What is increase thinking time?

Ask a question and then wait in silence for at least five seconds Resist the urge to rephrase, answer yourself or call on the first hand Use mini-whiteboards or jotting time to make the thinking visible Combine with no hands up so learners know they must all be ready to answer

Increase Thinking Time | Rainbow Curriculum

How it works

Increase thinking time means deliberately waiting at least five seconds after asking a question before accepting any response. This simple change has a dramatic effect on the quality of answers.

Most teachers wait less than one second. In that time, learners can only retrieve recalled facts. They cannot reason, connect ideas or formulate a thoughtful response. Extending the wait to five seconds or more allows learners to process the question, consider different angles and compose a more considered answer.

There may be a perceived tension between pace and thinking time. Some teachers feel that silence means lost learning time. The opposite is true. Five seconds of thinking produces better answers, richer discussion and deeper understanding. Rushing through questions with instant responses creates the illusion of pace without the substance of learning.

Other techniques support increased thinking time. Learners can record their ideas on mini-whiteboards or paper before displaying their answers. This gives them both thinking time and a record of their response. Combining with poker face ensures the teacher does not give away the answer through facial expressions while waiting. Think-pair-share builds in structured thinking time before a whole-class share.

Classroom example

A Year 8 Mathematics and Numeracy teacher in a Bridgend school is solving equations. Instead of her usual rapid-fire questioning, she asks: "What is the first step to solve 3x + 7 = 22?" and waits. She silently counts to seven. Three learners who never usually contribute put their hands up. One offers: "You need to get rid of the seven first by subtracting it from both sides." The answer is more precise and confident than the usual "take away seven" she gets from the fastest responder.

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Curriculum for Wales connection

Increasing thinking time supports the "Plan" strand by giving learners space to activate prior knowledge and plan their response. It is foundational for all questioning strategies and works across all AoLEs. It supports the development of "ambitious, capable learners" who think before they speak.

Rainbow Curriculum's Thinking Tools lens helps you ensure that thinking time is planned into your questioning routines across the whole curriculum, not left to individual teacher habit.

Tips

Count silently to yourself. Five seconds of silence feels much longer than it is.
Combine with no hands up. If learners know anyone might be called on, they all use the thinking time productively.
A common pitfall: rephrasing the question during the silence. This resets the thinking clock and signals that the first question was not good enough.
Use a visible timer for longer thinking tasks (thirty seconds to two minutes) so learners know how long they have.
Practise. The silence feels uncomfortable at first but becomes natural within a few weeks.

Related tools

Mini-Whiteboards

A whole-class response tool where every learner writes their answer on a small whiteboard and holds it up simultaneously, giving the teacher instant feedback on understanding.

No Hands Up

A questioning strategy where the teacher selects who answers rather than relying on raised hands, ensuring all learners are engaged and accountable for thinking.

Poker Face

A teacher behaviour strategy where the teacher maintains a neutral expression when receiving learner responses, avoiding facial cues that signal right or wrong, so learners must evaluate their own answers.

Talk Partners

A structured paired discussion strategy where learners are paired to discuss ideas, rehearse answers, or solve problems together before sharing with the wider class.

Think-Pair-Share

A three-stage discussion framework where learners first think individually, then discuss with a partner, then share with the wider group, ensuring all learners engage with the question before whole-class discussion.