Youth Education Program

of San Francisco Botanical Garden Society

Guided Childrens Walks

Changes with Increased Wait Time

After being asked a question, children (and adults too!) need some time to think of an answer. This can be especially true of those for whom English is not Basic Information a first language. As a childrens walk guide, you should develop the habit of allowing several seconds to pass before taking student answers to your questions, especially when asking questions requiring higher level thinking. The time after asking a question but before accepting a question is referred to as wait time. Listed below are some of the benefits noted after increasing wait time from one second to just three to seven seconds: 1. 300-700% increase in length of student responses. 2. The number of unsolicited but appropriate student responses increases. 3. Failures to respond decrease. 4. Confidence increases fewer inflected responses. 5. Speculative responses increase. 6. Teacher centered show and tell decreases student to student interaction increases. 7. Teacher questions change in number and kind: - The number of divergent questions increases - Teachers ask higher level questions - There is more probing for clarification 8. Students make inferences and support inferences with data. 9. Students ask more questions. 10. Disciplinary moves decrease more students on task. 11. Achievement on logic tests improves.

From research conducted by Mary Budd Rowe