A Strategy for Student-Developed Questions

Student learners have so many questions. How do we help them develop “good” questions to support their learning? How do we support them in being curious? 

Recently, Jessica Cavallaro talked about encouraging students to ask questions. She said we should spend a few days at the beginning of the school year teaching students about various kinds of questions. Besides types of questions, we also need to teach students how to formulate questions.

Question Formulation Technique (QFT)

One of the techniques that really resonates with students (adults, too) is the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) from the Right Question Institute. This is a six-step process and includes:

Step 1 – Teacher designs a question focus. This serves as a prompt that the teacher presents in the form of a statement or as a visual. It is the focus of the student questions.

Step 2 – Students develop questions. Students use a protocol for producing questions so they can do so without teacher assistance. The protocol guides learners to 1) ask as many questions as they can; 2) don’t discuss, judge, or answer the questions; 3) write down every question exactly as it was stated; and 4) change any statements into questions.

Step 3 – Students improve their questions. Students look at the differences between open- and closed-ended questions. Students take the time to revise their questions.

Step 4 – Students prioritize their questions. The teacher, with the lesson in mind, provides feedback for selecting priority questions.

Step 5 – Students and the teacher agree on the next steps. The classroom learning team collaborates to decide how to use the questions. Once questions are developed, they can be used to support the lesson/topic that was the focus or extend the learning about the topic.

Step 6 – Students reflect on the process. What worked? What didn’t? What would they change the next time?

Prioritizing and Positioning

In prioritizing questions, learners may be prompted by posing questions like these:

• Which questions interest us most?
• What do we want/need to answer first?
• What questions will best help us solve a problem?
• What questions will best help us design our project, experiment, etc.?

Creating a Collaborating Environment

Using a strategy like QFT to help students develop questions can increase learners’ ability to brainstorm, prioritize, reflect, and self-advocate. Step 5 of the process provides the classroom learning team options as to the next steps for the use of the questions. Options may include using the questions as part of the learning, aspects of the assessment, opportunities for student choice, or potential new ideas. A key point here is that students have both voice and choice in the conversation and process.

Asking good questions is a vital skill that takes time and practice. This foundational skill is critical in every academic area as well as work and life. It is a skill everyone can learn. As the Right Question Institute says, “Curious students ask more questions, and students who ask more questions become more curious.”

Helping students take ownership of their learning, be more articulate with their questions, tap into their natural curiosity, and see assessment as a support for learning moves them to a different level of engagement in their education. What questions do you want to hear your learners asking?

Resources

The Right Questions (ascd.org)

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