Introduction
What leads students to ask their own questions in class? In Beautiful Questions in the Classroom, Warren Berger describes a two-part approach he calls the Provoke and Release Strategy. This method uses curiosity as the starting point and gives students space and structure to express their questions.
The strategy has two main parts:
- First, provoke curiosity so students feel a strong urge to ask authentic questions.
- Second, release those questions into action, through activities that help students ask, record, share, and work with their questions.
This approach fits naturally with Inquiry Based learning, where questions drive thinking and discovery.
Provoke Curiosity
To help students ask questions, teachers first need to give them something worth wondering about. Berger explains that a simple object, image, video clip, or phrase can introduce mystery or surprise into the classroom. This small element of tension or uncertainty can spark curiosity.
Science teachers often use this approach, although it can work in any subject. The aim is to challenge students to look closely at the provocation and generate their own questions about it.
The key principle is simple: do not explain too quickly. When teachers rush in with answers, they cut off the moment of curiosity. Students need time to sit with not knowing, to notice, to think, and to ask.
Berger notes that curiosity grows from a sense of wonder, a brief period when something is interesting but not yet clear. When students face something that does not fully make sense, they feel a natural pull to find out more.
He shares a well-known example from Dan Meyer, a high school math teacher, and his 2010 TED Talk. Meyer once taught a lesson on how long it would take to fill a water tank. In the past, he used worksheets filled with numbers, diagrams, and hints.
He decided to strip away much of that information and give students less, not more, so they would have to think and ask. Then he changed it again. He walked into class, said nothing, and simply showed a video of a large water tank filling very slowly.
At first, students looked bored, checked the clock, and rolled their eyes. After a short time, though, they all started to wonder the same thing: How long is this going to take? At that moment, Meyer knew he had captured their curiosity. Once the question formed in their minds, the inquiry process had begun.
The See Think Wonder Strategy
Berger highlights See Think Wonder as a simple routine that teaches Inquiry Based thinking. Developed through Harvard’s Project Zero, it uses three steps to make student thinking and questioning more visible.
Project Zero researcher Jessica Ross has called it a kind of “gateway” to visible questioning because it is simple, repeatable, and easy for students of different ages to use.
The process usually starts with some kind of provocation, such as:
- an image or artwork
- a historical artifact
- a short phrase or quote
- a physical object related to the unit of study
Students then respond to three prompts:
- See: What do you notice?
- Think: What do you think is happening or going on?
- Wonder: What does it make you wonder?
In practice, a teacher places the provocation in front of the class and then asks three separate questions:
- What do you see?
- What do you think about it?
- What does it make you wonder?
Project Zero points out that separating “What do you see?” from “What do you think?” helps students tell the difference between observation and interpretation. This distinction matters for Inquiry Based learning, because strong questions usually grow from careful observation and thoughtful interpretation.
When students share what they wonder, they begin to move from noticing to questioning. This step opens the door to research, reading, experiments, and discussion.
Many teachers find that the routine works best when students respond using all three stems in a single sentence, such as:
“I see __; I think __; I wonder __.”
Teachers have adapted See Think Wonder in many ways:
- Students can work on their own, in pairs, or in small groups.
- They can write their responses first or respond only through discussion.
- Teachers can collect responses on chart paper, whiteboards, sticky notes, or digital tools.
By recording responses under three headings (See, Think, Wonder), teachers create a visible record of student thinking. The class can return to this chart later in the unit to see how their ideas and questions have changed or deepened.
Release the Questions
Once curiosity has been sparked, students need a way to express and use their questions. This is the “release” part of the Provoke and Release Strategy.
Berger shares several classroom practices that help students generate and explore questions. One that stands out comes from Katie Kendall, a veteran science teacher and former school principal in Tennessee.
Kendall is known for her constant focus on questioning. She posts the phrase “Question everything” on her classroom wall and regularly holds “ask me anything” sessions. In these classes, students are invited to come up with as many questions as they can about a chosen topic, text, image, or video.
The format is open and resembles a Socratic discussion. Kendall often responds to a student’s question with another question. When students ask why she does this, she answers with, “Why do you think I do that?” In that moment, she pushes them to reflect, think, and question their own thinking.
Kendall has noticed that many students struggle to ask questions because they are not used to careful observation. To address this, she created a long-term assignment called “I Am a Scientist.” She has used it for more than 20 years.
The idea is that every question is an act of science, because scientists ask many questions about the world. Students are told to observe their surroundings and record up to 100 questions about what they see and experience.
The instructions encourage students to:
- Take a close look at ordinary things, such as trees along the route to school, the weather, or items they use every day.
- Choose one thing at a time and ask a question about it.
- Repeat this process 100 times, each time with a different focus.
Students are told not to answer the questions yet. The goal is to learn how to look, notice, and wonder without rushing to solutions. They are advised to avoid obvious questions, not worry about grammar, and focus only on asking.
To help them vary their questions, they receive a list of question starters, such as:
- Why, What, When, Where, Who, How
- Does, Can, If, Is, Are, Will
- Might, May, Which, On, With, Without, Should, Could, Has, Had
They write their questions on lined paper, leaving space between each one, and can decorate their “book of questions.” This assignment builds questioning stamina and helps students see themselves as observers and thinkers, not just answer seekers.
The Question Formulation Technique (QFT)
Berger also describes the Question Formulation Technique (QFT), developed by the Right Question Institute. Many teachers across the United States use QFT in public, private, urban, suburban, and rural schools. They often say it is one of the most effective ways to get all students engaged.
In QFT, students follow clear rules that feel a bit like a game:
- Only questions are allowed during the generating phase.
- Any statement must be turned into a question.
- There is no discussion or answering while questions are being produced.
Teachers like Ms. Trimble (fifth-grade social studies) and Ms. King (senior English, Pikeville High School) have shared examples of QFT lessons:
- Ms. Trimble’s fifth-grade social studies class: https://qrs.ly/62ayg7r
- Ms. King’s senior English class, Pikeville High School: https://qrs.ly/3xayg7j
Berger notes that questions invite more voices into the discussion. Students do not need to know the answer to contribute a question, so participation is not limited to those who always raise their hands first.
Dan Rothstein, one of the creators of QFT, points out that students quickly feel a sense of ownership over the questions they create. When a student thinks, “This is my question,” that student is more likely to want to find the answer.
The QFT Process
The Question Formulation Technique usually follows six steps:
- Design a Question Focus (QFocus).
The teacher prepares a short prompt that students will use as a starting point for questions.
The QFocus might be:- a short phrase (for example, “technological change”)
- a striking image
- an image combined with a phrase
- a short video or audio clip
- a physical object
- Students produce questions.
Working in groups, students generate as many questions as they can about the QFocus. During this stage:- Teachers do not help, correct, or guide their wording.
- Students do not answer or judge questions.
- Every question is written down.
- Any statement is changed into a question.
- Students improve their questions.
Students learn the difference between open-ended and closed questions.- Open-ended questions invite many possible answers.
- Closed questions can be answered with a short response, such as yes or no, or a single fact.
- Students prioritize their questions.
Each group reviews its list and chooses a small set of priority questions, often three.
They select the ones that seem most important, interesting, or useful for the task or unit. - Plan next steps.
Students and teachers decide what to do with those top questions.
Possible next steps include:- researching answers
- designing experiments
- reading related texts
- preparing debates or presentations
- writing essays or reports
- Reflect on the process.
At the end, students think about what they learned about asking questions.
They might reflect on:- how their questions changed over time
- what surprised them
- which questions led to the best learning
More information, classroom examples, and videos about QFT can be found at rightquestion.org.
Questions for Teachers to Consider
Berger closes with a few prompts that teachers can use in their own planning. These questions can also guide reflection on Inquiry Based practice:
- Within your subject and current units, what provocations could you place before students to spark their curiosity?
- Which questioning routines or activities, such as See Think Wonder, QFT, or “I Am a Scientist,” would fit your students and context best?
- How might you use the Provoke and Release Strategy to shift more of the thinking and questioning to your students?
Using curiosity as a starting point and giving students structure to pursue their questions can turn any classroom into a place where wondering, noticing, and questioning are part of daily learning.