Students Prioritize the Questions
Analysis and Convergence
“I’ve found that asking questions helps me think more deeply about the topic we are looking at. I get more information out of a document if I ask myself questions about it.”
Recent research shows that the part of the brain most needed for wise decision-making—certainly informed by an ability to prioritize—is not fully developed in adolescence.
The act of prioritization—the ability to assign importance properly is an intellectual task involving a wide range of skills, including comparison, categorization, analysis, assessment, and synthesis. Getting prioritization right can be a challenging and trying process and, as many of the world’s greatest scientists have discovered, you might, at first, still get it wrong.
1. Students prioritize by choosing three questions from their list; choices are based on criteria you have established, for example:
• Choose the three most important questions.
• Choose the three questions that most interest you.
• Choose the three questions that will best help you design your research project.
• Choose the three questions that will move students toward the purpose of using the process of QFT.
2. Students choose three priority questions as follows:
• First, review the list of questions and quickly discuss which ones to choose.
• Second, get to an agreement. Choose by consensus, voting, or any other strategy.
3. Students explain their reasons for choosing the three priority questions.
****This is a very important part in the process because it helps students review and think carefully about why they see some questions as more important, more promising, more relevant, or more urgent than others.
4. Students discuss the reasons among themselves and prepare to explain them to the large group.
5. Small groups report their priority questions and rationale for choosing them to the larger group.
Analysis and Convergence
“I’ve found that asking questions helps me think more deeply about the topic we are looking at. I get more information out of a document if I ask myself questions about it.”
Recent research shows that the part of the brain most needed for wise decision-making—certainly informed by an ability to prioritize—is not fully developed in adolescence.
The act of prioritization—the ability to assign importance properly is an intellectual task involving a wide range of skills, including comparison, categorization, analysis, assessment, and synthesis. Getting prioritization right can be a challenging and trying process and, as many of the world’s greatest scientists have discovered, you might, at first, still get it wrong.
1. Students prioritize by choosing three questions from their list; choices are based on criteria you have established, for example:
• Choose the three most important questions.
• Choose the three questions that most interest you.
• Choose the three questions that will best help you design your research project.
• Choose the three questions that will move students toward the purpose of using the process of QFT.
2. Students choose three priority questions as follows:
• First, review the list of questions and quickly discuss which ones to choose.
• Second, get to an agreement. Choose by consensus, voting, or any other strategy.
3. Students explain their reasons for choosing the three priority questions.
****This is a very important part in the process because it helps students review and think carefully about why they see some questions as more important, more promising, more relevant, or more urgent than others.
4. Students discuss the reasons among themselves and prepare to explain them to the large group.
5. Small groups report their priority questions and rationale for choosing them to the larger group.