Why Wait?

The Importance of Wait Time in the Classroom

Why should you incorporate a lengthy wait time into your lesson plans? Well…because it works. I know. Standing silently in front of a group of kids who are actively avoiding eye contact and fidgeting in their seats is awkward. I swear it works. It works on adults, too. I just attended a professional development session in which the presenter requested questions and then waited purposefully for a set amount of time before she moved on to the next item in her speaking agenda.

It. Worked. Every. Time.

She consciously counted to seven every time a question was asked to the group, and every time a person spoke up. Rarely did anybody immediately pose a question, but by the count of five, someone had queried aloud. I am familiar with wait time because I use it in my class, but I actually hadn’t realized she was using this strategy on us until she brought it up to the group she had been modeling wait time on us. She wanted to prove to the group that it worked, as well as, demonstrate it for new teachers in the room.

How does it work?

First, let’s review what wait time is because there might be a new teacher perusing the blog. Wait time is exactly what the name implies; it is the time the teacher waits between posing a question and getting an answer. The time frame we’re talking about is only seven to ten seconds. I know what you’re thinking. That’s easy. ONLY ten seconds? It sounds like a short time, but believe me, It feels like an eternity when you’re standing up there counting ten Mississippis in your head. In a span of one Mississippi to ten Mississippi, while hearing nothing but silence, one can begin questioning their abilities to bestow knowledge and problem solving capabilities to the youth of our nation. Often times, I want to crack after three Mississippi. It is so much easier to push forward and give the answer to the group. Don’t give in. Hold your ground. Stand firm and wait for someone to answer.

Two Functions of Wait Time

Wait time has two functions in the classroom: it applies positive pressure and it allows opportunities to respond.

Surely, you remember sitting in the student desk during a lesson. When the teacher asked a question, what did you and your neophyte compadres do? AVOID EYE CONTACT! Look at your book, check out what kind of shoes your neighbor is wearing today, accidentally knock a pencil off your desk so you have to bend over and pick it up; do anything but look at the teacher or she will choose you as her victim.

Wait time engages students in the lesson instead of sitting and listening to a lesson.

Positive Pressure

The same pressure the teacher is feeling standing awkwardly at the front of the room is also felt by the students. Students know that someone will have to answer the teacher’s question, and it might be them, so they had better try and figure out the answer just in case the teacher calls on them. It is a positive form of stress teachers use to, hopefully, make students think about a question and come up with an answer. Wait time engages them in the lesson instead of sitting and listening to a lesson.

Wait time invites students to answer the question.

Opportunity to Respond

The second, and maybe the most important, function of wait time is that it invites students to answer the question. The wait time gives them an opportunity to recall or problem solve before offering their reply. If the teacher wants to give them a chance to ask questions, the wait time is a chance to think of a question or perhaps garner courage to ask a question. Once one person has asked a question, others feel brave enough to ask other questions.

Wait Time and ELL Students

I would argue that wait time is one of the most valuable teaching tools for an inclusion classroom. English Language Learners need all the time they can get in order to produce answers because there is much more real time language processing happening for them.

If you think about it, there can be a fairly lengthy process occurring for English Learners (ELs) every time a question is posed in class. ELs are receiving auditory input in English. They have to translate query into their native language, figure out the answer, and finally, translate it back into English before they can respond. This process takes time. Wait time allows the ELs a chance to engage in the lesson more. If you have lower level, ELs in your class, I would encourage you to allow up to 20 to 30 seconds of wait time for some of your questions to give them a chance to participate.

Extended wait time not only elevates the lesson for ELL students, but it also helps out Exceptional Education (EE) students who need extra processing time as well.

Give every student an opportunity to think about the answer to the question.

Worth It’s Weight in Gold

Regardless of ability level in a classroom, wait time is golden. It helps keep you from being the sage on the stage giving all the answers, and it increases engagement for all students. The time between asking the question and calling on a student will vary based on your group, but count on seven to thirty seconds of waiting. It’s awkward, but trust it. Also, I didn’t mention it before, but you should still call on students who have not raised their hands along with those who have, and you will still have to guide some students to the correct answer. The point of wait time is to give every student an opportunity to think about the answer to the question.

I hope you give this an opportunity to change classroom discussions this year. Let me know how it goes. Happy waiting!