The document discusses getting students to formulate their own questions as an alternative to the traditional Socratic teaching method. It introduces the Question Formulation Technique (QFT), which is a seven-step process for teaching students to generate questions on a given topic. In the QFT process, students first focus on a topic, generate questions about it without overthinking, and then work to improve, prioritize and determine how to use their questions for research, projects and presentations. Formulating their own questions helps students develop important thinking skills like divergent and convergent thinking as well as metacognition.

1. Did Socrates Get it Wrong?
Making Connections through Student Questioning
VAASL Fall Conference
November 6-8, 2014
Roanoke, VA
Lori Donovan, NBCT
Instructional Specialist, Library Services
Chesterfield County Public Schools
lori_donovan@ccpsnet.net

3. Socratic Teaching
● Socratic teaching focuses on giving students questions, not answers.
● Teacher models an inquiring, probing mind by continually probing into the
subject with questions [directed at students].
● A Socratic questioner (teacher) should:
a) keep the discussion focused
b) keep the discussion intellectually responsible
c) stimulate the discussion with probing questions
d) periodically summarize what has and what has not been dealt with
and/or resolved
e) draw as many students as possible into the discussion.
Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2007, April). Socratic Teaching. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/socratic-teaching/606

4. And what is wrong with this time honored
method?

5. Nothing, But Often Our Students Wonder....

6. And then they sometimes feel

8. So how do we move them to that stage?
By getting them to formulate their own questions
around a topic of study.

10. Question Formulation TechniqueTM (QFTTM)
This technique helps
students learn how to
produce their own
questions, improve them,
and strategize on how to use
them.

11. USING STUDENT QUESTIONS
Students can use their questions for many purposes,
including the following:
➔ Conduct Research
➔ Reports
➔ Conduct Experiments
➔ Independent Projects
➔ Write Papers/Essays
➔ Group and Individual Projects
➔ Socratic Seminars/Debates
➔ Prepare for Presentations/Interviews

12. Teaching Multiple Thinking Abilities in One
Process
As students go through this process, they practice three fundamentally
important thinking abilities:
1. Divergent Thinking- the ability to generate a wide range of ideas and think
broadly and creatively
2. Convergent Thinking- the ability to analyze and synthesize information
and ideas while moving forward toward and answer or conclusion
3. Metacognition- the ability to think about one’s own thinking and learning
(15-16)
Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

13. Steps in QFTTM Process
1. Question Focus (QFocus)
2. Rules for Producing Questions
3. Producing Questions
4. Categorizing Questions
5. Prioritizing Questions
6. Next Steps
7. Reflection
Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

14. Steps in QFTTM Process
Teacher will prepare before students begin, review/relearn, or reflect:
● Develop a Question Focus (Q Focus)
○ Q Focus is a stimulus that can come in the form of a statement, a
visual or aural aid
○ Goal is to focus students’ attentions and stimulate them to ask their
own questions
○ Q Focus should be used to facilitate students’ divergent thinking and
designed with the teacher’s end goal in mind
● NOTE: a Q Focus is NOT a question!
Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

15. Rules for Students Producing Their Own 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.
Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

16. Q Focus

17. Step 2: Improve Your Questions
Teacher Role
● Introduce a definition for closed-and
open-ended questions.
● Support students as the
categorize questions.
● Facilitate a discussion on the
advantages and disadvantages
of closed- and open-ended
questions.
● Support students as they work on
changing questions from one
type to another.
Student Role
● Review list of questions they
have produced.
● Categorize questions as closed-or
open-ended.
● Name advantages and
disadvantages of asking closed-open-
ended questions.
● Practice changing questions
from closed- to open-ended and
from open- to closed-ended.

18. Step 3: Prioritize the Questions
● The criteria for choosing priority questions should be
kept as simple as possible
● Basic instruction to students is Choose three questions
and should be influenced by what you want students to
start doing once they finish this process.
○ Choose the three most important questions
○ Choose the three questions you want/need to answer first.
○ Choose the three questions that most interest you.
Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

19. Step 4: How are you going to use your questions?
Sample Uses of Student Questions: Beginning of
Unit/Class
● students as relevant questions to previous day’s work or upcoming work
● students generate questions to use as guides for reading
● students use questions to identify specific topics for research papers,
essays, experiments, and PBL assignments
● teacher uses student questions to assess prior knowledge and identify gaps
in information and understanding
● teacher uses student questions to shape or refine lesson plans for the next
day or entire unit
Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

20. Step 4: How are you going to use your questions?
Sample Uses of Student Questions: Midunit or
Middle of Class
● students generate questions to shape their own homework assignments
● questions provide examples for teacher to review in prep for next stage of
unit
● students use questions to prepare for tests
● teacher uses student questions to assess what kinds of issues students are
addressing and what they are not and what students are or are not learning
● teacher references student questions from beginning of unit to show how
they are being answered through student work
Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

21. Step 4: How are you going to use your questions?
Sample Uses of Student Questions: End of
Unit/Class
● students ask questions relevant to the class just concluded or any
upcoming work
● student questions help them to prepare for final reports, PowerPoint
presentations and write papers
● questions aid in final assessment and review of student learning
● teacher and students set new research agenda of student learning
● teacher references student questions from beginning of unit to show how
they have been answered through student work and works with students to
identify questions that still need answers.
Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

22. Workshop Piece
DESIGNING THE QUESTION FOCUS (QFOCUS)
The Question Focus is the catalyst for students to generate their own
questions. The Q Focus should be directly related to the content you need to
teach and what they need to learn. You will need a Q Focus each time you use
the Question Formulation TechniqueTM.
Go through the step-by-step process to design a QFocus you can use to teach
your students to ask their own questions.

24. •
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25. Resources
Resources from this session can be found at http://libguides.ccpsnet.net/qft
or

26. References
Iranian hostage crisis. Image. Bettmann/Corbis. (2014). In Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. Retrieved July 8, 2014, from
http://popculture.abc-clio.com/
Make Just One Change - Right Question Institute. (2014). Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://rightquestion.org/make-just-one-change/
Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2007, April). Socratic Teaching. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://www.criticalthinking.
org/pages/socratic-teaching/606
Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
Education Press.
Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011, September/October). Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Questions. Retrieved May 22, 2014,
from http://hepg.org/hel-home/issues/27_5/helarticle/teaching-students-to-ask-their-own-questions_507
The Rules for Producing Questions [Pdf]. (2014). Cambridge, MA: The Right Question Institute.
Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions. (2014). Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://rightquestion.org/education/