Thursday, October 29, 2009

Module 3: Creating CFQ's

Tonight we focused on creating Curriculum Framing Questions (CFQ's) for our unit plans. We learned about 3 types of CFQ's - essential, unit and content questions.  Please take some time to asnwer the following:
  • What are your thoughts about using CFQ's in your classroom?
  • How does using these questions impact student learning and higher-order thinking skills?
Once you have posted your thoughts, reply to the post of at least one other participant. You may ask them a question, comment on their good ideas, or even disagree (respectfully), as long as you are saying more then just, "I agree" or "Good job". Before entering your comments, please make sure to start with the person's name you are replying to, such as "@ Melodie" or "To Melodie".

27 comments:

  1. It's a good way to scaffold thinking in the classroom. CFQs build upon each other so when they get to that essential they are able to think for themselves and outside of the box.

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  2. I think that it is important to use various CFQ’s in the classroom to create a diversified learning environment for students and allow students on all levels to participate in group discussions.
    By using these types of questions you push students to think for themselves and to give them the ability to make decisions for their lives later on. I think that it helps build a community of thinkers and not just have a community of doers.

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  3. • What are your thoughts about using CFQ's in your classroom?
    I think that they are all important and that they each help the students to process their learning at different levels. As educators we need to create lessons that are challenging our students and forcing them to take the basic knowledge given and create a sense of understanding for themselves.
    • How does using these questions impact student learning and higher-order thinking skills?
    If we want students to practice higher-level thinking skills we as their teachers need to teach them how to do that. Preparing these various questions ahead of time helps the students to be constantly reflecting on their learning and understand that higher-level thinking is required.

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  4. Stacie: I didn’t think about it being a form of scaffolding. What a great point!

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  5. Misha – great thoughts! I didn’t think about it, but it does meet the kids at all different levels!

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  6. Misha: I was on the same page I think that this is the easiest way to differentiate learning for students

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  7. Creating Curriculum-Framing questions sounds like a great way to direct and focus students but still allow them a choice in what or how they learn. I think it would also make it easier to connect across the curriculum when you start thinking about the “big picture” questions.
    Using these questions impacts student learning and higher-order thinking skills because it forces a teacher to be more flexible and create open-ended questions. Also, students have to connect content across grade levels.

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  8. • What are your thoughts about using CFQ's in your classroom? After the planning is done and you have everything together it will work really well.

    • How does using these questions impact student learning and higher-order thinking skills? It makes them part of the learning process and gives them input. It makes them go beyond the knowledge they have and step up to the next level so they can understand how to think and use that process.

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  9. Misha-We need to challenge our students so they use their brains and not just sit there.

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  10. I really feel that using CFQs would be very beneficial. Creating curriculum framing questions as I plan my lessons would really help guide the learning and ensure that we are working towards higher level thinking skills. Even having us work in our groups to come up with the 3 types of questions forced us to really think.

    One of the things that I notice about my students, particulary this year's group, is that so many of them are afraid to think. They need so much reassurance instead of being able to take that risk, even it that means being wrong. Curriculum framing questions are another piece of the puzzle to make thinking and problem solving mandatory for our learners. As teachers, we have to teach them how to work through problems and how to reflect on their own thought processes, learning styles, etc.

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  11. To Miss Scott-

    I agree with you that CFQs would be a great way to get students to make connections across content areas. Sometimes I think they don't know or realize that what they learn in one class can be used in other areas...

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  12. I believe CFQ's to be a very beneficial aspect of the unit we are creating (not to mention the classroom). They forced everyone to really think about what they are teaching. CFQ's are beneficial to students because it allows the students to work at their own pace and process information for themselves.
    I also feel that teachers need to use CFQ's at every opportunity that they can in their classroom. These questions will better prepare the students and allow the students to take ownership of their learning. Students will also "see" why it is so important to learn whatever is being taught, and that is as important as anything we could ever teach in the classroom!

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  13. To Talia aka Wonder Woman,
    I agree with you when you stated that sometimes students are afraid to think for themselves. It seems like throughout all of their schooling the teachers either showed them where to find the answer, or just told the students the answer. Its imperative that we teach our students this concept!

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  14. I think the CFQ's are beneficial because they help make a real life connection for the students. Instead of asking why we need to learn this they can see the application right there in front of them.
    These questions help the students with high order thinking since they are open ended and require the students to develop an answer using their knowledge.

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  15. to Eric,
    I agree that the higer order thinking gives the student ownership since they can create their own answer and don't have to repeat the same thing like a robot.

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  16. I think using CFQ's will keep us focused on the learning goals while also directing students (and teachers) to ask and answer why learning this is important and relevant. Exploring these questions, especially the open-ended essential and unit questions, require us to think at a higher levels to find and "answer".

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  17. To Jay: I know it is very important, by sometimes it is really tricky for me to make the learning relevant and show why it is important. I agree that the CFQ's really help students understand the "whys". The open-endedness is key to encourage those higher-level thinking skills.

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  18. Talia, I think that you made a great point about students transfering information. I don't think that the kids apply information from class to class.

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  19. To Talia:
    I completely agree that this year's group is "afriad to learn" and needs constant reassurance. I agree that having questions to guide students rather than directly stating each step would encourage students to be more "self motivated" and independant thinkers.

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  20. What are your thoughts about using CFQ's in your classroom?

    CFQ's add to motivating students to begin exercising their brains, build curiosity and set in motion the lesson.

    Once students realize that we are not spoon feeding them information, the majority will begin working out the problems set before them.

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  21. Jay
    I agree, once a student sees the relivance and can put the lesson into perspective with the world around her, then motivation to learn sets in.

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  22. Eric,

    Having students put things in perspective and going at their own pace...makes me think that if we didn't teach so much to the "test" that students may be able to grasp how what they are learning matches the foundational needs of their future.

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  23. CFQ's help students know what is expected of them so they can ask questions if they don't understand. CFQ's require higher level thinking when worded correctly by making students take a more in dept view of what they need to know.

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  24. What are your thoughts about using CFQ's in your classroom? I really liked the CFQ's they help to set expectations for the kids and keep them in "self-management" mode. I really like how they can ask those questions.
    How does using these questions impact student learning and higher-order thinking skills?
    Kids automatically create higher expectiations for themselves and expect higher quality work from themselves

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  25. To: Ms. Scott,
    I loved how you said, "I think it would also make it easier to connect across the curriculum when you start thinking about the “big picture” questions." and totally agree with you. Kids need to have connections and once those are there it becomes relevant for them.

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  26. To Talia: I also think that CFQ's require students to think for themselves. I think that thinking for themselves is the biggest thing we can get students to do.I have had students come into my classroom and say "so what is the answer?" instead of trying to think of it themselves. That is very frustrating.

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  27. Chantell,
    I like the way you put it; "self management mode". That is so true! Students seem to take on a new type of learning persona and kids really do create higher learning expectations for themselves.

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