Wait Time

I want to talk a little about the concept of wait time. I want to start off by saying it is a strategy that I struggle with. First, I hate awkward silence. I hate awkward silence less than a group of 15 year olds, but I still don't enjoy it. Secondly, when I was in school, I was the kid who had to fill that awkward silence. Provide a suggestion, so everyone doesn't sit there with a blank stare of their faces. Finally, how long is too long to sit in silence?

How does one acquire the skill of wait time? How do I become good at waiting for responses?

The answer from an administrator was years of teaching. I don't know if I'm patient to wait for my years of experience to begin. It is a skill that I believe an instructor should master as soon as possible. If I am not providing adequate wait time, I'm giving them answers. Instead of allowing them to think about the question I'm asking them.

I am going to start making a conscious effort to slow down. Not necessarily the speed of my lecture, but rather the speed at which I push my students to answer. Create a larger time frame. This way I am allowing them to use their own critical thinking skills instead of depending on me to formulate an answer.

Honestly, I'm a little disappointed that I made this mistake in the first place.