In this Mathematics Teacher article, Kathryn Early, Brea Ratliff, and Gary Martin
(Auburn University) and Elizabeth Hammonds and Mariya Rosenhammer (Columbus State University) describe what one of the authors noticed observing a preservice teacher: “He had a tendency to ask a question and then immediately ask another question or launch into an explanation, which limited opportunities for students to respond.” After class, the observer showed him an abbreviated transcript indicating when he spoke (T) and when a student (S) spoke; it looked like this: T T T S T T S T T S. Coached on asking better questions and giving three seconds of wait time after each question, the teacher improved, producing this pattern: T S T S T S T T S. But classroom interactions were still quite teacher-centered. The solution was to leave wait time not only after the teacher’s question but after each student's response. When the teacher tried this, participation and interaction showed marked improvement: T S S T S T S T T T S T S S S T S T.
Research on wait time (sometimes called think time or purposeful pauses) goes back 50 years, with the following documented benefits:
- An increase in the length and number of student responses.
- Students using more-advanced reasoning and sense-making.
- Teachers getting a better understanding of student thinking.
- Students asking more questions.
- Teachers asking more open-ended questions.
- An increase in students’ emotional and attitudinal engagement.
- Teachers using student responses to make on-the-spot changes to meet students’ needs.
The research notwithstanding, many teachers need to be reminded of how silently saying One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi after each teacher question and student response can bring about marked improvements in classroom dynamics. The authors offer the following suggestions and insights:
• Wait for three seconds! “Like initiating a new exercise program,” they say, “it is hard to get started. Building the habit of counting to three before you begin talking is a way to ensure that you do wait.”
• Be persistent as students get used to the change. When wait time is first implemented, some students are confused because they’re not getting an immediate teacher evaluation (Was I wrong?). In addition, the silence can feel awkward.
• Recognize that wait time will slow down the pace of instruction. But less is more, say Early and colleagues, because the quality and depth of teacher-student and student-student interactions improve. It is important to choose your questions wisely so that essential content is addressed in each lesson.
• Cold call and poll. Some students will thrive when there’s more space to discuss ideas, say the authors, but others will remain quiet unless the teacher has a system for making sure everyone participates.
• Continuously improve question quality. “More open-ended questions will naturally support the necessary wait time that will drive the conversation,” said Early et al. “After each class, note the kinds of questions that best promoted productive discourse.”
Source: Marshall Memo 973 February 13, 2023. “Rethinking Wait Time: What Can 3 Seconds Do?” by Kathryn Early, Elizabeth Hammonds, Brea Ratliff, Mariya Rosenhammer, and Gary Martin in Mathematics Teacher: Learning & Teaching PK-12, January 2023 (Vol. 116, #2, pp. 108-114).
