The Question Exploration Routine

Resources:

• The Question Exploration Routine Research (.pdf)

Research Articles:

• Bulgren, J., Minarik, D., & Washburn, J. (2024). Higher order thinking and reasoning through primary source document analysis. In S. Waring (Ed.), Teaching with primary sources for cultural understanding, civic mindedness, and democracy (pp. 47-63). Teachers College Press.
• Schumaker, J.B., Fisher, J.B., Walsh, L.D, Lancaster, P.E. (2020) Effects of Multimedia versus Live Professional Development on Teachers' and Students' Performance Related to the Question Exploration Routine. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 00(0), 1-21. In each of two studies, teachers were assigned to Virtual Workshops using a computerized professional development program and an Actual Workshop group that participated in face-to-face professional development, including discussion, feedback, and collaboration.  Both groups' post-test scores with regard to implementation and planning of the  routine were significantly greater than their pretest scores.  The post-test knowledge scores of the whole groups of students and the subgroups of students with LD being taught by both groups of teachers were significantly higher than their pretest scores.
• Bulgren, J.A., Marquis, J.G., Lenz, B.K., Deshler, D.D., & Schumaker, J.B. (2011). The effectiveness of a question-exploration routine for enhancing the content learning of secondary students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 103(3), 578-593. In this study, students--including subgroups of students--who were taught using the Question Exploration Routine and Question Exploration Guide earned higher test scores than those taught using a lecture-discussion method.
• Bulgren, J.A., Marquis, J.G., Lenz, B.K., Schumaker, J.B., & Deshler, D.D. (2009). Effectiveness of question exploration to enhance students' written expression of content knowledge and comprehension. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 25, 271-289. Using an experimental design, this study found positive results in regard to the effectiveness of the Question Exploration Routine and Question Exploration Guide for enhancing student performance in terms of comprehension of content and quality of written responses.

The Story Behind the Question Exploration Routine from author Jan Bulgren:
One of the ultimate goals associated with instruction is that students can answer critical questions associated with a topic. Teacher planning to use the Question Exploration Routine involves selecting critical questions and laying the foundation for learning by identifying key words, definitions, and background knowledge associated with each question. The use of the routine in class provides a way to “unpack” a critical question with a series of smaller questions that allow for manipulation of a wide variety of information, development of a Main Idea, and use and generalization of that Main Idea to other questions in the subject area and with real-world challenges.

The research that had been conducted on other Content Enhancement Routines prior to the development of this routine had responded to students’ needs relative to acquisition and retention of factual information, deep understandings of single critical concepts, and manipulation of relationships such as comparing and contrasting. Our research team wished to respond to the need to bring many of these previously learned ways of thinking together in such a way that critical knowledge could be acquired, used, and generalized.

Furthermore, our team wanted to find a way to teach students powerful sub-strategies that would guide them as they “unpack” a critical question. Such sub-strategies include the following: self-questioning about important words or phrases explicitly or implicitly stated in the question; generic self-questioning strategies, such as asking the “who,” “when,” “what,” “how,” and “why” questions; and asking a new question based on the answer to a previous question in a sequential exploration of a critical question.

Author's thoughts about Content Enhancement Instruction:
Ideally, Content Enhancement Instruction involves the use of integrated sets of carefully planned instructional routines based on students’ needs and content-learning demands. This means that teachers use routines like the Course Organizer Routine, Unit Organizer Routine, and Lesson Organizer Routine to plan their courses and communicate to students about their courses. They use other routines, like the Question Exploration Routine, as they are teaching subject-area information. Through the use of several routines by teachers, students not only learn information, but they also progress to a higher level of thinking complexity. Our research has shown consistently that the performance of all types of students improves if the Content Enhancement Routines are used.

Teachers have seen the immediate connection between the Question Exploration Routine and the Planning Routines, including the Course Organizer, Unit Organizer, and Lesson Organizer Routines. Each of these Planning Routines launches teachers’ thinking about critical questions. The Question Exploration Routine provides a way for teachers not only to develop answers to those questions, but also a way to check that questions posed on the Planning Organizers are truly worthy of in-depth and co-constructive development with their students.

Teacher Feedback on this Product:
Teachers have often commented on the importance of the Question Exploration Routine as a way to help students acquire broad and deep learning. They have reported that they value the range of learning supports within the routine including vocabulary development, “unpacking” difficult questions, and promoting generalization of learning. Most teachers saw the immediate connection between a focus on a few critical pieces of information that all students must acquire and using the Question Exploration Routine as a means to achieving that end. (Less IS more!)