Best Practices in the Question Formulation Technique QFT
+ Best Practices in the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) West Coast Regional Seminar Burlingame, CA August 16, 2018 Dan Rothstein Sarah Westbrook Co-Director The Right Question Institute Director of Professional Learning The Right Question Institute #QFTCon
+ Welcome Dr. Maggie Mac. Isaac Burlingame School District Superintendent
+ Acknowledgments We are deeply grateful to the John Templeton Foundation and The Hummingbird Fund for their generous support of the Right Question Institute’s Million Classrooms Campaign. We are grateful also to Bruce Duncan and Grace Villaflor for their work behind the scenes and to all of our workshop facilitators who are joining us today. #QFTCon
+ Who is in the room? #QFTCon
+ We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place For the first time. --T. S. Eliot
+ 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) Today’s Agenda Welcome and Community Building Collaborative Learning with the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) Classroom Examples The Art and Science of the QFT: A Deep Dive into Planning, Design, and Facilitation Lunch Workshop #1 Workshop #2 Informal Conversation & Reflection (optional) #QFTCon
+ Access Today’s Materials: http: //rightquestion. org/educators/ seminar-resources/ Join our Educator Network for: Templates you can use tomorrow in class § Classroom Examples § Instructional Videos § Forums and Discussions with other Educators §
+ We’re Tweeting… @Right. Question @Rothstein. Dan #QFTCon
+ Why spend time teaching the skill of question formulation?
+ LAWRENCE, MA, 1990 “We don’t go to the school because we don’t even know what to ask. ”
+ "There is no learning without having to pose a question. " - Richard Feynman Nobel Prize-winning physicist
“We must teach students how to think in questions, how to manage ignorance. ” - Stuart Firestein Chairman of the Department of Biology at Columbia University
+ College Presidents on What Students Should Learn in College “The primary skills should be analytical skills of interpretation and inquiry. In other words, know how to frame a question. ” - Leon Botstein, President of Bard College “…the best we can do for students is have them ask the right questions. ” - Nancy Cantor, Chancellor of University of Illinois The New York Times, August 4, 2002
+ Yet…only 27%of students believe college taught them to ask their own questions Alison Head, Project Information Literacy at University of Washington, 2016
+ But, the problem begins long before college. . .
+ Percentage of Basic Skill Attainment Sources http: //nces. ed. gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/main 2009/2011455. pdf http: //nces. ed. gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/main 2007/2008468. asp#section 1 Data on question-asking based on parent and teacher feedback
+ Percentage of Basic Skill Attainment Sources http: //nces. ed. gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/main 2009/2011455. pdf http: //nces. ed. gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/main 2007/2008468. asp#section 1 Data on question-asking based on parent and teacher feedback
+ We can work together on changing the direction of that slope.
+ We Are Not Alone 350, 000 educators using the strategy all over the world
+ An Educator-Driven Movement The Right Question Institute offers materials through a Creative Commons License and we encourage you to make use of and/or share this resource. Please reference the Right Question Institute and rightquestion. org as the source on any materials you use.
+ What happens when students do learn to ask their own questions?
+ Research Confirms the Importance of Student Questioning Self-questioning (metacognitive strategy): n. Student formulation of their own questions is one of the most effective metacognitive strategies n. Engaging in pre-lesson self-questioning improved students rate of learning by nearly 50% (Hattie, p. 193) John Hattie Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement, 2008
+ Student Reflection “The way it made me feel was smart because I was asking good questions and giving good answers. ” -Boston 9 th grade remedial summer school student
+ Collaborative Learning around a Common Problem with the Question Formulation Technique (QFT)
+ The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) Students learn to: § Produce their own questions § Improve their questions § Strategize on how to use their questions § Reflect on what they have learned and how they learned it #QFTCon
+ Rules for Producing Questions 1. Ask as many questions as you can 2. Do not stop to answer, judge, or discuss 3. Write down every question exactly as stated 4. Change any statements into questions
+ Produce Questions 1. Ask Questions 2. Follow the Rules n Ask as many questions as you can. n Do not stop to answer, judge, or discuss. n Write down every question exactly as it was stated. n Change any statements into questions. 3. Number the Questions
+ Question Focus: Some students are not asking questions. Please write this statement at the top of your paper. Remember: Number the questions. Follow the rules.
+ Categorize Questions: Closed/ Open Definitions: n Closed-ended questions can be answered with a “yes” or “no” or with a one-word answer. n Open-ended questions require more explanation. Directions: Identify your questions as closedended or open-ended by marking them with a “C” or an “O. ”
+ Discussion Closed-ended Questions Advantages Disadvantages
+ Discussion Open-ended Questions Advantages Disadvantages
+ Change Questions n Take one closed-ended question and change it into an open-ended question. Closed Open n Take one open-ended question and change it into a closed-ended question. Open Closed
+ Prioritize Questions Review your list of questions n Choose three questions you consider most important. n While prioritizing, think about your Question Focus: Some students are not asking questions. After prioritizing consider… n Why did you choose three questions? n Where are your priority questions in the sequence of your entire list of questions?
+ Strategize on How to Use Questions From priority questions to action plan In order to answer your priority questions: n What do you need to know? Information n What do you need to do? Tasks
+ Formulate an Action Plan Information Tasks
+ Share 1. Questions you changed from open/closed 2. Your three priority questions and their numbers in your original sequence 3. Rationale for choosing priority questions 4. Next steps
+ Reflect n What did you learn? n How did you learn it? n What do you understand differently now about some students not asking questions?
+ A Look Inside the Process #QFTCon
+ 1) 2) The QFT, on one slide… Question Focus Produce Your Questions Follow the rules ü Number your questions ü 3) Improve Your Questions 1. Ask as many questions as you can 2. Do not stop to discuss, judge or answer 3. Record exactly as stated 4. Change statements into questions Categorize questions as Closed or Open-ended ü Change questions from one type to another ü 4) 5) 6) Prioritize Your Questions Share & Discuss Next Steps Reflect Closed-Ended: Answered with “yes, ” “no” or one word Open-Ended: Require longer explanation
+ Curiosity and Rigor Three thinking abilities with one process
+ Thinking in Many Different Directions DIVERGENT THINKING
+ Narrowing Down, Focusing CONVERGENT THINKING
+ The Importance of Questions "Questions are the engines of intellect, the cerebral machines which convert energy to motion, and curiosity to controlled inquiry. " - David Hackett Fischer, Historians' fallacies: Toward a logic of historical thought. Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1971. “[The QFT] helps me by getting me to think about questions on my own…it gets my mind in motion to think about the questions other people make. " - 8 th grade student in James Brewster’s U. S. history class Gus Garcia Young Men’s Leadership Academy, Austin, TX, 2015
+ Thinking About Thinking METACOGNITION
+ Exploring Classroom Examples
+ Classroom Example: 4 th Grade Teacher: Lucy Canotas, Manchester, NH Topic: Fractions Purpose: For formative assessment; to check students’ understanding and guide instruction
+ The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) in Action http: //rightquestion. org/qft-formative-assessment
+ Classroom Example: Kindergarten Teacher: Jennifer Shaffer, Walkersville, MD Topic: Non-fiction literacy Purpose: To engage students prior to reading a nonfiction text about alligators
+ Question Focus Photo by: Newan Samaranayake / National Geographic
+ Student Questions 1. Is the alligator camouflaged? 2. Why do the babies have stripes? 3. Are those baby crocodiles? 4. Is it a mom or dad crocodile? 5. What is the green stuff? 6. Why are they in the water so low? 7. Where are they going? 8. Why are the baby alligator’s eyes white and the mom’s black? 9. Why are baby alligators on top of the momma alligator? 10. Why does momma or daddy have bumps on them?
+ Classroom Example: 4 th Grade Teacher: Deirdre Brotherson, Hooksett, NH Topic: Math unit on variables Purpose: To engage students at the start of a unit on variables
+ Question Focus 24 = + +
+ Student Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Why is the 24 first? What do the smiley faces mean? Why are there 3 smiley faces? How am I suppose to figure this out? Is the answer 12? Can I put any number for a smiley face? Do three faces mean something? Do the numbers have to be the same because the smiley faces are the same? What numbers will work here? 10. Does it mean 24 is a really happy number? Can we replace each smiley face with an 8? 12. Do any other numbers work? 13. Can we do this for any number? 14. Does it always have to be smiley faces? 15. Do we always have to use three things? 11.
+ Next Steps with Student Questions v Questions posted on classroom walls. v Students cross off the questions they answer during subsequent lessons. v Teacher returns to student questions at the end of the unit to discuss with students what they learned and what they still want to know.
+ Classroom Example: 7 th Grade Teacher: Nicole Bolduc, Ellington, CT Topic: “The Universe and Its Stars” Unit Purpose: To engage students in setting the learning agenda for the unit
+ Question Focus: Students watched videos of dramatic tide change in Cape Cod, Alaska, and Canada https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=m. AYXZz. KUAX 4 https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=53 EEDislo. ME
+ Selected Student Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Why does tide change? How is tide created? How does earth’s rotation cause the 12. tide to change? Does the sun have any part in the rise 13. 14. and retreat of tides? 15. Do tides occur because of the gravitational pull of the moon? Do the phases of the moon come into 16. play with the tides? 17. How do other planets affect it? Are the tides opposite in Florida and Mexico? (b/c they share the Gulf of 18. Mexico) How come the tide changes greatly in 19. some places but not others? 20. How far can high tide go? How do tides affect people? Can tide change be a problem in the future? Does global warming affect tides? Where does the water go to? Does temperature have anything to do with tides? Does tilt have anything to do with tides? How do fish & wildlife survive when the tide is always changing? If the moon disappeared, would there be no tides? What would happen if the tide didn’t change? Why are tides important to the earth?
+ Next Steps: v. The Driving Questions Board and the “Parking Lot” v. Students draw initial models, give feedback, and make predictions. v. Students experience a series of scientific investigations. v. At the end of the unit, the Driving Question board is “published” in poster format.
+ Classroom Example: High School Teacher: Daniel Fouts, Des Plaines, IL Topic: 12 th Grade AP Government unit on the American presidency at moments of crisis Purpose: To engage students at the start of the unit and to help students select a topic for an independent project
+ Question Focus “Nearly all men can handle adversity; but if you really want to test a man’s character, give him power. ” https: //www. loc. gov/pictures/item/96522529/
+ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Student Questions How does power challenge one’s morality? Should everyone have some type of power? Does power make people corrupt? What if the person who is qualified for power doesn’t attain it? How is a man’s power tested? What is considered power? What defines good character? How can we ensure that the good men get the power? What kind of man can handle adversity? 10. What can power tell us about a man’s character? 11. How can power be obtained by adversity? 12. Why are some people affected by power differently? 13. If adversity supposedly makes you stronger, does that mean that power makes you weaker? 9.
+ Next Steps: v Each student selected l question from the class list to work on throughout the unit v Students answered their question using research and knowledge from the unit in a two-page reflection paper v Students shared their reflections in a class discussion on the final day of the unit
+ Professional Learning Example Principal: Nat Vaughn, Medfield, MA Setting: A schoolwide faculty meeting Purpose: To build consensus around creating a schoolwide homework policy
+ Question Focus “Homework practices are inconsistent at “Homework practices vary at our school. ”
+ Outcomes “The conversations that took place resulting from the process were rich, meaningful, and productive. The simple process provided a non-judgmental structure to address a significant ‘issue’ in our school and led us to a position of recognizing and embracing a need for change. ”
+ Why is question formulation so important now?
In the Age of Google… “How should you respond when you get powerful new tools for finding answers? Think of harder questions - Clive Thompson, Journalist and Technology Blogger
+ The Skill of Question Formulation n For reframing the perception of ignorance: not a weakness, but an opportunity n For arriving at better answers (and more questions) n For increasing engagement and ownership n. For a little more joy in a very demanding profession n And…
+ Individual Skills and Democracy Image Courtesy of Highlander Research and Education Center
+ Democracy “We need to be taught to study rather than to believe, to inquire rather than to affirm. ” - Septima Clark See Chapter 6 on Septima Clark in Freedom Road: Adult Education of African Americans (Peterson, 1996).
+ 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) Today’s Agenda Welcome and Community Building Collaborative Learning with the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) Classroom Examples The Art and Science of the QFT: A Deep Dive into Planning, Design, and Facilitation Lunch Workshop #1 Workshop #2 (optional) Informal Conversation & Reflection #QFTCon
+ QFT: An ART and a SCIENCE The Science: The QFT is a rigorous protocol, with specific steps and sequence, that produces consistent results The QFT 1. Present a Question Focus 2. Produce questions following the 4 rules 3. Improve questions 4. Prioritize questions 5. Discuss next steps 6. Reflect
+ QFT: An ART and a SCIENCE The Art: You can tailor the QFT process to the specific content and students you are teaching. Tailor the QFT through: • Planning how to use student questions • Question Focus design • Prioritization instructions • Reflection questions • Facilitation
+ Five Areas Related to the Art of the QFT 1. Facilitation 2. Starting at the End 3. QFocus Design 4. Prioritization Instructions 5. Reflection Questions
+ Four Principles of Facilitation 1. Monitor student adherence to the process 2. Do not give examples 3. Do not get pulled into group discussion 4. Acknowledge all contributions equally ØDiscuss: What could be challenging about each principle? What might be important about each?
+ Five Areas Related to the Art of the QFT 1. Facilitation 2. Starting at the End 3. QFocus Design 4. Prioritization Instructions 5. Reflection Questions
+ The QFT , Not a Detour but a Shortcut
+ Various Teaching Purposes n Engagement n Knowledge acquisition n Formative assessment n Summative assessment n Peer review n Skill development
+ Using the QFT for Engagement 24 = + +
+ Next Steps with Student Questions v The Driving Question Board v. The “Parking Lot” v. End of Unit Wrap Up
+ Using the QFT for Peer Review Scientist’s claim: “Adding a dam to a water system causes a decrease in aquatic life downstream. ” Student Design to test the claim:
+ Next Steps with Student Questions:
+ Using the QFT for Skill Development (Students were assigned a complex molecular biology article) QFocus: Ask as many questions as you can about the reading
+ Next Steps with Student Questions: v. Students lead themselves through the QFT as homework and bring in their questions v. In class, students discuss key attributes of a good biological research question and compare to other types of questions v. Students improve their questions v. Lists of questions are discarded or kept in notebooks (up to the student) v. Students apply this skill to designing their own research project later in the semester
+ Pop Quiz or Reading Check Next Steps? Debate Prep Lab work & Experiments Paper topic Exit ticket or ”Do Now” Research Hang on walls, Check Off as Answered Projects Test Prep Homework Class discussion prompts And sometimes… Presentations Socratic Seminar Prompts Student Choice Projects Nothing! Interview an Expert Make Your Own Final Test Guest speakers Journal Prompt Close Reading Protocol Tailoring Instruction Service Action Projects Year-long or Unit-long Essential Questions
+ Putting it into Practice: Brainstorm a few ways you might integrate the QFT into your work Keep in mind: • Your objectives • How students will use their own questions or how you will use their questions as the lesson progresses
+ Five Areas Related to the Art of the QFT 1. Facilitation 2. Starting at the End 3. QFocus Design 4. Prioritization Instructions 5. Reflection Questions
+ Question Focus (QFocus): A focus or prompt for student questions n A phrase or quotation n An image or video n A podcast or speech n A hands-on experience or experiment n An equation or data set The QFocus is not a question!
+ Designing a Question Focus An effective QFocus should be 1. Directly tied to lesson’s main idea 2. Simple…but not too simple 3. Interesting or provocative to students…but not biased or leading
+ Initial Question Focus:
+ Revised Question Focus: The city fathers were aware that the decaying bodies of these rodents were making people sick. (page 28)
+ Putting it into Practice
+ Design Your Own QFocus Directions: • Work on the lesson planning workbook through page 5. • Try creating your own QFocus. (It’s ok if it is a bit rough. )Write it on an index card. • Trade cards with a partner. • Generate questions about your partner’s QFocus. • Trade back and use their questions to guide revision of the QFocus.
+ WANTED: Q Focus Guinea Pigs Who is willing to share the QFocus you were working on?
+ Troubleshooting and Revising
+ Initial Question Focus: “People, Animals, and Friends” 1. Do people exist? 2. Where do people live? 3. Why do animals live in the zoo? 4. Why do people go to the pool? 11. Why do people want to be friends with animals? 12. Why are people making friends with animals? 5. Why are friends fun? 13. Why do people, animal, and friends live in different countries? 6. Why do animals bite? 14. Where did my dog and friend go? 7. Why do people go to school? 15. Can my friend pet our new dog? 8. Do people, animals, and friends play together? 16. Why do I have eyes? 9. Do animals make friends? 10. Why do I need friends? 17. How do people smell? 18. Can animals speak? 19. Can people fly? 20. Where is my bunny? What happened?
+ Revising the Question Focus “People, Animals, and Friends” Your idea here!
+ Five Areas Related to the Art of the QFT 1. Facilitation 2. Starting at the End 3. QFocus Design 4. Prioritization Instructions 5. Reflection Questions
+ Prioritization Instructions Choose three most important questions Choose three questions you consider most important.
+ Categories of Prioritization Instructions Choose three questions… • General Instructions: • • that you consider most important Specific Purposes: • • that you need to research further to help you solve the problem that you need to answer first that a scientist studying the earth might ask that will help you understand the text that require analyzing data that are not “Googleable” and may be difficult to answer
+ QFocus: High School “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again. ” – Maya Angelou Troubleshooting Tips: • “Spend the next 2 minutes asking about just this word/phrase” • Change the Prioritization Instructions on the fly
+ Five Areas Related to the Art of the QFT 1. Facilitation 2. Starting at the End 3. QFocus Design 4. Prioritization Instructions 5. Reflection Questions
Examples of Reflection Questions + QFT Process n What did you learn about asking questions? n How did you learn it? n What do you understand differently now about asking questions? n How can you use what you learned about asking questions? n How do you feel about asking questions? Content Specific n What did you learn about the (content)? n How did the QFT process help you think about… n key concept n specific assignment n overarching topic n theme in the unit n chapter you just read
+ One Last Thought about Reflection “Reflection is the piece that keeps me coming back the next day… The most profound reflections are almost always from the students who perhaps seemed disengaged in class. Quiet students often do a great deal of their thinking in the written reflection. ” -Ling-Se Chesnakas, Boston Public Schools
+ The Science of the QFT: a protocol The Art of the QFT: You
+ The one quality all excellent QFT designers share? Thick Skin.
+ 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) Today’s Agenda Welcome and Community Building Collaborative Learning with the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) Classroom Examples The Art and Science of the QFT: A Deep Dive into Planning, Design, and Facilitation Lunch Workshop #1: 12: 45 - 1: 45 Workshop #2: 1: 55 - 3: 00 Informal Conversation & Reflection (optional) #QFTCon
+ Workshop Sessions Session #1: 12: 45 - 1: 45 pm Room Suffering from Acronym Anxiety? Using the QFT to Tackle NGSS & STEM for All Students 11 -1 Julie Reis| Abraham Lincoln High School Inquiry Asks a Question; Research Answers It. 11 -2 Connie Williams | Petaluma Regional Library and Sonoma County Library Lessons from the Field: The QFT with Special Student Populations 11 -3 Sarah Westbrook | Right Question Institute Session #2: 1: 55 - 3: 00 pm Building Strong Partnerships with Families Room 11 -1 Dan Rothstein| The Right Question Institute Cultivating Creativity with the QFT 11 -2 Samantha Hundley | Roosevelt Elementary School The Big IDEA- Practical Steps to a Whole School Design Process Matthew Pavao | Roosevelt Elementary School 11 -3
+ 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) Today’s Agenda Welcome and Community Building Collaborative Learning with the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) Classroom Examples The Art and Science of the QFT: A Deep Dive into Planning, Design, and Facilitation Lunch Workshop #1 Workshop #2 (optional) Informal Conversation & Reflection #QFTCon
+ Closing Reflections We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place For the first time. --T. S. Eliot
+ Closing Reflections 1. What did you learn? 2. An “a-ha moment” or a meaningful take away from your experience today 3. A key question that will guide your work 4. What was new for you?
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