In his 1867 doctoral dissertation, German mathematician Georg Cantor argued, “in mathematics, the art of posing a question must be held of higher value than solving it.” Many of Cantor’s contemporaries, mathematicians and religious leaders, did not agree. Much of Cantor’s work, which founded set theory and the concept of transfinite numbers, involved asking questions—why […]
October 4, 2018
The Question > The Answer: A Discussion of the QFT in Math from the Right Question Institute Archives
April 18, 2017
Biography and Bioethics: 9th Graders Ask Questions about the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
It all began with a question. For writer and journalist Rebecca Skloot, it was a question she asked as a high school student in a college biology lecture that launched her into a decades long research and writing process that eventually became the New York Times Bestseller, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. After a […]
February 27, 2017
“What would change in our community if no one judged?” 7th Graders Question Social Dynamics in Literature, and in Their Own Lives
How can teachers foster social awareness and empathy through student-generated questions? Teachers are often looking for new ways to build connections between course content and their students’ lives. In this classroom example, Erin Wynn, a 7th grade English Language Arts (ELA) teacher, used the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) to engage students at the start of […]
December 7, 2016
Inquiring Minds: Interview on Right Question Institute’s Conferences
“We learn just as much from educators who have used this strategy as they do from us.” Right Question Institute Education Project and Research Coordinator, Andrew Minigan, discusses the active, collaborative learning that educators experience in every Question Formulation Technique Professional Development session. Read Andrew’s full interview with Convene Editor in Chief Michelle Russell.
December 7, 2016
Education Talk Radio Interview with Luz Santana and Dan Rothstein
“We learned that the need was not to give them the questions but to develop the skills so that they could ask questions in all settings and situations.” Luz Santana and Dan Rothstein describe how lessons learned while working with low-income parents in Lawrence, MA led to the foundation of the Question Formulation Technique and ultimately […]
