Teaching Students to Formulate Their Own High Quality
Questions
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Question Formulation Technique Goal of Session: to offer you a
proven, easy to use method for involving students in generating
high quality questions. Assumptions: Students need to & can
learn to formulate their own questions Educators can easily teach
the skill as part of their regular practice Questions stimulate new
ways to think/new paths to follow
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The State of Questioning in Your Classroom Find a partner by
turning to your right and ask them: How do you currently help
students to formulate quality questions that build knowledge? Share
your answers with the large group
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Teaching Students to Formulate Their Own High Quality Questions
DID SOCRATES GET IT RIGHT?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JdczdsYBNA
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STEP 1 RULES FOR PRODUCING QUESTIONS Ask as many questions as
you can Do not stop to discuss, judge or answer the questions Write
down every question exactly as it is stated Change any statement
into a question What might be difficult about following these
rules?
STEP 3 PRODUCE YOUR QUESTIONS 1.Divide into small groups of 3-5
2.Identify note-taker 3.Use newsprint to write down questions 4.Ask
questions about the QFocus. 5.Make sure to follow the rules (See
Step 1) 6.List and number your questions. QFocus: Student generated
questions stimulate learning. Student generated questions stimulate
learning. www.rightquestion.org
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STEP 4 CATEGORIZING THE QUESTIONS You might have these two
kinds of questions in your list: Closed-ended questions: Can be
answered with yes or no or with one word. Open-ended questions:
Require an explanation and cannot be answered with yes or no or
with one word. www.rightquestion.org
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STEP 4continued CATEGORIZING THE QUESTIONS IMPROVE YOUR
QUESTIONS BY a. Review Questions, then mark open-ended questions
with a O and closed-ended with a C b. Name advantages of asking
open-ended questions. c. Name disadvantages of asking open-ended
questions. d. Review your list of questions and change one
closed-ended question into an open-ended and vice-versa. Write your
new questions below your current list of questions.
www.rightquestion.org
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STEP 5 PRIORITIZE YOUR QUESTIONS Choose three questions from
your list that most interest your group and your group considers to
be most important. Keep in mind the QFocus. Mark each priority
question with an X Decide your reasons for selecting those three
questions Report the numbers of your priority questions and where
the questions are located in the sequence of your list.
www.rightquestion.org
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STEP 6 SHARE & REPORT YOUR QUESTIONS The questions you
changed from closed to open-ended and from open-ended to closed.
Read each question as originally written and how it was changed
Your three priority questions Your rationale for selecting those
three The numbers and location of your priority questions
www.rightquestion.org
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STEP 7 NEXT STEPS How are you going to use your three priority
questions? www.rightquestion.org
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REFLECT 1. What did you learn? 2.What value does the QFT have?
3. How can you use the QFT? www.rightquestion.org
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USES of QFT 1.Introduction of a new subject/concept 2.Reaction
to text, object or video 2.Reaction to text, object or video:
example of organizational brochure/vision 2.Preparation for
upcoming assignment/project: example of analytical writing
assignment exploringNatural Born talent determines success in life.
www.rightquestion.org
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REFERENCES Rothstein, D., Santana, L. (2011). Make Just One
Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions. Cambridge, MA.
Harvard Education Press. Teaching Students to Formulate Their Own
High Quality Questions
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RIGHT QUESTION INSTITUTE RIGHT QUESTION INSTITUTE offers access
to free resources and networking www.rightquestion.org
http://rightquestion.org/join-educators-network/
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Thanks for Your Participation! Dave Wells Instructional
Designer & Adjunct Instructor Dave Wells, Instructional
Designer & Adjunct Instructor [email protected]
561-868-3958