Recently, more than a handful of my first graders were struggling with waiting to ask questions or make comments during direct instruction. I responded by using tried and true teacher practices: giving a clear signal (shaking my head no) to let the child know this was not an appropriate time, or simply saying "Ben, put your hand down. I'll ask for questions and comments soon." But the behavior did not stop. Instead, I found myself feeling exasperated when, one minute into the very next lesson, the same hands would go up when I was in the middle of talking.
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