Teaching Controversial Issues: Question Formulation Technique and Other Teaching Strategies Angela Smith, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Edison, NJ Kevin Bloom, Sayerville Middle School, Sayerville, NJ https://goo.gl/ujBqKZ

Objectives: Experience the QFT (Question Formulation Technique) Process 2. Review additional strategies and websites that can be utilized when teaching controversial issues

Rules for Producing Questions Ask as many questions as you can. Do not stop to answer, judge, or discuss the questions. Write down every question EXACTLY as it is stated. Change any statement into a question. Turn and Talk: Which one of these rules might be difficult to follow? Why?

Roles for Producing Questions Recorder- Writes down questions without judgment or editing Reporter(s)- Reports out questions to the class Materials Manager- Manages getting and returning chart paper and markers for the group

Question Focus Heritage or Hate? The push to remove Confederate symbols and monuments has sparked protest, violence, death, and debate, especially when determining their significance to our nation’s history.

Produce as many questions as you can in the next 10 minutes! Question Focus: Heritage or Hate? The push to remove Confederate symbols and monuments has sparked protest, violence, death, and debate, especially when determining their significance to our nation’s history. Produce as many questions as you can in the next 10 minutes! Follow the Rules for Producing Questions: Ask as many questions as you can. Do not stop to answer, judge, or discuss the questions. Write down every question EXACTLY as it is stated. Change any statement into a question. 5. Number the questions.

Improve your Questions! Question Focus: Heritage or Hate? The push to remove Confederate symbols and monuments has sparked protest, violence, death, and debate, especially when determining their significance to our nation’s history. Improve your Questions! You might have these two kinds of questions in your list: Closed-ended questions – they can be answered with “yes” or “no” or with one word. Open-ended questions – they require an explanation and cannot be answered with yes” or “no” or with one word. Identify closed- and open-ended questions. Mark the closed-ended questions with a C and the open-ended questions with an O.

Improve Your Questions Turn and Talk: Closed-Ended Questions Name advantages of asking closed-ended questions. Name disadvantages of asking closed-ended questions. Turn and Talk: Open-Ended Questions Name advantages of asking open-ended questions. Name disadvantages of asking open-ended questions.  

Improve Your Questions Time to Practice! Choose one closed-ended question from your list and change it into an open-ended question. Choose one open-ended question from your list and change it into an closed-ended question. If your group has only one type of questions, change TWO of those questions to the other type of question.

Prioritize Your Questions Choose the three most important questions from your list. Choose three questions that… most interest you. you consider to be the most important. you want/need to answer first. Mark each priority question with an “X”.   Keep the QFocus in mind while prioritizing. Heritage or Hate? The push to remove Confederate symbols and monuments has sparked protest, violence, death, and debate, especially when determining their significance to our nation’s history.

Share Your Questions Class share: The questions you changed from closed to open-ended and from open-ended to closed. Read each question as originally written and how it was changed. Your three priority questions Your rationale for selecting those three The numbers of your priority questions

Reflection Why is it important to ask/create your own questions?

Next Steps: Research! Slideshow based on materials found at www.rightquestion.org

Additional Resources The Right Question Institute- http://rightquestion.org/ ProCon.org- https://www.procon.org/ AllSides- https://www.allsides.com/topics-issues C-Span Classroom Deliberations- http://c-spanclassroomdeliberations.org/ Facing History and Ourselves- https://www.facinghistory.org/ Teaching Tolerance- https://www.tolerance.org/ Newseum- http://www.newseum.org/ NY Times Room for Debate- https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate Constitution Center Exchange Files- Various Topics