Job Discussion Forums

[tangjudie]

What should a teacher do if a student is taking a long time answering a question?

[santi84]

It depends on the situation. Does the student understand the question? Sometimes students don't understand because the teacher poses the question in a strange/incorrect manner (this was a problem for me when I began teaching due to inexperience). If the question is clear, a teacher could suggest a possible answer and ask a student to elaborate on that answer (so the student still practices). Another option is to ask another student (in pairs?) to help the student answer the question.

There's a lot of things a teacher can do, it really depends on the situation.

[spiral78]

Learn to be OK with silence sometimes - wait a while.
Santi's right - give the question to a pair of students and let them work out an answer together (it's even ok in some cases if they use a bit of L1 in the process, depending on how complex the question is).
And think of ways to phrase and perhaps even illustrate questions so students are more likely to know what you expect.
Mainly, don't let a silence become embarassing for a student. Try to create an atmosphere where a few minutes of silence is ok sometimes.

[TwinCentre]

Just say you will come back to the student in 2 minutes, then carry on with the lesson.

Easy.

[ssjup81]

[Glenski]