Creating Equitable and Curiosity-Filled Classrooms through Students’ Questions

Curiosity can have a profound impact on how students learn and how they perceive themselves as learners. The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) is a simple yet powerful strategy that deliberately teaches students how to ask and use their own questions and creates a space for inquiry-based learning. And, as a result, the QFT piques curiosity and can help students discover they have questions to which they want to find the answers. Boston University education researcher Shelby Clark has studied the QFT and has found that, “Initial results indicate that the QFT has a significant positive impact on students’ curiosity.”