Clarification pauses

A clarification pause grants students the opportunity to:

  • reflect on recently covered material
  • gather and organise their thoughts
  • ask questions of the educator to clarify their understanding.

A clarification pause is most effective after the students have engaged with a challenging or complex concept. Students should be encouraged to write down their question before asking it to the educator.

After an activity, presentation or when finishing a discussion, follow these steps:

  1. Ask the students to stop.
  2. Pause.
  3. Ask the students to consider if they have any questions on the topic or points which need clarification.
  4. Have the students write down their questions.
  5. Call on students to ask their questions.
  6. Have a student record the questions and answers to post up for the students for later reference (optional).
Clarification pauses are

effective for:

best to pair with:

  • Clarifying understanding
  • Identifying misconceptions
  • Critical thinking
  • Reflective thinking or practice
  • Any complex activity that needs a reflective element
  • In-class polling
  • Large groups discussion
  • Minute paper
  • Think-pair-share
  • Top twenty

Example 1

After introducing a new topic, the educator can pause and ask the students to identify any areas of confusion before delving deeper into the topic. In particular, educators can ask students to point out any prior knowledge they are lacking in order to understand this new topic. You can ask students to write their responses on an anonymous online resource such as a poll or collaborative space to encourage more honest and authentic responses.

Example 2

Students can often get confused after the introduction of a new concept that is challenging. Educators can ask students to clarify which specific aspects of the concept are confusing or identify misconceptions by asking students to explain how the concept applies in an authentic context.