What is the 'Question Formulation Technique'?
Developed by the Right Question Institute, the Question Formulation Technique, or QFT, is a structured method for generating and improving questions. It distills sophisticated forms of divergent, convergent, and metacognitive thinking into a deceptively simple, accessible, and reproducible technique.
The QFT builds the skill of asking questions, an essential — yet often overlooked — lifelong learning skill that allows people to think critically, feel greater power and self-efficacy, and become more confident and ready to participate in civic life.
The Session
The session built on the initial brief by offering both a demonstration of a primary sources database, and an activity which asked students to find and apply the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) to a source using Gale Primary Sources.
This approach enabled students to understand the research process of finding, questioning, and interrogating primary sources for their research.
The students were guided through QFT using Padlet.
View an example flowchart (Padlet).
If you would like accessible assistance to read this flowchart, please contact us
Brief
The Director of Final Year Studies for History wanted to offer a one-hour online skills workshop specialising in primary sources for dissertation students.
