Silence is not always golden. Sometimes students just simply don't know the answer. Sometimes I have difficulty determining when they are thinking and when they are totally clueless as to what I am asking.
Hi Barbara-
It is hard to hear "the silence" but wait-time does pay off in terms of encouraging students who may actually know the answer but are slow to raise their hand. Here's a nice site that addressing questioning - http://atozteacherstuff.com/pages/1884.shtml
I'm sure many of us have been in the situation referenced in your question. First thing I do in my mind is restate the question to make sure that it was clearly stated.
Sometimes, as you indicated, students will be silent and let the instructor ask and answer the question. If it is something that we have gone over in detail, I'll give them a few moments to check their notes and reference their textbooks. This puts the onus on the students. If someone says, please restate the question, then I use that as a head's up that it might not be clear to others who do not want to say so.
I have also been faced with the same dilemma of deathly silence. Sometimes, I have made a little game out of trying to get answers out of my students, just to make things more lively. Other times, when I realize that the students look like they are zoning out, I just get everybody to stand up and stretch. It helps break the monotony and get their brain in gear again.
Afraid of silence? Man do I feel better after read your response. Silence has been killing me I'm always afraid I've gone over thier heads if the room is silent after my question.
Throughout my teaching career, I have learned to not be afraid of silence - it could mean that they are thinking! I also rephrase the question and pause. I may make a joke and say something like "This is not rhetorical question." I smile and clearly make it a joke when I say this, but it makes the students realize that I'm looking for an answer to see if they are understanding the material. I accept all answers and recognize their input to the discussion.
I think that waiting in silence for just a bit can be one of the toughest things for a new instructor to do - it can seem like an eternity.
When an instructor takes the time to rephrase the question it may trigger the correct answer or maybe just allowing longer time to consider the original question can elicit the answer you are looking for.
