Using QFT

The two panoramas and related audio in this activity provide a virtual immersion into two Minnesota ecosystems. Your challenge for the first panorama is to make observations then practice generating questions using the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) developed by Rothstein and Santana of the The Right Question Institute (rightquestion.org). For the second panorama, we will do QFT first, view the panorama, and then compare the two approaches.

(Note: You are welcome to use these panoramas with your students.)

Teacher-Colleague Activity

Part I: Observations of Aspen Parkland Panorama

Step 1:

As you watch and listen to the first panorama with a partner, make a list of observations in your notebook. What interesting things do you notice? Do this in conversation with your partner, helping each other observe what you see and hear.

When you have completed the panorama viewing, share your observations with another team.

Small Group Discussion

How do your lists of observations compare? What were some common observations?
Did others observe things you didn’t notice? What are the advantages of collecting data in groups?

Step 2:

Now in groups of three or four, we will use the “question focus” (QFocus) of “Aspen Parkland”. This is a prompt for brainstorming questions. With this focus, and based on your observations, follow the steps below to generate questions. No discussion; just questions. You will have five minutes. Have fun with this.

QFocus: Aspen Parkland

Brainstorm as many questions as you can.
Do not stop to judge, discuss, edit, or answer any questions.
Write down every question exactly as it was asked.
Change any statements into questions.

Step 3:

As a group take your list of questions and label each question as open (more than one possible answer, i.e. open-ended) or closed (one word, number, yes/no answer). Now change one open question to a closed question and one closed question to an open question. Add these questions to your list.

Step 4:

To set context, let’s assume we are all field biologists designing a study of an Aspen Parkland ecosystem. Now prioritize your list of questions. Pick three (open or closed) questions from the list that could be used to guide an Aspen Parkland field investigation.

Discussion

What was it like to do this?
What are the challenges and benefits of brainstorming a list of questions around a QFocus?
Why do you think the QFT strategy asks you to brainstorm, categorize, rewrite, then prioritize questions, i.e., why all the steps?

Part II: QFT and the Prairie Panorama

Note: For the Prairie Panorama below, you are going to do the QFT process before viewing the video. This will provide an opportunity to compare using QFT before vs after investigating a phenomenon.

Step 1:

Press “play”, then immediately hit “pause”. Now take a look at this single frame of the prairie panorama. Discuss with others what you see and predict what you think the full panorama might look like.

Step 2:

With the QFocus of “Prairie”, brainstorm possible questions to pursue as you view the full panorama.

QFocus: Prairie

Brainstorm as many questions as you can.
Do not stop to judge, discuss, edit, or answer any questions.
Write down every question exactly as it was asked.
Change any statements into questions.

Step 3:

Label each question on the list at open or closed. Change one open question to a closed question and one closed question to an open one. Add these questions to your list.

Step 4:

Prioritize your list. What questions could most likely be answered as we view the panorama? Pick three questions to pursue as you view the prairie panorama.

Step 5:

Now hit “play” and view the Prairie Panorama with a partner.

Discussion

How did you do? Where you able to answer, or at least begin to answer, your three questions about the prairie?
After viewing the panorama, how might you reword the three questions you pursued?
What new questions do you have?
How does this version of using QFT before viewing the panorama compare to Part I when we viewed the panorama then developed questions? What are the benefits and challenges of each approach? Which approach do you prefer? Why?
How could QFT translate to your classroom? How can QFT be adapted for different grade levels?
What are the possible benefits of this QFT strategy for your students and your science curriculum?

Classroom Practice Assignment

Now it’s your students turn to try QFT. Before the next session, use any upcoming topic in your science curriculum and take your students through the QFT process. This is could be done as an introduction to a new unit, giving students the chance to develop questions about the topic that they want to answer, or QFT could be used at the end of a unit to develop unanswered questions that students have. (You may want to revisit the QFT video from Newton High School in Session 4.)

Provide a brief overview of the topic for students, ask for prior knowledge, provide a QFocus, then take students through the QFT steps. For prioritizing questions, it helps to set a context, e.g., looking for investigable questions, questions that are “basic” to understanding the topic, “historical” questions, “most interesting” questions, etc. And, as we did in this session, it is recommended that students reflect on their experience developing questions.

Come prepared at the next session to share the context when you used QFT and how students responded.

Take Two minutes for a quick evaluation of today’s session: Module 1 Session 6A Survey

Facilitator Note

Before the next session, remind teachers to implement a QFT session with their students.