Technique #25: Wait Time

     In an effort to maintain a lively pace, teachers sometimes do not allow for an appropriate length of wait time.  On average, teachers wait about two seconds before they either call on a student, or answer the question themselves.  Technique #25 entitled Wait Time (pp.134-136) helps champion teachers overcome their fear of long wait times, and observe how the extra time allows students to think deeper about a question, giving a more-well rounded answer.  Doug Lemov wrote that extending wait time by five seconds allows for students to increase the length and validity of their answers, as well as increases the number of students who volunteer.  Students think at different processing speeds, so waiting the additional time allows them to process the question and formulate an answer supported by evidence.  Five seconds can seem like an eternity while you are waiting for your students to formulate their answer, so what should you do?  Lemov suggests using Narrated Wait Time, where you inform the students why you are waiting and what you are expected them to do.  Giving prompts allows students to productively find an answer to the question, rather than just stare at you with a look of fear hoping you will not Cold Call them.  Some suggestions for Narrated Wait Time include: (as found on pp.135-136)

• “I’m waiting for more hands.”
• “I’d like to see fifteen hands before we hear an answer.”
• “I’ll start taking answers in ten seconds.”
• “I’m seeing people thinking deeply and jotting down thoughts.  I’ll give everyone a few more seconds to do that.”
• “I’m looking for someone who’s pointing to the place in the passage where you can find the answer.”

Technique #25: Wait Time in Action

     Taking Lemov’s advice into consideration, I now wait for at least ten to twelve hands to be in the air, before I call on someone, which equates to about eight to ten seconds of wait time.  If after the ten seconds I still only have five hands in the air, I announce to the students that I am waiting for more hands in the air before I will call on someone, and will direct them towards how they can solve the problem.  I might point to an anchor chart, or reread a portion of a mentor text that I want them to focus on.  I blend Lemov’s Wait Time techniques with the Whole Brain Teaching technique “Blow it in your Hand”.  I ask the students a question and rather than blurt it out or raise their hand, they put their hand to their mouth and blow air into it.  When I see every student with their hand by their mouth I tell them to “release” and they shout out their answer.  This is most often used in Morning Meeting after counting the days in school.  I blend this technique with Pepper, and call on three students, generally those who responded slightly after the group, to repeat the answer in order to ensure they were not just calling out a random number to allude to participation.