Engage Students Virtually with The Question Formulation Technique

Engage Students Virtually with The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) and Padlet Sarah Westbrook Shana Trimble Director of Professional Learning The Right Question Institute Cambridge, MA Paintsville Elementary School Kim Sergent Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC) rightquestion. org

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Today’s Agenda 1) Review the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) 2) Collaborative Primary Source Learning with the QFT and Padlet 3) Explore Real Classroom Examples & Applications 4) Make Your Own: Padlet Settings and Other Virtual QFT Resources 5) Q&A and Open Discussion

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Access Today’s Materials and All of Our Free Resources https: //rightquestion. org/events/ Classroom Examples Instructional Videos Planning Tools & Templates

Use and Share These Resources The Right Question Institute offers materials through a Creative Commons License. You are welcome to use, adapt, and share our materials for noncommercial use, as long as you include the following reference: “Source: The Right Question Institute (RQI). The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) was created by RQI. Visit rightquestion. org for more information and free resources. ”

+ What is the QFT? Why Use it Now?

Honoring the Original Source: Parents in Lawrence, MA 1990 “We don’t go to the school because we don’t even know what to ask. ”

“There can be no thinking without questioning—no purposeful study of the past, nor any serious planning for the future. ” – David Hackett Fischer University Professor Emeritus of History, Brandeis University

Questioning is a tool for dealing with uncertainty. When we encounter the unknown, questioning helps us make sense of it. It’s hard to think of this current period as a “good time” for anything, but I think we can say this — it’s a good time to be a questioner. – Warren Berger Author of A More Beautiful Question

+ Collaborative Learning with the Question Formulation Technique (QFT)

The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) Individuals 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

The QFT, on one slide… 1) Question Focus 2) Produce Your Questions ü Follow the rules ü Number your questions 1. 2. 3. 4. Ask as many questions as you can Do not stop to discuss, judge or answer Record exactly as stated Change statements into questions 3) Improve Your Questions ü Categorize questions as Closed or Open-ended ü Change questions from one type to another 4) Strategize ü Prioritize your questions ü Action plan or discuss next steps ü Share 5) Reflect Closed-Ended: Answered with “yes, ” “no” or one word Open-Ended: Require longer explanation Source: The Right Question Institute rightquestion. org

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

Let’s Learn by Doing Access the QFT Padlet Activity Here: https: //padlet. com/sarahwestbrook 1/KVEC Feel free to take and use this Padlet activity as a template. Simply log in or create a free Padlet account and click the “Remake” button at the top right corner of the template. Be sure to select “copy posts” before clicking “submit. ”

What do I do with the questions students produce? Ø Students can look for answers to their priority questions (and generate new questions) through researching Library of Congress collections of Japanese American Internment primary sources: o o o http: //www. loc. gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/internment/ A primary source set on Japanese American internment with teacher’s guide Women Come To the Front - Dorothea Lange: https: //www. loc. gov/exhibits/wcf 0013. html https: //blogs. loc. gov/picturethis/2015/02/day-of-remembrance-photographs-of-japaneseamerican-internment-during-world-war-ii/ blog post that links resources throughout Library collections Ø Lead students through primary source analysis using the TPS “Observe – Reflect – Wonder” tool, starting with their priority questions. Then, see what questions remain, or what new ones have been generated.

Make Your Own Padlet Access the QFT Padlet Template Here: https: //padlet. com/sarahwestbrook 1/QFT 2 Access a quick guide to using Padlet: https: //rightquestion. org/remote-learningresources/

+ Exploring Classroom Examples

Classroom Example: 5 th Grade

Easy to Use and Share With Others

Let’s Dig In to Padlet Settings https: //padlet. com/sarahwestbrook 1/KVEC

What are your questions for us?

Access All of RQI’s Free QFT Resources https: //rightquestion. org/education/resources Classroom Examples Instructional Videos Planning Tools & Templates We’re adding new virtual learning templates and guides every day!

To Make Your Own Virtual QFT Go To: https: //rightquestion. org/remote-learning-resources/ Make an account at rightquestion. org if you don’t already have one: https: //rightquestion. org/register/ Download templates, guides, and examples for free.

Watch Webinars Like This One Find Upcoming and Recorded Webinars at: https: //rightquestion. org/events/

Facilitate an “Off-Line” Remote QFT Find a printable student worksheet and teacher guide at: https: //rightquestion. org/resources/question-formulation-technique-outline/

Thank you! Enjoy! rightquestion. org

Using & Sharing RQI’s Resources The Right Question Institute offers materials through a Creative Commons License. You are welcome to use, adapt, and share our materials for noncommercial use, as long as you include the following reference: “Source: The Right Question Institute (RQI). The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) was created by RQI. Visit rightquestion. org for more information and free resources. ” Access today’s materials (and more!): http: //rightquestion. org/events/