To honor the commitment and the work of educators who facilitate student curiosity, we are excited to announce the fifth annual Question Week, in partnership with Warren Berger (author of A More Beautiful Question) and a number of other leading organizations focused on questioning. The online event will run from March 11 – March 17, and coincides with Einstein’s birthday on March 14.
Since the publication of Make Just One Change in 2011 we have been struck by how you, educators in the field from diverse communities all around the globe, have taken the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) and applied it in novel ways with tremendous success. Educators, such as high school English and special education teacher Jonathan Bisson, are finding that the QFT is one strategy that can democratize learning for all students and is a “very powerful entry point for students into a year of project-based learning and curiosity.”
Why do you think we ask questions?
“So we can be curious about what we are learning and want to know more.”
– 1st grader from Novi, Michigan
What we know and understand about how the QFT can promote greater curiosity and student-centered learning is not derived from a randomized controlled trial research study nor was it honed in a think tank.
Rather, over the past seven years we have learned from educators across all grade levels and from all subject areas who share their insight into how their QFT implementation effectively teaches students how to inquire, share pictures and lists of student questions, and share the joy and excitement that classrooms emanate when student curiosity is abuzz.
https://twitter.com/Mrs_WestcottMon/status/963885983107305476
“Everything starts with a question, even if you don’t realize it.”
– 9th grader from Fitchburg, Massachusetts
During Question Week we invite you to use the QFT and share with us pictures and insights on Facebook or Twitter. Use the hashtags #QFT #QuestionWeek and be sure to @RightQuestion. We encourage you to check out other strategies and resources that may also be useful for promoting inquiry-based learning. We will be retweeting and joining in on the conversation throughout the week! Visit QuestionWeek.com for more details.
“All learning must begin with the posing of a question.”
– Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize-winning physicist