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Did you know that research shows that in a group of 8 people most people will speak? But that as the group gets bigger, fewer and fewer people will contribute, whoever is in it?
Questioning using Wait Time – ensuring participation.
If you ask a question to a whole group and wait for someone to answer, you will generally find that the same people respond – usually the most confident students.
Students need time to think when asked a question. Without this only the most confident students will be heard. Students need ‘wait time’.
However, teachers find it hard to leave a silence when they ask a question. In 1974, a study by Rowe found that, on average, teachers waited 0.9 seconds before they answered themselves!
Some ideas for giving ‘wait time’ to adult learners are:
Ask students to consider a question in pairs, and then choose which pair to answer. (They will have had time to think so everyone should have something to say.)
Say ‘I’m going to give you a minute or so to think about this’ – count to 20 - then ask the group for an answer, or choose someone.
Give an open question to small groups
Give closed questions in the form of a quiz, game or similar activity.
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