Do you talk too much during your math lessons?
It’s easy to for you to do, and I understand why!
It is hard to be comfortable with silence.
A word of caution, watch for out for this!
Watch this short video or continue reading….
As I’ve mentioned before, many students who struggle with math have processing difficulties or working memory problems. They need time – a lot of time – to process information and take the required action or respond.
So we wait ……… and wait ……….. and wait ….. and ……
Sometimes this can look like they are not paying attention or they are daydreaming. If you know a student has a processing problem then it is important for you to respond with patience and sometimes it means tremendous patience and watchful waiting.
That is why instructors like you and me need to practice I.A. P. It is short for Intentional Awkward Pause is so named because until it becomes automatic or second nature, it truly does feel awkward for instructors to allow the extra amount of time these students need for processing language and math concepts.
Time and time again, I have been patiently waiting for a student to respond and just when I am ready to interject a comment, the student responds. Yes, sometimes it really does that long!
I know you and I worry that we will just run out of time to complete a lesson. That can happen. In this instance it means an adaptation or adjustment must be made to your math lesson and lesson plan.
It is better to delay or skip a task in your current plan and carry it forward until next time in order to end with a successful math lesson. It may be that you misjudged the appropriate pacing for the student, or it can mean they are just experiencing and off day.
Simply say, “We’ll skip that part today and allow more time for it next time.”
This approach acknowledges that there is an expectation and the task will be completed the next time, and it will be! Because now your lesson plan has been adapted to incorporate the I.A.P. technique.
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