflection. If we are addressing student motivation, we can always check to see if wait time might be part of the solution.
ResourceClick here for a printable copy of Takayoshi, P., & Van Ittersum, D. (2018). Wait time: Making space for authentic learning. Kent State University Center for Teaching and Learning; it can be useful as a Professional Learning Community or workshop handout.
References
Stahl, R.J. (1994). Using “think-time” and “wait-time” skillfully in the classroom (ED370885). ERIC.
For more information, contact Susanne Croasdaile ([email protected]), Program Specialist, T/TAC at VCU.
Categories Behavior, Inclusive Practices, Math, Reading