Question Like a Historian: Teach Students How to Ask Questions that Drive Inquiry and Spark Action

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Description

Questioning is a foundational thinking skill for historical meaning making; historians regularly ask questions as they research, vet sources, construct new narratives, and participate in public discourse and civic life. Yet far too often, in our classrooms, students feel more comfortable giving answers than asking questions. What are the barriers that prevent some students from asking questions? How do we ensure that all students develop this important skill?

Discover the Question Formulation Technique (or QFT), a simple, powerful strategy for teaching students to ask and use their own questions to drive their learning. Actively learn the strategy by experiencing it yourself, view selected research and literature, and explore real student work examples from elementary classrooms across the country which demonstrate how the QFT can easily be integrated into your existing curriculum to enhance research, discussion, debate, and civic action. Leave ready to immediately implement.

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Sarah Westbrook is the Right Question Institute’s Director of Professional Learning. As a former high school English teacher in Boston area public schools, Sarah developed a deep appreciation for the innovative work educators do every day that too often goes unseen. She partners with schools and districts around the country to design professional learning on the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) and collaborates with classroom teachers to
highlight their work. She has presented on the QFT for a range of audiences including national conference sessions at NSTA, NCSS, NCTE, Learning Forward, and ASCD, the Iowa, Maine, New Mexico, and Hawaii State Departments of Education, Chicago Public Schools, Cincinnati Public Schools, San Francisco Public Schools, and New York State BOCES districts. She has developed popular online professional learning courses with the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Library of Congress, and the National Geographic Society. She was the principal investigator on a 3-year Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources grant that brought inquiry-based professional learning to more than 2,000 educators from traditionally underserved communities across the country.

 

Here is a sample of what participants say about attending RQI professional development:

• “Rich resource. Empathetic. Knowledgeable. Inspiring. Curious. Prompt. I can’t even form full sentences because I’m just so darn impressed with Sarah’s labor! Her heart for educators and to see them thrive as difference makers is clearly demonstrated in all her actions.” (Harvard Graduate School of Education professional education course, 2023)
• “Sarah has a calming effect when I listen to her speak. She does a great job modeling neutrality and letting participants direct the learning. She offers quality nuggets of information but doesn’t steal the joy of discovery and inquiry from participants. Top-notch professional!” (Harvard Graduate School of Education professional education course, 2023)
• “I think that the way this day was structured made for the best continuing education that I have ever attended. So many times continuing education tells you why what they do is good, but come up short on how you can use this information in your classroom. This was practical and possible with immediate impact.” (Henderson County Schools, 2021)
• “Sarah was an was an impressive speaker who engaged the audience and modelled questioning well. I am excited to try this out.” (San Francisco Public Schools, 2019)
• “I don’t usually attend trainings because lack of information, can’t implement strategies, not relevant to middle school. However, this is the best, most useful training in 22 years of teaching!” (San Bernardino County, 2019)
• “SO simple yet SO engaging! LOVED your way to present this to teachers- some of the toughest audience. You kept me engaged 100% of the time.” (Cuyahoga County ESC, 2018)
• “No licenses, fees, or special equipment required! Easy, immediately applicable with the ability to make HUGE changes in the classroom” (Cincinnati Public Schools, 2018)