Rules and Procedures
Rothstein and Santana spent more than 7 years researching and working on the Question Formulation Technique before publishing the complete findings. A lot of the methods have been battered through numerous testing phases, often revised to be more effective in their results on student outcomes.
When considering and planning QFT, teachers must make sure to allot time to integrate a lesson that reviews the rules and procedures. This will increase the results returned from QFT.
When considering and planning QFT, teachers must make sure to allot time to integrate a lesson that reviews the rules and procedures. This will increase the results returned from QFT.
- Ask as many questions as you can
- Effect: Gives license to ask
- Do not stop to discuss, judge, or answer any question
- Effect: Creates safe space and protection
- Write down every question exactly as it is stated
- Effect: Levels the playing field so all questions and voices are respected
- Change any statement into a question
- Effect: Insists on discipline of phrasing, asking, and thinking in questions, not statement
Introducing the Rules Activity
Students Produce Questions
On average, most students will take about 3-5 minutes for the first stage. Here, they will utilize your QFocus to produce as many questions as possible. The more questions each student produces, the more that can be done with the questions.
- Divide the class into groups of 3-5 students
- Introduce the QFocus
- Be sure to limit the amount of information. Do not explain or clarify, Repeat it as needed
- Instruct students to produce questions
- Remember to provide a clear timeframe for completing and stick to it
- You may need to adjust accordingly, but if you provide four minutes, then stick to four minutes
- Monitor student thinking while in their small groups
- Display the remaining time via an online countdown or a projected phone timer
- Students need to make sure they have a system for recording all questions from all members during this time
- It also helps for students to record them in the order they are asked
- Different colored pens or pencils may be useful here
Troubleshooting
- Repeat the QFocus as needed but remember that students, especially at first, will need time to think
- Do NOT provide examples to students, as it will alter their thinking
- Provide Question Starters for students who often get stuck
- I tape these and accountable talk cues to student desks so they are always available
- Provide Question Starters for students who often get stuck
- Students and groups will work at different paces
- Reserve any judgment from the teacher or by students on how many questions are produced
- Remind students and groups of the rules and to produce as many as possible to create urgency
- Reserve any judgment from the teacher or by students on how many questions are produced
- Students should ONLY be creating questions at this point
- Many, especially at the onset, will want to stop and discuss or answer questions, but there will be time later
- Remind students of this and as you integrate this process, it will become routine
Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2015). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press