Make it clear to them that periods of silence, when the class is trying to come up with cute answers to a question, are welcome. Just sit there in that quiet space. It’s o.k. – sometimes everybody needs time to think.
If the silence really drags out, do a retell right then. Then watch as the right cute answer emerges.
CI – Ben Slavic’s Blog on Comprehensible Input
CI Training, Tips, and Strategies, including TPRS® and other Krashen Based Methods
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Janine 07.27.10 at 2:02 PM
Sometimes, the silence can build up for a bit in the class where shy kids have ideas they don’t want to spout out. these ideas arent hidden from fear of rejection because a good teacher (like Mr. S) can easily but not cruely, reject an answer simply for the sake of the best fit. But the retell realy helps bring those ideas out because its right after a talk and not in the middle of a silent gap.