Thursday, May 15, 2014

TCC 4-6 Student Questioning or Inquiry

The ability to ask the right question is one which is essential to getting the information you seek. The Right Question Institute has a plan for helping not only our students do this but also adults in health situations. The founders, Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana, offer resources freely to educators as well as books which can be purchased.

This component of inquiry so vital in science education is based on seeking information for study. Questioning leads to the hypothesis which is tested. Asking the “right” questions to begin with is essential to finding accurate results.
Project Based Learning (PBL) is another area where questioning is the foundation for the project.

The Right Question Institute has rules of engagement and procedures to follow in making this change in classes. Their articles explain facilitation and provide templates for teachers and students. There is a Question Formation Technique (QFT) card and rules for use with your student groups in the Question Focus activities. These can be modified to fit your situation. There is a sheet for recording the group’s progress. I don’t think you will find anything missing...there are also explanatory writings so that the teacher is ready to implement the process.

More support for this question building process is found in an article from the founders in the Harvard Education Letter which gives insight into some of the reasons for use and examples of teachers with it already in place.

As we move to a more (PBL) style in our district this looks like a tool whose time has come.