Did Socrates Get it Wrong? Making Connections through Student Questioning

VAASL Fall ConferenceNovember 6-8, 2014

Roanoke, VA

Lori Donovan, NBCTInstructional Specialist, Library ServicesChesterfield County Public Schoolslori_donovan@ccpsnet.net

● Socratic teaching focuses on giving students questions, not answers.● Teacher models an inquiring, probing mind by continually probing into the

subject with questions [directed at students].● A Socratic questioner (teacher) should:

a) keep the discussion focusedb) keep the discussion intellectually responsiblec) stimulate the discussion with probing questionsd) periodically summarize what has and what has not been dealt with

and/or resolved e) draw as many students as possible into the discussion.

Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2007, April). Socratic Teaching. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/socratic-teaching/606

Socratic Teaching

And what is wrong with this time honored method?

Nothing, But Often Our Students Wonder....

And then they sometimes feel

By getting them to formulate their own questions around a topic of study.

So how do we move them to that stage?

Question Formulation TechniqueTM (QFTTM)

This technique helps students learn how to produce their own questions, improve them, and strategize on how to use them.

Students can use their questions for many purposes,including the following:➔ Conduct Research➔ Reports➔ Conduct Experiments➔ Independent Projects➔ Write Papers/Essays➔ Group and Individual Projects➔ Socratic Seminars/Debates➔ Prepare for Presentations/Interviews

USING STUDENT QUESTIONS

As students go through this process, they practice three fundamentally important thinking abilities:

1. Divergent Thinking- the ability to generate a wide range of ideas and think broadly and creatively

2. Convergent Thinking- the ability to analyze and synthesize information and ideas while moving forward toward and answer or conclusion

3. Metacognition- the ability to think about one’s own thinking and learning (15-16)

Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Teaching Multiple Thinking Abilities in One Process

1. Question Focus (QFocus)

2. Rules for Producing Questions

3. Producing Questions

4. Categorizing Questions

5. Prioritizing Questions

6. Next Steps

7. Reflection Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Steps in QFTTM Process

Teacher will prepare before students begin, review/relearn, or reflect:● Develop a Question Focus (Q Focus)

○ Q Focus is a stimulus that can come in the form of a statement, a visual or aural aid

○ Goal is to focus students’ attentions and stimulate them to ask their own questions

○ Q Focus should be used to facilitate students’ divergent thinking and designed with the teacher’s end goal in mind

● NOTE: a Q Focus is NOT a question!

Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Steps in QFTTM Process

○ Ask as many questions as you can.○ Do not stop to discuss, judge, or answer

the questions.○ Write down every question exactly as it is

stated.○ Change any statement into a question.

Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Rules for Students Producing Their Own Questions.

Q Focus

Step 2: Improve Your Questions

Teacher Role● Introduce a definition for closed-

and open-ended questions.● Support students as the

categorize questions.● Facilitate a discussion on the

advantages and disadvantages of closed- and open-ended questions.

● Support students as they work on changing questions from one type to another.

Student Role

● Review list of questions they have produced.

● Categorize questions as closed- or open-ended.

● Name advantages and disadvantages of asking closed- open-ended questions.

● Practice changing questions from closed- to open-ended and from open- to closed-ended.

● The criteria for choosing priority questions should be kept as simple as possible

● Basic instruction to students is Choose three questions and should be influenced by what you want students to start doing once they finish this process.○ Choose the three most important questions○ Choose the three questions you want/need to answer first.○ Choose the three questions that most interest you.

Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Step 3: Prioritize the Questions

Sample Uses of Student Questions: Beginning of Unit/Class● students as relevant questions to previous day’s work or upcoming work● students generate questions to use as guides for reading ● students use questions to identify specific topics for research papers,

essays, experiments, and PBL assignments● teacher uses student questions to assess prior knowledge and identify gaps

in information and understanding● teacher uses student questions to shape or refine lesson plans for the next

day or entire unit

Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Step 4: How are you going to use your questions?

Sample Uses of Student Questions: Midunit or Middle of Class● students generate questions to shape their own homework assignments● questions provide examples for teacher to review in prep for next stage of

unit● students use questions to prepare for tests● teacher uses student questions to assess what kinds of issues students are

addressing and what they are not and what students are or are not learning● teacher references student questions from beginning of unit to show how

they are being answered through student work

Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Step 4: How are you going to use your questions?

Sample Uses of Student Questions: End of Unit/Class● students ask questions relevant to the class just concluded or any

upcoming work● student questions help them to prepare for final reports, PowerPoint

presentations and write papers● questions aid in final assessment and review of student learning● teacher and students set new research agenda of student learning● teacher references student questions from beginning of unit to show how

they have been answered through student work and works with students to identify questions that still need answers.Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Step 4: How are you going to use your questions?

DESIGNING THE QUESTION FOCUS (QFOCUS)

The Question Focus is the catalyst for students to generate their own questions. The Q Focus should be directly related to the content you need to teach and what they need to learn. You will need a Q Focus each time you use the Question Formulation TechniqueTM.

Go through the step-by-step process to design a QFocus you can use to teach your students to ask their own questions.

Workshop Piece

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Resources from this session can be found at http://libguides.ccpsnet.net/qftor

Resources

Iranian hostage crisis. Image. Bettmann/Corbis. (2014). In Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. Retrieved July 8, 2014, from

http://popculture.abc-clio.com/

Make Just One Change - Right Question Institute. (2014). Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://rightquestion.org/make-just-one-

change/

Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2007, April). Socratic Teaching. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://www.criticalthinking.

org/pages/socratic-teaching/606

Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011). Make just one change: Teach students to ask their own questions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard

Education Press.

Rothstein, D., & Santana, L. (2011, September/October). Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Questions. Retrieved May 22, 2014,

from http://hepg.org/hel-home/issues/27_5/helarticle/teaching-students-to-ask-their-own-questions_507

The Rules for Producing Questions [Pdf]. (2014). Cambridge, MA: The Right Question Institute.

Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions. (2014). Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://rightquestion.org/education/

References