The Power of Student Questions to Spark Inquiry

The Power of Student Questions to Spark Inquiry
Luz Santana Sarah Westbrook Co-Director Director of Professional Learning The Right Question Institute, Cambridge, MA

Acknowledgments We are deeply grateful to The Hummingbird Fund and to the Right Question Institute board of directors for their support of our work. Thank you also to Andy Housiaux, Catherine Kemp, José Peralta, and Eric Roland for bringing The Right Question Institute to Philips Andover and for all their work behind the scenes.

Welcome

Who is in the room?

Community Building 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

Today’s Agenda Welcome & Community Building
Why Spend Time on Teaching Question Formulation? Collaborative Learning with the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) --Break-- Exploring Student Work & Classroom Applications Starting to Design a Lesson with the QFT --Lunch-- Deep Dive into Planning & Facilitation Working Groups: Additional Resources & Curriculum Planning Closing Reflections & Evaluations

To Access Today’s Materials:
Join our Educator Network for: Templates you can use tomorrow in class Classroom examples Instructional videos Opportunities to connect with other educators

We’re Tweeting… @RightQuestion @LuzSantana20 @SarahRQI #QFT

Why spend time teaching the skill of question formulation?

Honoring the Original Source: Parents in Lawrence, Massachusetts, 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 Laureate, Physics, 1965

“We must teach students how to think in questions, how to manage ignorance.”
– Stuart Firestein Former chair, Department of Biology, Columbia University

College Presidents on What College Students Should Learn
“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, Former Chancellor of University of Illinois The New York Times, August 4, 2002

Yet, only 27% of graduates believe college taught them how to ask their own questions
Alison Head, Project Information Literacy at University of Washington, 2016

Basic Skill Attainment Over Time
Sources: 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 Educators in more than 1 million classrooms worldwide

Now, Educators Lead the Work
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 happens when students do learn to ask their own questions?

Research Confirms the Importance of Student Questioning
Self-questioning (metacognitive strategy): Student formulation of their own questions is one of the most effective metacognitive strategies 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 UC Davis Research Linking Curiosity to Memory (UC Davis) 2014 The Fullerton Longitudinal Study (FLS), a 30-plus year study of the development of giftedness across various points in time conducted by Adele and Allen Gottfried of California State University ”This finding has strong implications for the development of STEM considering that curiosity is a fundamental predictor of the aspiration to become a scientist.” S. von Stumm, B. Hell, T. Chamorro-Premuzic. The Hungry Mind: Intellectual Curiosity Is the Third Pillar of Academic Performance. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2011 meta-analysis shows They found that curiosity did, indeed, influence academic performance. In fact, it had quite a large effect, about the same as conscientiousness. When put together, conscientiousness and curiosity had as big an effect on performance as intelligence.

Student Reflection “Just when you think you know all you need to know, you ask another question and discover how much more there is to learn.” -6th grade student, Palo Alto, CA “The way it made me feel was smart because I was asking good questions and giving good answers.” -9th grade summer school student, Boston, MA

Collaborative Learning with the Question Formulation Technique (QFT)

The Question Formulation Technique (QFT)
A step-by-step strategy in which people: Produce their own questions Transform & Improve their questions Strategize on how to use their questions Reflect on what they have learned and how they learned it

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 Ask Questions Follow the Rules Number the Questions
Ask as many questions as you can. Do not stop to answer, judge, or discuss. Write down every question exactly as it was stated. Change any statements into questions. Number the Questions

Some students are not asking 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: Closed-ended questions can be answered with a “yes” or “no” or with a one-word answer. Open-ended questions require more explanation. Directions: Identify your questions as closed-ended or open-ended by marking them with a “C” or an “O.”

Closed-ended Questions
Discussion Closed-ended Questions Advantages Disadvantages

Discussion Open-ended Questions Advantages Disadvantages

Transform Questions Open Closed Open Closed
Take one closed-ended question and change it into an open-ended question. Take one open-ended question and change it into a closed-ended question. Closed Open Open Closed

Prioritize Questions 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. After prioritizing consider… Why did you choose those three questions? Where are your priority questions in the sequence of your entire list of questions?

Strategize and Action Plan
From priority questions to action plan… In order to answer your priority questions: What do you need to know? Information What do you need to do? Tasks

Strategize and Action Plan
In order to answer your priority questions: What do you need to know? Information What do you need to do? Tasks Information Tasks

Share Questions you changed from open/closed
Your three priority questions and their numbers in your original sequence Rationale for choosing priority questions Your action plan

Reflect How did you learn it?
What did you learn? How did you learn it? What do you understand differently now about some students not asking questions?

A Look Inside the Process

The QFT, on one slide… Question Focus Produce Your Questions
Follow the rules Number your questions Transform Your Questions Categorize questions as Closed or Open-ended Change questions from one type to another Prioritize Your Questions Share & Discuss Next Steps Reflect Ask as many questions as you can Do not stop to discuss, judge or answer Record exactly as stated Change statements into questions Closed-Ended: Answered with “yes,” “no” or one word Open-Ended: Require longer explanation

Three thinking abilities with one process
Curiosity and Rigor Three thinking abilities with one process

Thinking in many different directions
Divergent Thinking

Narrowing Down, Focusing
Convergent Thinking

Thinking about Thinking
Metacognition

Exploring Classroom Examples

Classroom Example: 4th Grade
Teacher: Deirdre Brotherson, Hooksett, NH Topic: Math unit on variables Purpose: To engage students at the start of a unit on variables and assess their current skill level

Question Focus 24 =  +  + 

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?

Next Steps with Student Questions
Questions were hung around the room. Students checked off questions as they were answered during the rest of the unit. At the end of the unit, students analyzed their original list of questions and discussed what they learned and what they still wanted to know.

Classroom Example: AP Physics
Teacher: Rachel Riemer, Cambridge, MA Topic: Bias in science Purpose: To open up discussion around an important issue

Question Focus Bias in Science

Student Questions What are some occurences?
What topics in science have most bias? How is bias defined? Are there different types of biases in science? How does bias affect experiments and results? How does bias influence data collection? Is it possible to be completely bias free? How to reduce bias? Why is there bias? Is bias intrinsic? Is bias necessarily bad? How important is the fact that there is bias? (O) Is it important that there is bias? (C) When in history did bias in results of experiments affect the public? How do you quantify bias? What increases/decreases bias? What is the trend of bias in science? More? Less? Are certain groups of people more easily biased? (C) What are the certain groups of people? (O) How can we eliminate bias in high school experiments w/o high tech? What’s in place now to reduce bias?

Next Steps with Students Questions
Students identified patterns that emerged from their questions They categorized their questions into those patterns Students’ priority questions were used as a class discussion activity - The teacher would use the categorization skill later in the semester for a lab

Students’ Categorization
Impact How does bias affect experiments and results? How does bias affect influence data collection? History/definition How is bias defined? Why is there bias? Is bias intrinsic? Is bias necessarily bad? When in history did bias in results of experiments affect the public? How do you quantify bias? Help/reduce Is it possible to be completely bias free? How do you reduce bias? What increases/decreases bias? How can we eliminate bias in high school experiments w/o high tech? What’s in place now to reduce bias? Examples What are some occurences? What topics in science have most bias? Are there different types of bias in science? Patterns/trends What is the trend of bias in science? More? Less? Are certain groups of people more easily biased? (C)  What are the certain groups of people? (O)

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

Selected Student Questions
Why does tide change? How is tide created? How does earth’s rotation cause the tide to change? Does the sun have any part in the rise and retreat of tides? Do tides occur because of the gravitational pull of the moon? Do the phases of the moon come into play with the tides? How do other planets affect it? Are the tides opposite in Florida and Mexico? (b/c they share the Gulf of Mexico) How come the tide changes greatly in some places but not others? 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?

Prioritization Prioritization Instructions: “Questions a scientist who is studying the environment and our world would ask.” Students from 5 different classes voted electronically on 10 priority questions From the list of 10, they created (with teacher support) one new priority question: “How and why does the water rise and recede in Alaska, Canada, and Cape Cod?” This became the guiding question for the unit

Next Steps with Students Questions
The Driving Question Board and the “Parking Lot” Students drew initial models, gave feedback, and made predictions. Students experienced a series of scientific investigations. At the end of the unit, the Driving Question Board was “published” in poster format.

Student Reflections “I learned the basics of science and why it exists. Scientists have to find answers to questions. Their entire lives are to ask questions that will solve the big problem.” “This experience also fueled my passion to become a scientist, I want to find the answers to the things that interested me for the longest time. I have learned more than I would have expected, because all we did was ask some questions.”

Teacher: Isabel Morales, Los Angeles, CA Topic: Social Justice Purpose: Engage students in thinking about systemic injustice ahead of several fiction and nonfiction texts in the semester

“The disciplinary policies of our society perpetuate injustice.”
Question Focus “The disciplinary policies of our society perpetuate injustice.”

Student Questions Why are student of color targeted the most?
When will it get better? What are some ways to improve behavior? How do disciplinary policies target specific racial groups? What type of training will teachers go through that’ll bring justice to classrooms? Do teachers nationwide take notice of these stats? How can teachers develop better & effective disciplinary policies? Shouldn’t school police officers be trained like teachers? Why do people see the stats & data as a coincidence? What is considered a criminal offense in school? What does a kid learn about the system once in jail? Isn’t it the teacher’s job to keep the students “in line”? What do people believe expulsion will teach the students? How should disruption in class be handled? Does going to juvie have a long-term effect on younger students about education? How come there aren’t any policies keeping students out of prison?

Next Steps with Student Questions
Students decided to research statistics and poll students and teachers. Students met with the school administration to ask questions and address their concerns. School principal founded a student advisory council, which many students joined, to give students a voice in new policies.

Why is the skill of 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 Asking Questions
For moving from ignorance as weakness to ignorance as opportunity For arriving at better answers (and more questions) For increasing engagement and ownership For a little more joy in a very demanding profession And…

Questions and Democracy
“We need to be taught to study rather than to believe, to inquire rather than to affirm.” – Septima Clark Chapter 6 on Septima Clark in Freedom Road: Adult Education of African Americans (Peterson, 1996)

Why Spend Time on Teaching Question Formulation? Collaborative Learning with the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) --Break-- Exploring Student Work & Classroom Applications Starting to Design a Lesson with the QFT --Lunch-- Deep Dive into Planning, Facilitating, and Troubleshooting Working Groups: Additional Resources & Curriculum Planning Closing Reflections & Evaluations

Starting to Design a Lesson with the QFT

2 Keys to Beginning to Plan a Lesson with the QFT
Starting at the End QFocus Design

Various Teaching Purposes
Engagement Knowledge acquisition Formative assessment Summative assessment Peer review Skill development

Next Steps? And sometimes… Nothing! Pop Quiz or Reading Check
Debate Prep Paper topic Lab work & Experiments Exit ticket or ”Do Now” Hang on walls, Check Off as Answered Research Projects Test Prep Homework And sometimes… Nothing! Class discussion prompts Presentations Ok to change your mind once you see what you get; but try to be transparent with students, show them how/why their questions matter (rather than one off activity) Student Choice Projects Socratic Seminar Prompts Interview an Expert Make Your Own Final Test Journal Prompt Guest speakers Close Reading Protocol Year-long or Unit-long Essential Questions Tailoring Instruction Service Action Projects

2 Keys to Beginning to Plan a Lesson with the QFT
Starting at the End QFocus Design

Question Focus (QFocus): A stimulus or prompt for student questions
A phrase or quotation An image or video A podcast or speech A hands-on experience or experiment An equation or data set The QFocus is not a question!

Designing a Question Focus
An effective QFocus is: Directly tied to lesson’s main idea Simple…but not too simple Interesting or provocative to students…but not biased or leading

Initial Question Focus [The lab station]
This was an AP Physics class at a high school in Cambridge, MA. The students were studying acceleration. The teacher wanted the students to design their own lab to understand the relationship between angle of incline and the acceleration of an object. She wanted them to come up with a question they could test in a lab, rather than her telling them what they were testing and how to set up the lab. At first, the qfocus was the lab station with all the materials she would want them to use in the lab they were designing. It was a “disaster”. Students asked about parts and pieces, color choice of the materials, and where things were manufactured, etc rather than anything about acceleration, incline, motion, etc. Photo Source:

Revised Question Focus [Teacher drew a simple sketch]
In a renewed attempt, she drew a simple sketch of a cart moving down an incline with the phrase “motion on an incline” Two general major questions emerged: “How does the angle of the incline impact the motion?” and “How does the mass of the object impact the motion?”, which was enough for students to dive into designing a lab, and later refine their questions to decide what aspect of the motion they were measuring and hwow they would measure it Motion on an incline

Initial Question Focus
7th grade life science class in Chicago IL. The teacher wanted to engage students at the start of a unit on plant and animal cells and hopefully refer to their questions throughout the unit/hoped their questions would dovetail with what she was going to teach anyway. She was torn between an image and a sentence. She tried out the image first with colleagues. The image was too distracting and she didn’t like the questions about “what’s that purple blob?” Image Source:

Revised Question Focus
"The living cell is the most complex system of its size known to mankind." She ended up using this sentence instead with students. She got the questions she wanted; the students checked off almost everything they asked about by the end of the unit ― Paul Davies, The Fifth Miracle: The Search for the Origin and Meaning of Life

Initial Question Focus
Topic: Albert Camus’s The Plague Purpose: Pre-reading engagement and prediction of central themes going into the text

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

The one quality all excellent QFT designers share?
Practice makes…more comfortable anyway. Thick Skin.

Putting it into Practice
Work through the Question Focus (QFocus) Design Tool Then, write your working QFocus on an index card. It’s ok if it is still a bit rough.

QFocus Testing Find a partner to work with.
One person volunteers a QFocus for feedback. Give minimal context for the QFocus (grade, subject, objective). Partner jots down the first few questions that come to mind about the QFocus. Focus on the QFocus itself, not the objective or context. Follow the 4 rules! The QFocus creator debriefs with the group and makes revisions based on the questions they received.

The Art & Science of the QFT: Design, Facilitation, and Troubleshooting

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 Present a Question Focus Produce questions following the 4 rules Improve questions Prioritize questions Discuss next steps Reflect

QFT: An Art and a Science
Tailor the QFT through: Planning how to use student questions Question Focus design Prioritization instructions Reflection questions Facilitation The Art: You should tailor the QFT process to the specific content and people you are working with.

Five Areas Related to the Art of the QFT
Facilitation Starting at the End QFocus Design Prioritization Instructions Reflection Questions

Classroom Example: High School Physics
Teacher: David Meshoulam, Newton, MA Topic: Current and magnetism Purpose: Transition from unit on electricity to unit on electricity and magnetism

The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) in Action

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 Discuss: What could be challenging about each principle? What might be important about each?

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

Tailoring the Prioritization Instructions
Choose three questions… General Instructions: that you consider most important that require analyzing data that you are most curious about that are not “Googleable” and may be difficult to answer Specific Purposes: that you think will best open up dialogue that you need to research further to help you solve the problem that you consider “outside the box” that you need to answer first that would best help us learn about (topic or QFocus) that a scientist studying the earth might ask that best align with today’s objective that will help you understand the text SARAH- address troubleshooting with prioritization

Tailoring Reflection Questions
QFT Process Content Specific What did you learn about asking questions? How did you learn it? What did you notice about the order/sequence of questions? How can you use what you learned about asking questions? How do you feel about asking questions? How has your thinking changed since last time we did the QFT? What did you learn about the (content)? How did your questions help you think about… key concept specific assignment overarching topic theme in the unit your teaching practice a challenge in our school

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 key role of the teacher and YOU ARE sTILL In CONTROL: Behind the scenes as lesson planner Facilitate process according to the steps of the QFT and the five facilitation principles Use student questions as part of next steps

Why Spend Time on Teaching Question Formulation? Collaborative Learning with the Question Formulation Technique Break-- Exploring Student Work & Classroom Applications Starting to Design a Lesson with the QFT --Lunch-- Deep Dive into Planning, Facilitating, and Troubleshooting Working Groups: Additional Resources & Curriculum Planning Closing Reflections & Evaluations

Integrating the QFT into the Curriculum:
A Few Additional Examples

At Your Tables Go to: questions-to-spark-inquiry/ Download: “QFT Science Examples PPT” Look at a couple examples in the slidedeck with the group at your table Then, discuss with a partner: What was the teacher’s purpose and how did the QFT help accomplish it? Something that was interesting to you about the application or the student work Be prepared to share your thoughts.

Integrating the QFT into the Curriculum:
2 Considerations

Instructional Purpose
Student- Designed Lab Driving Question Board or Unit Framing Research Engagement Discussion Assessment Peer Review PBL

Scale Large scale, weeks- long PBL project about Mars 15 min
peer review exercise Student- designed lab investigation Thinking both about “dosage” – frequency with which you are using QFT And intensity of commitment to following through on the students’ questions One-day class discussion on bias in science Unit in which every lesson is framed by students’ questions about a phenomenon

Self- Organized Working Groups

Discuss What did you learn?
An “a-ha moment” or a take away from your experience today What questions do you now have?

Thank you! Have a great year!

To Access Today’s Materials:
Join our Educator Network for: Templates you can use tomorrow in class Classroom examples Instructional videos Opportunities to connect with other educators

Educators Lead the Work
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.”

Further Reading & Resources
Build STEM Skills and Nurture Students’ Scientific Curiosity with the Question Formulation Technique question-formulation-technique/ More from Nicole Bolduc: 5 Tips for Blending the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) with NGSS ngss How Do We Ask Better Questions? Ask Professor Dan Perlman Fabulous curated resources from former Science Department Chair, now assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, Alison Gest from Maine Township, IL.

To Learn Even More Check out our 3-week online course hosted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, starting October 21, 2019.

The Power of Student Questions to Spark Inquiry

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