The Right Question Institute (RQI), in partnership with Maine Township High School District, is excited to announce the Midwest Regional Seminar on Best Practices in the Question Formulation Technique (QFT). Located just 30 minutes north of Chicago, Maine West High School at 1755 S Wolf Road, Des Plaines, IL 60018, is a convenient location for the seminar offering free parking and easy access to the building.

This one-day regional seminar will offer a special opportunity to work closely with Sarah Westbrook, RQI Director of Professional Learning, Matt Parrilli, a Maine Township English Department Chair, as well as expert Question Formulation Technique (QFT) facilitators from around the area who will lead an exciting lineup of special interest workshops in the afternoon. Join RQI and fellow educators from around the region for an opportunity to explore the many ways the QFT stimulates curiosity, promotes deeper learning, and builds democratic habits of mind.

The QFT is a simple, yet powerful strategy that emphasizes student questions and student driven inquiry. Educators looking for an instructional approach to address state frameworks and standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, the C3 Framework for Social Studies, Danielson’s Framework, and Common Core State Standards will find the QFT to be a clear, low-tech and practical intellectual tool. This seminar will also support the work of school administrators looking for ways to innovate their data analysis toolbox.

Exciting features of this one-day experience include:

• A Dynamic, Flexible Strategy to Improve Education for All: More than 250,000 educators from pre-K through higher education, in all subject areas, and in a wide range of communities all around the world are successfully using the QFT to teach all students how to ask their own questions.

• A Differentiated Professional Learning Experience: Educators new to the QFT leave with a deep understanding of the strategy and the ability to immediately apply and use it with students and share with colleagues. Experienced practitioners gain new insights and ideas for using the QFT and have opportunities to share their work and collaborate with colleagues from across the region. There will be a range of workshop options across subject areas for all educators as well as workshops geared towards those in instructional leader and administrator roles.

• An Active Learning and Working Seminar: The seminars offer a mix of large group and small group activities with an emphasis on hands-on, active learning. Participants choose from a range of workshops in the afternoon session, led by local educators with extensive experience with the QFT in the classroom and in professional development settings. Groups of educators from the same school, district, or organization often attend together, work collaboratively and plan throughout the day, and leave ready to bring this back and integrate it into their work.

• Building Your Own Shared Interest Networks: Educators tell us that a highlight of RQI’s seminars is the chance to collaborate with a community of other teachers, librarians, specialists, coordinators, and administrators representing a range of grade levels and serving diverse communities across the country. Connect to a vast community of engaged, creative educators who can support and enhance your work.

This is a time in our country and our world, when educators are more important than ever. These seminars celebrate the great work being done to stimulate student curiosity, engagement and learning, and honor the key role you play in promoting democratic habits of mind, the most fundamental of which is the ability to ask your own questions.

Space is limited. We do not want to miss the chance to learn with you this summer. Register today! 

Tentative Schedule

June 28, 2018

8:00 - 9:00am – Registration

9:00am - 3:30pm – Seminar

Lunch will be provided and is included in the cost of registration.

A more detailed agenda will be available at a later date. Details will be provided at www.rightquestion.org when available and emailed directly to current registrants. 

Parking

Parking is available on-site, free of charge. More information on parking will be made available before the seminar.

Payment Information

We have three options for payment: paying by credit card, paying by check, or paying by invoice. Please include the Eventbrite order # attendee names on all checks and purchase orders. If your school or district will be unable to provide payment until a later date due to budgeting allocation, please email seminars@rightquestion.org and we can provide additional support so you can register and capitalize on early bird or regular registration rates and provide payment at a later date. 

If paying by credit card, full payment is due upon registration.
If paying by check, payment must be received within 30 days of registration.
If paying by invoice, you must supply a purchase order number within 30 days of registration. We cannot hold spaces without a purchase order.  

Cancellation, Transferring Registration, and Waitlist Policy

Cancellation
To cancel your registration, contact us in writing no later than April 30th to receive a refund less a $25 cancellation fee. After April 30th, no refunds will be issued.

Transferring Registration
We will accommodate transfers whenever possible.

Waitlist
Space for this event is limited. If the event is closed, please contact RQI to be placed on a waitlist.