About 25 miles east of Los Angeles is Mt. San Antonio College, one of the largest community colleges in the state of California. Mt. SAC, as it is affectionately known as, has a diverse student population (~55% Latino, ~19% Asian, & ~11% White/ Non-Hispanic). The majority of students receive some financial aid (~75%) and most […]
March 8, 2018
“Is the grading process needed?” Community College Students Question the Role of Grades
January 23, 2018
Right Question Stories From the Field: Edible Packing Material, Smelly Barrels, and Regurgitated Owl Food
When educators use objects or images as a Question Focus it can send elementary school students’ minds racing in new directions. By Chris Orchard If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many questions is it worth? A lot, it seems. We’ve found that elementary school teachers often achieve great results with the Question […]
November 15, 2017
Right Question Stories from the Field: Farming on Volcanoes, Flint’s Water Crisis, and Excreting Isopods
How educators are using the Question Formulation Technique in STEM lessons around the country and world. By Chris Orchard Students in Alyssa Park’s fourth-grade class had a pressing question about isopods. Specifically, “Do they poop?” To refresh your memory, isopods are “small sessile-eyed aquatic or terrestrial crustaceans with the body composed of seven free thoracic […]
November 14, 2017
“How does the sun’s power get into you?” Using the QFT to Explore Energy with First Graders
By Jodie Botzang, First Grade Teacher, Summers’ Corners Public School, Aylmer, Ontario, Canada What I like about the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) process is that it provides an opportunity for my first graders to ask their questions without feeling insecure or judged on their prior knowledge. The idea that you ask every question that comes […]
November 6, 2017
My Ah-Ha Moments with the Question Formulation Technique
by Connie Williams When first starting to use the Question Formulation Technique (QFT), I thought I needed to run through the process as described each and every time. It made sense, after all, to complete it with fidelity so that I would know that I was doing it “right.” As I became more competent – […]
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 […]
June 8, 2016
Elementary Students Driving their Learning by Asking Questions: An Interview with Deirdre Brotherson
an interview with Deirdre Brotherson by Mikah Farbo Earlier this month Deirdre Brotherson, a 5th grade teacher at Hooksett Memorial School in New Hampshire, took time out of her busy day to speak with me and share her experience with the Question Formulation Technique (QFT). Through our conversation, I learned how Brotherson’s use of the […]
May 10, 2016
Three and Four Year Old Students Learning to Ask Their Own Questions
By: Lisa Bernadino, Kristen Harvey, Andrea Serino, Kristen Sasso, Donna Rosso, & Margaret Adams “In early childhood classrooms, science based lessons are something that are often done, but not as often explored by students,” shares Kristen Harvey, Pre-Kindergarten teacher at the Franklin. The Franklin Early Childhood Center, part of the Melrose Public Schools in Massachusetts, serves approximately 300 three […]
March 14, 2016
Video: The Question Formulation Technique in a High School Science Class
The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) is being used in schools and districts across the United States. Educators use the QFT to promote student-centered learning and increase student engagement. In this video, students in David Meshoulam’s ninth grade physics class at Newton North High School (Massachusetts) go through the Question Formulation Technique process towards the end of a unit on […]
March 14, 2016
Video: Using the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) for Formative Assessment
This video shows how the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) may be used to formatively assess students’ understanding of a concept or their knowledge of a topic. Educators can use the QFT to formatively assess their students at the beginning of a unit (as seen in this video), in the middle of the unit, and towards […]
