Course | Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Questions

Upcoming Sessions

Oct 14, 2025 - Nov 3, 2025
Application Deadline: Oct 3, 2025
Tuition: $245.00

Apr 7, 2026 - Apr 27, 2026
Application Deadline: Mar 30, 2026
Tuition: $245.00

Additional Details

• Groups of 10+: 25% off final invoice. Contact the university for your discount code.
• After completing this course, you will be eligible to enroll in Questions at the Core: Extending the Question Formulation Technique to Sustain an Inquiry-based Culture in Schools.
• In accordance with Harvard University policy, Professional Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education affirms the right of all individuals to equal treatment in education without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Asking questions is an essential — yet often overlooked — lifelong learning skill. When we teach our students to formulate effective questions, we open up powerful pathways for engaged, self-directed learning. Questioning helps students effectively pursue their interests, navigate complex situations, solve problems, and assess print and online media content with a critical eye. They grow more confident as they prepare to contribute to a robust democracy.

The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) is a deceptively simple, practical, adaptable method that helps students become more sophisticated thinkers and problem-solvers. In this three-week online workshop, you’ll learn to harness the power of QFT with its original developers, Luz Santana and Dan Rothstein, co-directors of the Right Question Institute and co-authors of Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions (Harvard Education Press).

This program expands on Santana and Rothstein’s original work by demonstrating how to adapt the QFT to a wide range of learning environments. Sarah Westbrook, the Right Question Institute’s director of professional learning, oversees this program. She draws on the wisdom of thousands of teachers to help you develop QFT strategies for your own classroom. The program welcomes interest and registrations from all practitioners in the field.

Program Details

The program features a three-week asynchronous online workshop with an optional online webinar. Resources include video, readings, online discussions, and peer collaboration. This is an asynchronous learning experience that is designed to be self-paced.

All materials are provided at the start of the program and can be completed at times that best fit your schedule. You should plan to devote a total of 10 to 12 hours of work. Participants who complete all individual assessments and contribute to group discussions prior to the end of the program period will receive a certificate indicating the completion of 15 clock hours of instruction.

Question Formulation Technique

When you bring the Question Formulation Technique to your classroom, you give students the power to direct their learning experience and improve learning outcomes.

• Curiosity drives the learning process. Because students start with what they want to know, they are invested in the process from the start.
• Students learn to improve their questions to dig below the surface. Students learn to use both open-ended and closed-ended questioning strategies to move from rote answers to deep understanding.
• Learners build confidence and become more empowered. As they get better at formulating questions, students become more confident in asking them and shaping their own research.
• Students take the skills and strategies they need to improve their lives outside the classroom. QFT helps students become more successful in all aspects of their lives, from higher education and the worlds of work and family to participation in our democracy.

Learning Goals

• Understand the core structure and flow of QFT — and why it is so powerful for educators and learners.
• Develop a specific plan for implementing QFT in your classroom.
• Explore effective use of QFT in multiple settings, including virtual, in-person, and hybrid
• Employ effective questioning skills to improve educational equity.
• Expand and enrich existing QFT practices.

Faculty Chairs

Nonie K. Lesaux
Dean of the Faculty of Education
Dean's Office
Roy Edward Larsen Professor of Education and Human Development
Nonie Lesaux focuses on promoting the language and literacy skills of children from diverse linguistic, cultural and economic backgrounds.

Luz M. Santana
Adjunct Lecturer on Education, HGSE; Co-Director, Democracy-Building Programs, Right Question Institute
Luz Santana is the co-director of the Right Question Institute and the co-author of Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions.

Daniel Rothstein
Adjunct Lecturer on Education, HGSE; Co-Director, Democracy-Building Programs, Right Question Institute
Dan Rothstein is the co-director of the Right Question Institute and the co-author of Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions.

Who Should Attend

• PreK-12 teachers across all content and subject areas
• Administrators, curriculum specialists, and instructional coaches
• Educators and faculty in higher education

How to Register

This program welcomes registrations from both individuals and teams. First-time registrants need to create a Professional Education account to register.

Individuals: Click the "Register" button at the top of the page to log into your Professional Education account and access the registration page. Proceed with the individual form until submission. Invoices will be immediately available upon the submission of the form.

Teams:
Designate one participant or an administrative staff member as the Coordinator.
• The Coordinator should click the "Register" button at the top of the page to log into their Professional Education account and access the registration page.
• Proceed with the team form, including providing the name, email address, and job title of each participant in your team.
• The Coordinator can choose to receive a team invoice.
• The invoice will be immediately available upon the submission of the form. Contact us if you are eligible for the group discount.

Contact Harvard Graduate School of Education if you need to make any changes to your team after submitting the form.

Tuition Assistance

Tuition assistance is available for this program on a need and application basis. Tuition assistance is granted based on participant and institutional needs. Requests for tuition assistance do not affect an applicant's prospects for admission. You may access the tuition assistance application after you have submitted your program application. Tuition assistance applications should be submitted at least one month prior to the final application deadline.