beliefs as needed. Do students believe
that teachers ask questions to assess
student understanding and find out
what learners really know? Do they
believe that teachers will hold all
students responsible for responding?
Do they understand that they must
listen actively and respectfully to their
peers? Do students believe they can
learn from one another—or do they
think the teacher is the source of all
knowledge?
Creating this type of culture will be
a challenging but exciting journey to
undertake with students. Together,
you and your students will be creating
a different tempo and rhythm for
classroom questioning. The dividends
for learners are immense. Partnering
with students to develop their
thinking is one of teachers’ most
essential jobs in today’s education
environment. So don’t wait—think
about your next steps! EL
References
Rowe, M. B. (1969). Science and soul. The
Urban Review, 4( 2), 31–33.
Rowe, M. B. (1986). Wait time: Slowing
down may be a way of speeding up!
Journal of Teacher Education, 37( 1),
43–50.
Tobin, K. (1987). The role of wait time in
higher cognitive level learning. Review of
Educational Research, 57( 1), 69–95.
Walsh, J. A., & Sattes, B. D. (2011).
Thinking through quality questioning:
Deepening student engagement. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Walsh, J. A., & Sattes, B. D. (in press).
Questioning for discussion: Purposeful
speaking, engaged listening, deep thinking.
Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Jackie Acree Walsh ( walshja@aol.com)
is a consultant, professional developer,
and author in Montgomery, Alabama.
Follow her on Twitter @question2think.
Beth Dankert Sattes (beth@enthused
learning.com) is an author and educational consultant for Enthused Learning
in Charleston, West Virginia. They are
coauthors of Thinking Through Quality
Questioning (Corwin, 2011) and
Questioning for Discussion (ASCD, in press).
Effective use of
think time begins
with deep
commitment and
careful planning.
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