Wait Time
Sometimes wait time can feel like this when we are waiting, but the outcome of wait time far outweighs the extra time. Research continues to support and encourage wait time as it allows students to process the information and formulate a response, allow English Learners to construct and/or translate their thoughts, and is needed for students with a learning disability such as auditory processing.
How much wait time is enough?
According to Edutopia, you should give students five to 15 seconds to formulate a response to a question for which they should know the answer. Not every learner processes thinking at the same speed. Quality should be measured in the content of the answer, not the speediness. If you don’t get responses within 15 seconds, you can call on students, instead of asking for volunteers. When giving think time, give students 20 seconds to two minutes to make sense of questions that require analysis to synthesize concepts into a different construct or frame. You can aid this by encouraging journaling, silent reflection, or partner discussions. Giving such chunks of time honors the work being asked of students. Quick responses probably mean that the question did not stretch the learners’ understanding. After the allotted time, any student can be called on to share their response. (McCarthy, J. 2018)