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Why We Need to Stop Doing the Thinking for Our Students

  • Writer: Alan David Pritchard
    Alan David Pritchard
  • Jul 21
  • 3 min read

Updated: Jul 24

ESL-Wise: Blog 14

Why We Need to Stop Doing the Thinking for Our Students

By Alan David Pritchard

Teacher giving ESL students wait time in class to encourage independent thinking and learner autonomy

We've all done it.


A student pauses mid-sentence, eyes searching for a word, and we jump in. Another hesitates before answering, and we rephrase the question or even answer it ourselves.


Or - one of my pet peeves - sometimes another student answers for them.


Yes, it feels helpful and supportive, but I have found that every time I step in, I short-circuit the learning process - and sacrifice necessary thinking processes.


When another student calls out the answer, I remind them of an old maths example and say, "If I ask you what 8 x 5 is, and someone else calls out the answer, you have been deprived of the thinking needed to work it out for yourself. You needed time to think: 'I know that 8 x 10 = 80, and 5 is half of 10, so half of 80 is 40.'


So, now if I ask a student for an answer, and someone else puts up their hand, I wait for the answer I require and then ask the eager other student if that answer is correct.


What Productive Struggle Means


  1. Thinking is learning


    The moment a learner hesitates, that’s where acquisition happens. When students work to retrieve words, reformulate ideas and revise their output, their brains build new pathways. If we rush in with the right answer, we interrupt that work in progress. Which is why I believe so strongly in eliciting responses rather than expect correct answers the first time. You can read more about this in one of my previous posts.


  1. Stamina grows through challenge


    Plus, over-support makes students passive, expecting correction instead of monitoring themselves. When we normalise effort and “not getting it right first time,” we help learners develop resilience that matters beyond the classroom. My classroom has three posters reminding students that it is okay to 'get it wrong' because they will then 'get it right.'


    Classroom board with colorful words: "Get it wrong; then get it right." Thumb symbols, notes below, and vibrant magnets. Educational mood.
    This quote, from the book "Teach Like a Champion' by Doug Lemov is on three of the walls in my classroom and I refer to it almost daily.

  2. Language is problem solving


    Crafting a sentence is like solving a puzzle; if we hand over the missing piece, students stop looking. Instead of giving answers, we can ask guiding questions, such as “Which word fits here?”, “Do you need a noun or a verb?”, or “What tense shows the timing?” These prompts keep the work with the learner.


How to Make It Happen


Allow wait time.

After posing a question or prompt, count silently to five before speaking. That pause gives learners space to think and prevents us from jumping in too soon. The notion of wait time has been around for years, but even so, I still sometimes forget to apply it.


Rather than “Do you mean environmental problem?”, try “You’re close, what kind of problem are we talking about?” and then wait.


Instead of “It should be ‘was built’, that’s passive”, ask “Who does the action here, and how do we show that in the verb?” and give students a moment to respond.


If there is still silence after ten seconds, I thinking of concept checking questions (see an earlier post) - or reframe my question to elicit further responses.


Also, try to resist giving multiple-choice answers. Start with open-ended prompts and only narrow down when students ask for clarification.


Don’t correct every slip mid-sentence. Let learners finish, then say, “Can you say that again, this time in past tense?” or “That’s a good point, let’s fine-tune the verb.”


Yes, it feels slower, and that’s the point. You’ll hear more pauses and see more fumbling.


You’ll want to help. But you’ll also begin to hear students self-correcting, stretching their language, noticing gaps and closing them.


Final Reflection:


Fluency comes from friction. Confidence isn’t built by correctness alone; it grows when learners realise they can solve problems for themselves. When we stop doing the thinking for them, we create space for awareness, autonomy and real stamina. We’re not stepping back, we’re stepping aside so students can step forward. I will soon create a post on process-based thinking to elaborate on this idea in more detail.

 

Please feel free to share your thoughts on this topic in the comments section below.

I’d love to hear from you.



Further Reading


 

ESL students playing an academic vocabulary game with the words “start” and “commence” on a smartboard. The caption reads “Want an easier way to teach academic vocabulary?”
Right Fast is my teacher-designed, classroom-tested game series that helps learners build academic language through fast-paced retrieval and timed oral rehearsal. Perfect for ages 14+

 Click the image or explore all 10 categories and 100 sets HERE.

 
 
 

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