This video shows a team of educators in Los Angeles and a facilitator in New Hampshire using the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) with groups of parents. They work together to generate key questions about students and schools. The video provides a step-by-step guide – in condensed form – to using the QFT in a group setting.
Julene Spinosa, a fourth-grade teacher in Los Angeles, tells one group, “You’ve been in workshops where people in front of you stand, and they’re the expert. Well, that’s not happening tonight folks, because you’re going to be the experts.”
Parents in Rochester, New Hampshire, use the QFT to address a Question Focus: “Your child might be held back in the same grade for one more year.” In Los Angeles, parents consider a different Question Focus: “Your child’s school environment.”
The video addresses rules for producing questions, open- and closed-ended questions, prioritization, and action plans.
Parents work collaboratively and reflect on the value of asking questions, and parents and educators share insights on the value of the QFT for building school-family partnerships.