Officially introduced for the first time in Kenya at Mwala, Machakos County, is a learning paradigm that aims to hone students’ critical thinking skills and encourage their inquisitiveness. Question Formulation Technique (QFT) is a structured approach designed to assist students in developing their inquiring skills.
In addition, the method stimulates learners’ curiosity and inquisitiveness, who use the questionnaire model to facilitate interactive learning sessions.
Professor Josephat Kimatu of South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU) disclosed the information during a Kenya Connect commencement ceremony in Wamunyu, Mwala, where sixty teachers from ten public secondary schools in Mwala graduated after completing a two-year QFT course. Teachers are expected to equip students with query formulation skills.
Professor Kimatu, who is in charge of implementing the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) project, stated that it is a pilot study and is being implemented for the first time in Kenya, despite having been studied in the United States and other countries and allowing students to be extremely inventive and innovative.
“In Kenya, Critical Thinking is not taught as a subject, unlike in the United States, where it is taught as a subject, and now we want to introduce it in our country,” said the professor.
According to him, the learners lack the Questioning technique skills because students are typically expected to give answers and not pose questions, thereby limiting their creativity. However, as learners, they should question everything.
He added that they want teachers to be given as many questions as possible, to answer them in the context of their teachings, and to develop a question focus in which they converge all the divergent questions so that students can formulate the correct questions and receive the correct answers.
During the piloting of Question Formulation Technique (QFT), he observed that students became more inquisitive and their instructors became more engaged with them; as a result, students began to take ownership of the lessons, which had not been the case previously.
Kimatu noted that it will also be piloted with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) so that it can be included in the CBC for simple implementation.
James Musyoka, the executive director of Kenya Connect, explained that QFT is a pedagogical strategy that represents a shift from their traditional method of instruction, in which instructors ask students questions; now, it is the students who are asking the questions.
The Director of Kenya Connect, who is also the Co-Founder of Kenya Connect, stated that the focus was on training teachers to work with students in order for the students to be able to generate meaningful inquiries, thereby arousing their curiosity.
“In Kenya Connect, we believe that empowering the teacher empowers the students, so today we celebrated the graduation of sixty teachers who will be able to empower and assist students in becoming critical thinkers and asking meaningful questions,” said Musyoka.
He added that people seek knowledge through inquiry, and when the QFT method is institutionalized in school systems, it will encourage research and innovation in academic circles.
Musyoka stated that they will conduct research, and once they have the results, they will recommend to the Ministry of Education that it be incorporated into the school curriculum and become an integral part of education in Kenya.
PaulineMMueni, a trainee beneficiary, urged instructors to adopt the technique because it is a model that accommodates all students regardless of their varying levels of comprehension.
She stated that learners are motivated when they are permitted to pose questions and receive accurate responses, which boosts their confidence.
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