"Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" is not just a great NPR radio show it's also one of the most effective techniques ever to get more students involved in answering questions.  

And it's easy. Whenever you ask a question, wait at least three seconds before calling on someone to answer. Three seconds is longer than you think. Try it.  Count to yourself  "1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi".   Did you know that after asking a question, most instructors will wait a second or less before either calling on a student to get an answer or telling students the answer?

For over 30 years, research has shown that increasing "wait time" (waiting three or

more seconds after asking a question) has a positive impact on student participation and response. Universities from Stanford to the University of North Carolina: Chapel Hill have recommended that faculty increase their wait time to increase participation by all students, especially those who have historically participated less.

Want to read the research? Check out:

• Mansfield, J. B. (1996). The effects of wait-time on issues of gender equity, academic achievement, and attitude toward a course. Teacher Education and Practice, 12 (1), 86-93.
• Rowe, M. B. (1974). Wait time and rewards as instructional variables: Their influence on language, logic and fate control. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 11, 81-94.
• Tobin, K. (1980). The effect of extended wait-time on science teaching. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 17(5), 469-475.