Teacher wait time refers to the intentional pauses a teacher makes after asking a question (Wait Time 1) and after a pupil responds (Wait Time 2). Think of teacher wait time as the “breathing room” of a conversation. Most teachers (often because silence feels awkward!) jump in after less than a second. But if you can stretch that pause to between 3 and 5 seconds, the classroom dynamic shifts completely. The impact on pupils includes improved response quality, increased participation, higher cognitive engagement and reduces anxiety and pressure. The impact for teachers includes quality over quantity, higher expectations, and efficiency.
This staff meeting starter encourages staff to consider the wait times they actually use in class and how they can develop a pause and silence to improve answers and participation and reduce ‘I don’t know’ responses.
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