← Mentoring a Young Person · Lesson 1 of 3
Wait three seconds
In the 1970s the researcher Mary Budd Rowe measured how long teachers waited after asking a question. It was often about one second. When teachers waited three seconds or more, students gave longer answers and more of them joined in.
For a mentor, the lesson is simple: after you ask, count to three in your head. The silence is where the thinking happens.
You ask a question and your student says nothing. What do you do first?
A lesson is kept once you've answered the question and written at least 8 words. Nobody grades it; it stays on this device.