When students really become comfortable with the new classroom environment, they themselves will begin paraphrasing each other's ideas or refining each other's contributions. Wait time, which was formerly enforced by the teacher, feels more natural, and silence is more accepted.
Students begin to allow each other the time to digest and formulate their own ideas and questions.
Better yet, more questions are asked of each other than just being directed to the teacher. Best of all, students are answering more of the questions asked by classmates rather than waiting for the teacher to respond with THE answer. More students come forward with ideas during and after class as a result of being listened to and having their ideas validated, regardless of whether the idea is right or wrong. I believe that in my new classroom environment, as the students freely discuss their ideas, more students are able to voice their confusion. I also believe that there are immeasurable benefits to students' using their own brainpower to discover mathematics.