1. Director of Professional Learning The Right Question Institute
Implementing Professional Development (PD) on the QFT
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago, IL
February 2, 2018 |
Luz Santana
Co-Director
Sarah Westbrook
Director of Professional Learning
The Right Question Institute

2. Acknowledgments
We are deeply grateful to the Sir John Templeton Foundation and The Hummingbird Fund for their generous support of the Right Question Institute’s Million Classrooms Campaign. We are grateful also to Heather Van Benthuysen for all her work in arranging this session.
#QFTCon #QFT

3. We’re Tweeting…
@RightQuestion
@LuzSantana20
#QFT

4. Today’s Agenda Welcome and Community Building
Sharing Classroom Experiences with the QFT
Collaborative Learning Using the QFT: Addressing Common PD Challenges
Break
Best Practices and Additional Resources for PD on the QFT
Self-Organized Working Groups
Closing Reflection & Certificates
#QFT

5. Welcome and Community Building
With a pair or group of 3, please share:
Your name
What you teach & where you work
A story of a PD that went well and why
A story of a PD that didn’t go well and why

6. To Access Today’s Materials:
seminar-resources/
Join our Educator Network for:
Templates to Use for Delivering PD
Classroom Examples
Instructional Videos
Forums and Discussions with Other PD Providers

7. Navigating rightquestion.org

8. Now, Educators Lead the Work
The Right Question Institute offers materials through a Creative Commons License and we encourage you to make use of and/or share this resource. Please reference the Right Question Institute and rightquestion.org as the source on any materials you use.

9. Today’s Agenda Welcome and Community Building
Sharing Classroom Experiences with the QFT
Collaborative Learning Using the QFT: Addressing Common PD Challenges
Break
Best Practices and Additional Resources for PD on the QFT
Self-Organized Working Groups
Closing Reflection & Certificates
#QFT

10. Sharing Classroom Experiences
We’d like to learn more about what you’ve been doing and thinking since our November sessions on the QFT.
Please select 1-2 of the following prompts to respond to for the next 5-6 minutes. Be prepared to share at your table.
If you have done the QFT in your classroom/other setting: What’s gone well? What surprised you? What’s been a challenge? What are you looking to learn more about or experiment with next?
If you haven’t yet done the QFT: What parts of the process seem challenging or might seem challenging to teachers learning it for the first time? What questions do you have for those who have tried it?

11. Sharing Classroom Experiences
Grade/Subject/Topic Q Focus Results (what did you observe? Wins? Challenges?) Next steps with student questions

12. Today’s Agenda Welcome and Community Building
Sharing Classroom Experiences with the QFT
Collaborative Learning Using the QFT: Addressing Common PD Challenges
Break
Best Practices and Additional Resources for PD on the QFT
Self-Organized Working Groups
Closing Reflection & Certificates
#QFT

13. Collaborative Learning with the QFT: Addressing Common PD Challenges

14. Rules for Producing Questions
1. Ask as many questions as you can
2. Do not stop to answer, judge, or discuss
3. Write down every question exactly as stated
4. Change any statements into questions

15. Producing Questions Ask Questions Follow the Rules
Ask as many questions as you can.
Do not stop to answer, judge, or discuss.
Write down every question exactly as it was stated.
Change any statements into questions.
Number the Questions

16. Some teachers are struggling with the QFT.
Question Focus:
Some teachers are struggling with the QFT.
Please write this statement at the top of your paper.
Remember to number the questions & follow the rules.

17. Categorizing Questions: Closed/ Open
Definitions:
Closed-ended questions can be answered with a “yes” or “no” or with a one-word answer.
Open-ended questions require
more explanation.

18. Improving Questions Closed Open Closed Open
Take one closed-ended question and change it into an open-ended question.
Take one open-ended question and change it into a closed-ended question.
Closed
Open
Open
Closed

19. Strategize: Prioritizing Questions
Review your list of questions
Choose the three questions you are most interested to work on and discuss more with colleagues today.
While prioritizing, think about your Question Focus: Some teachers are struggling with the QFT.
After prioritizing consider…
Why did you choose those three questions?
Where are your priority questions in the sequence of your entire list of questions?

20. Strategize: Next Steps
From priority questions to action plan
In order to answer your priority questions and be able to help solve the overall problem of some teachers struggling with the QFT :
What do you need to know? Information
What would teachers need to know?
What do you need to do? Tasks
What would teachers need to do?

21. Share
Your three priority questions and their numbers in your original sequence
Rationale for choosing priority questions
Next steps & action plan
Any new questions you now have

22. Reflection How did you learn it?
What did you learn?
How did you learn it?
What more do you now need to know or do in order to be ready to support other teachers learning and using the QFT?

23. One Last Prioritization Task
Look at your list of questions again. Pick the 3 questions (your priority questions or any others on your list) you need additional expertise, resources, or information about the QFT from RQI in order to answer. In other words, pick the 3 questions you consider most important to pose to RQI. Write these down and leave for us on tables.

24. Today’s Agenda Welcome and Community Building
Sharing Classroom Experiences with the QFT
Collaborative Learning Using the QFT: Addressing Common PD Challenges
Break
Best Practices and Additional Resources for PD on the QFT
Self-Organized Working Groups
Closing Reflection & Certificates
#QFT

25. What group would you be interested to join next?
On a post it note, please write down your name and what you would like to work on with a partner or group.

26. Today’s Agenda Welcome and Community Building
Sharing Classroom Experiences with the QFT
Collaborative Learning Using the QFT: Addressing Common PD Challenges
Break
Best Practices and Additional Resources for PD on the QFT
Self-Organized Working Groups
Closing Reflection & Certificates
#QFT

27. Let’s peek inside the black box of PD on the QFT

28. The QFT, on one slide… Question Focus Produce Your Questions
Follow the rules
Number your questions
Improve Your Questions
Categorize questions as Closed or Open-ended
Change questions from one type to another
Prioritize Your Questions
Share & Discuss Next Steps
Reflect
Ask as many questions as you can
Do not stop to discuss, judge or answer
Record exactly as stated
Change statements into questions
Closed-Ended:
Answered with “yes,” “no” or one word
Open-Ended: Require longer explanation

29. RQI’s Approach to Planning PD
Sequence
Listening Activity
Active Activity
Unit
Time
Materials 1.
Welcome & Introductory slides
Full group
00:10
PowerPoint 2.
Experience the QFT
Small groups to full group share
00:40
Posters & Markers 3.
Unpacking the QFT (3 thinking abilities) & Classroom Examples
00:25 4.
Show 10 min Instructional Video
What do you observe teacher doing? What are students doing?
Show Facilitation Principles & discuss.
Individual think, discuss in small groups, large group share
00:20
Video
Facilitation Principles handout 5.
The Art & Science of QFT
00:30 6.
Work on Lesson Planning WB incl. QFocus. Volunteers share out to the full group OR swap tables & generate ?s as feedback.
Individual to small groups, full group follow up discussion
Lesson Planning Workbook
Index cards (to share QFocus) 7.
Reflection & Evaluation
Individual
Evaluation Sheet 8.
Closing Remarks
00:05
Spend 4-5 Minutes looking through the planning grids for a half day, 2 hour, 1.5 hour, and 1 hour session.
What do you notice?
What could you use?
What overall questions do you have for us?

30. Planning and Facilitation
A Delicate Balance

31. Best Practices in PD on the QFT
A Fundamental Principle: R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Planning Meaningful Work
Designing the QFocus
Simplify
Facilitation

32. A Q Focus Lesson from Luz
“Your child will be held back.” “Your child might be held back.”

33. PD Example: Introducing the QFT
“Some students are not asking questions.” (Our old, faithful standby)
“Some students are not curious.” (Sarah)
“Curiosity and learning.” (Dan)
“Some students are not demonstrating curiosity.” (Final)
The Right Question Institute, Cambridge, MA

34. PD Example: Introducing the QFT
Fate always creates some collateral damage.

35. PD Example: Introducing the QFT
Lauren Francese,
6-12 Social Studies Department Chair, Westport Public Schools, CT

36. PD Example: New Homework Policy
QFocus:
Homework practices are inconsistent at Blake
Homework practices vary at Blake
Outcomes:
“The conversations that took place resulting from the process were rich, meaningful, and productive.  The simple process provided a non-judgmental structure to address a significant ‘issue' in our school and led us to a position of recognizing and embracing a need for change.”
Nat Vaughn, Principal
Blake Middle School, MA

37. Best Practices in PD on the QFT
A Fundamental Principle: Respect
Planning Meaningful Work
Designing the QFocus
Simplify
Facilitation

38. They want me to tell them Exactly. Where. That. is.
Students are preparing to debate. They want authentic TRUE information.
They want me to tell them Exactly. Where. That. is.
“Resolved that the United States screen immigrants for extremist ideological views.”
Their questions of the topic •What are extremist views? •How are we screening now? •What kinds of extremist views are there? •What about homegrown extremist views? •How might we screen immigrants differently? •What would happen if we didn’t let anyone in anymore? •Don’t we already have a good system? •Why are we re-building something that isn’t broken? •How do we know if it’s broken or not?
Their questions for the evaluation of sources:
Who wrote this?
For what purpose was this written?
How do they want me to feel?
How do they want me to act?
What are the sources of their numbers, charts, or other evidence?
Can we trace them back to their creator?… and then question the purpose and authority of those numbers also.

39. Best Practices in PD on the QFT
A Fundamental Principle: Respect
Planning Meaningful Work
Designing the QFocus
Simplify
Facilitation

40. Four Principles of Facilitation
Monitor student adherence to the process
Do not give examples
Do not get pulled into group discussion
Acknowledge all contributions equally
Discuss: What do you understand differently about these now? What could be different (or the same) about following them when facilitating the QFT with adults?

41. A Couple Final Thoughts on Facilitation

42. Today’s Agenda Welcome and Community Building
Sharing Classroom Experiences with the QFT
Collaborative Learning Using the QFT: Addressing Common PD Challenges
Break
Best Practices and Additional Resources for PD on the QFT
Self-Organized Working Groups
Closing Reflection & Certificates
#QFT

43. Navigating rightquestion.org

44. Today’s Agenda Welcome and Community Building
Sharing Classroom Experiences with the QFT
Collaborative Learning Using the QFT: Addressing Common PD Challenges
Break
Best Practices and Additional Resources for PD on the QFT
Self-Organized Working Groups
Closing Reflection & Certificates
#QFT

45. Closing Reflections
One thing that you know now that you didn’t know when you came in
One area of the QFT you’re still wondering about

46. To Access Today’s Materials:
seminar-resources/
Join our Educator Network for:
Templates to Use for Delivering PD
Classroom Examples
Instructional Videos
Forums and Discussions with Other PD Providers

47. Now, Educators Lead the Work
The Right Question Institute offers materials through a Creative Commons License and we encourage you to make use of and/or share this resource. Please reference the Right Question Institute and rightquestion.org as the source on any materials you use.

48. A Resource for Your School & District …and for Democracy
“We need to be taught to study rather than to believe, to inquire rather than to affirm.” - Septima Clark
See Chapter 6 on Septima Clark in Freedom Road: Adult Education of African Americans (Peterson, 1996).