Jan 07, 2016
Conversations about QuestionsCTABC-NWCSI Convention
October 2015 Quentin Flokstra (@qflokstra)
Using Student Questioning to
Improve InstructionA presentation covering the
Question Formulation Technique from the Right Question Institute
www.rightquestion.org
Synopsis
Overview & Rationale Go through the process Designing the Question Focus
DiscussHow many questions do your students ask each day? How often? How many questions do you think a pre-schooler asks? a middle-schooler? high-schooler? adult?
Teachers are the drivers of instruction & inquiry in the
average classroom
Teachers ask > Students answer Teachers explain > students take notes Teachers create > Students complete
What causes students to stop asking questions?Average preschool child asks 100 questions a day Declines in elementary Middle school - getting close to zero
Why should I care?Shifts in curriculum: Common Core & new BC curriculum Asking and answering our own questions is a motivating and engaging process!
Improves academics fosters skills needed for workplace and university
"The most common source of management mistakes is not the failure
to find the right answers. It is the failure to ask the right questions."
Peter Drucker, The Practice of Management
Conversation
Thoughts? How can we encourage students to ask their own questions?
The Question Formulation Technique
(QFT)
QFT has six steps
Overview Practice
Choose a Question Focus
The Question Focus (QFocus) is a prompt presented in the form of a statement, visual/audio aid, piece of text, etc. Attract the student and stimulate questions
What makes a good QFocus?
It has a clear focus It is NOT a question provokes and stimulates new lines of thinking it does not reveal teacher preference or bias
ExamplesTorture can be justified Pollution harms Boston residents Math problems Textbook titles
Rules for Producing Questions
Ask as many questions as you can Dont stop to judge, discuss, or answer them Write down questions exactly as stated Change statements into questions
Students Improve Their Questions
Analyze differences between open & closed questions
advantages/disadvantages of each type change one type to another
Students Prioritize Their Questions
Have students choose their top 3-5 questions Some teachers choose to give guidance Others let them decide
Using the Questions
What will you do with them? Launching point for student-driven inquiry: Essays, presentations, projects, etc.
Using the Questions
Beginning of process During After
Students Reflect on
Their LearningReflection is critical Not just about end
product Focus on the process
ResourcesTwitter:
@rightquestion Web: rightquestion.org
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