1. The Art and Science of the Question Formulation Technique
2017 Northern California Conference on Best Practices in the QFT
The Art and Science of the Question Formulation Technique
San Jose, California
January 27-28, 2017
Dan Rothstein & Sarah Westbrook
The Right Question Institute
Cambridge, MA, USA

2. Today’s Agenda Video Discussion
The Art and Science of the Question Formulation Technique
QFT Lesson Planning 2.0
Lunch
Best Practices for Sharing the QFT
The Right Question Institute as a Resource
Shared Interest Groups
Reflection & Closing Remarks

3. Classroom Example: High School
Teacher: Ling-Se Peet, Boston, MA Topic: 12th Grade Humanities unit on The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz Purpose: To help students generate questions for a Socratic Seminar at the end of the unit

4. The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) in Action

5. As You Watch… Please take note of: What is the teacher doing?
What are the students doing?
Share with 1-2 people at your table

6. Next Steps:
Students’ priority questions were used as the prompts for a Socratic Seminar discussion in class the next day
Students wrote a final paper informed by discussions during the QFT and Socratic Seminar

7. Today’s Agenda Video Discussion
The Art and Science of the Question Formulation Technique
QFT Lesson Planning 2.0
Lunch
Best Practices in Sharing the QFT
The Right Question Institute as a Resource
Shared Interest Groups
Reflection & Closing Remarks

8. QFT: An ART and a SCIENCE
The Science:
A rigorous protocol, with specific steps and sequence, that produces consistent results
The QFT
Discuss the rules
Present a Question Focus
Improve questions
Prioritize questions
Discuss next steps
Reflect

9. QFT: An ART and a SCIENCE
The Art:
Tailoring the QFT process to the specific content and students you are teaching.
Tailor the QFT through:
Design of the Qfocus
Instructions for prioritizing
Next steps for using the questions
Reflection questions

10. Five Areas Related to the Art of the QFT
Linking the QFT to Teaching and Learning Goals
QFocus Design
Prioritization Instructions
Reflection Questions
Facilitation

11. Various Teaching Purposes
Engagement
Knowledge acquisition
Formative assessment
Summative assessment

12. Five Areas Related to the Art of the QFT
Linking the QFT to Teaching and Learning Goals
QFocus Design
Prioritization Instructions
Reflection Questions
Facilitation

13. Moving From Complicated to Simple
Question Focus Design:
Moving From Complicated to Simple

14. Initial QFocus:

15. Revising the QFocus:

16. “Good fiction creates its own reality.”
Revised QFocus:
“Good fiction creates its own reality.”
- Nora Roberts

17. Before reading Albert Camus’ The Plague

18. Initial QFocus:

19. Revised QFocus:
The city fathers were aware that the decaying bodies of these rodents were making people sick. (page 28)

20. Question Focus
24 =  +  + 

21. Student Questions 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?
Does it mean 24 is a really happy number?
Can we replace each smiley face with an 8?
Do any other numbers work?
Can we do this for any number?
Does it always have to be smiley faces?
Do we always have to use three things?

22. Five Areas Related to the Art of the QFT
Linking the QFT to Teaching and Learning Goals
QFocus Design
Prioritization Instructions
Reflection Questions
Facilitation

23. Prioritization Instructions
Review your list of questions
Choose the three questions you consider most important.
While prioritizing, think about your Question Focus:
Some students are not asking questions.

24. Prioritization Instructions
Choose the three questions you consider most important.
Choose the three most important questions

25. 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
Comprehension:
that will help you understand the text
that require analyzing data

26. From Prioritization to Reflection
After prioritizing consider…
Why did you choose those three questions?
Where are your priority questions in the sequence of your entire list of questions?

27. Five Areas Related to the Art of the QFT
Linking the QFT to Teaching and Learning Goals
QFocus Design
Prioritization Instructions
Reflection Questions
Facilitation

28. Examples of Reflection Questions
QFT Process
Content Specific
What did you learn about asking questions?
How did you learn it?
What do you understand differently now about asking questions?
How can you use what you learned about asking questions?
How do you feel about asking questions?
What did you learn about the (content)?
How did the QFT process help you think about…
key concept
specific assignment
overarching topic
theme in the unit
chapter you just read

29. Five Areas Related to the Art of the QFT
Linking the QFT to Teaching and Learning Goals
QFocus Design
Prioritization Instructions
Reflection Questions
Facilitation

30. Four Principles of Facilitation
Monitor student adherence to the process
Do not give examples
Do not get pulled into group discussion
Acknowledge all contributions equally

31. The Key Role of the Teacher
Behind the scenes as lesson planner
Facilitate process according to the steps of the QFT and the four facilitation principles
Use student questions as part of next steps

32. The Science of the QFT: a protocol The Art of the QFT: You

33. Reflect
What do you understand differently now about the QFT?

34. Today’s Agenda Video Discussion
The Art and Science of the Question Formulation Technique
QFT Lesson Planning 2.0
Lunch
Best Practices for Sharing the QFT
The Right Question Institute as a Resource
Shared Interest Groups
Reflection & Closing Remarks