It’s a moment many instructors fear — that moment when a question is posed to a class, and not a single student offers a response. This silence can feel like an eternity.
Cheryl Thompson is not so concerned with filling those awkward silences. Instead, she sees it as space for her students to think before speaking.
Allowing time and space for meaningful conversation with her students is a core strategy for Cheryl. She makes a point of asking her students how they are doing, and encourages feedback on the course on an ongoing basis.
While teaching remotely, she added more question prompts to her lectures and encouraged her student to contribute their thoughts in the chat.
Using chat for discussion was so successful, Cheryl plans to continue using chat as a tool once she returns to the classroom.