Library teacher Kendall Boninti and Instructional Technology Specialist Nicole Hart share how they use the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) to engage students learning English as a second language in inquiry and project based learning. They also share their best practices for making the QFT work well with English Learners.
Teaching + Learning
In “the most rewarding first day in 30 years,” a calculus teacher presented students with some curious graphs, and students learned to “discuss mathematical information without any fear ” by using the Question Formulation Technique.
This newly updated lesson planning workbook takes you step-by-step through planning your own QFT primary source lesson. It spells out all the tips you need for designing an effective QFT, from picking the right primary source QFocus (prompt for asking questions) to tailoring your instructions so that the questions best align with the next steps of learning.
In this lesson snapshot, a 12th-grade AP English class discovers the dark history of convict leasing while reading Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Struggling at first to situate this often forgotten piece of history, students pause to examine a series of primary source photographs from the Library of Congress.
In this lesson snapshot, a fourth-grade class in Nevada explores the science and history behind the Hoover Dam through a primary source from the Library of Congress. Putting a virtual magnifying glass to a 1938 photograph, students want to know: "How do they build buildings in the water?"
Dan Fouts, who's taught government, U.S. history, and philosophy since 1993, explores the power of quotations to spark questioning and conversation.