We create a tailored package that suits the school’s needs – both from what the school wants to achieve and in consideration of the school’s financial context. Our priority is to form a partnership that meets the needs of the school community; ultimately, student growth and teacher development is our chief driving force. We are committed to finding opportunities to meet the vision of educators who are interested in bringing the QUESTion Project to their school community. To inquire, please contact us here.

You will receive the QUESTion Class curriculum once you are enrolled in the QUESTion Academy and you have completed the Initial Teacher Training. Only teachers who have completed this training will have access to the curriculum.

The QUESTion Curriculum consists of a virtual bank of approximately 80 distinct lessons, including but not limited to fully written lesson plans, supplemental multimedia resources, student handouts and other classroom deliverables. The curriculum contains all the necessary tools for facilitators to pursue the goals of the QUESTion Project.

Each lesson in the curriculum is related to one of five ‘pillars’ that form the Units within the scope and sequence of the curriculum. These pillars provide a concrete structure for young people to explore identity, agency and purpose. In the process, they discover new depths to who they are, and gain confidence in their sense of self. The 5 pillars are Choice, Purpose, Fearlessness, Interconnectedness and the Bigger Picture. More information about the content found within the curriculum can be found here.

Then you are already on the QUESTion Project journey! We believe that accessing the humanity of ourselves and others relies on a journey of discovery that includes the teacher. As the QUESTion Class teacher, your role is not to answer life’s biggest questions, but to create the space for the students to explore them. By enrolling in the QUESTion Academy, teachers are provided with tools to facilitate conversations that allow authentic discovery, and make room for limitless possibilities.

Once a partnership has been established, educators are invited to participate in the QUESTion Academy, where they will begin their QUESTion Project journey. QUESTion Academy: is A comprehensive body of teacher training and ongoing professional development that engages teacher’s ability to engage with this new modality for learning through three areas of development: Understanding, Doing, and Being. In the face of current societal economic, environmental, and social challenges, the promotion of these non-academic skills in education is more critical than ever.

There is a need to approach teacher development to ensure that the inquiry is not just focused on ideas and skills, but also on how teachers “show up” in the classroom. We identified 9 core areas of learning and a curriculum that addresses how teachers can bring their own humanity to the classroom.

If you are chosen by your school community to teach a QUESTion Class, you are invited to participate in the QUESTion Academy, which consists of:

• 4 full days of Initial Teacher Training at the beginning of the school year
• 3 supplemental Professional Development days throughout the school year
• Supportive Coaching sessions with one of our Teacher Trainers throughout the school year

 More information on the QUESTion Academy can be found here.

Once trained, one teacher can comfortably facilitate the QUESTion Class, but there are opportunities for co-facilitation in designated co-teaching settings or rooms with additional teaching supports. In the case that there will be multiple adults facilitating in a QUESTion Class, all adults should participate in the QUESTion Academy to ensure quality implementation of the curriculum. in order to teach the QUESTion Class alone, a teacher must complete the entire Teacher Training and be recipients of ongoing support.

There are no limits to how many teachers can be trained to lead the QUESTion Class within a school community, and we encourage schools to invite as many teachers as possible to our Initial Teacher Trainings and subsequent Professional Development sessions, allowing them to integrate the QUESTion Project’s methodologies into their own classrooms and the school culture as a whole.

While there is no specifically defined role for guidance counselors, we welcome their involvement and expertise within the QUESTion Project. In some schools, guidance counselors co-facilitate; in others, teachers facilitate the class while guidance counselors participate in training to expand the impact of addressing human questions beyond the classroom into the school. The QUESTion Project may provide another tool kit and reference point for supporting the inner development of students in counseling settings.

We work with school administrators to identify teachers who will be effective facilitators of the QUESTion Class. Effective facilitators are typically teachers who demonstrate the desire to create open and honest classroom spaces, encourage to students to be and embrace themselves, and authentically explore some of life’s most challenging questions. QUESTion Class teachers must also have a degree of availability, as enrolment in the QUESTion Academy requires teachers to attend an Initial Teacher Training, Coaching sessions and Professional Development days throughout the year.

The QUESTion Curriculum is most appropriate for high school students. We recommend that all 9th grade students experience the curriculum, as this allows for the curriculum to continue its impact as students continue throughout their high school journey. The curriculum is also impactful for older high school students, and we will work with each school to best meet the needs of their student population. The curriculum can also be utilized outside of high school, and is most developmentally appropriate for the oldest students in middle school settings.

We recommend that all students have the opportunity to experience the curriculum as a standard component of their school experience, and many of our partner schools elect to schedule the QUESTion Class as a key component of the schedule for a particular grade-level.
As the curriculum was designed to help students build foundations of understanding about themselves and of life, it was created with a universal audience in mind, and aims to be inclusive of all student’s demographics and academic abilities.

We aim to meet the scheduling needs of our schools. We have seen successful QUESTion Classes meet 2 – 3 times per week for a year-long program and 5 times per week for a semester-long program. Our curriculum was created to serve a full public school classroom roster, as many as 35 students to one teacher per class period. It is not uncommon for educators to teach multiple sections of the QUESTion Class, and for schools to have multiple QUESTion Class teachers, ensuring that more students are able to access the curriculum. The QUESTion Class can be implemented as part of a Health curriculum or as a standalone mandatory elective credit. In some cases, Advisory periods can be used, provided they meet often enough and for long enough periods for the curriculum to be explored in full.

Our partner schools are committed to high expectations within their QUESTion Classrooms, at the same level as other subjects that a student might find on their schedule. In respect of this, QUESTion Classes are typically credit-bearing.

In schools with long-term partnerships with The QUESTion Project, students who have successfully completed the QUESTion Class are often contributors to future QUESTion Classrooms; serving as co-facilitating Teacher Assistants, or organizing QUESTion Day events, fostering a vibrant school community that has fully integrated the QUESTion Project into its school culture.

It is not uncommon for other members of your school community to want to see your QUESTion Class in action, but it is important to maintain a space of trust, comfort and lack of judgement in the classroom. Class visitors should be aware of these expectations and the sanctity of the space, and the decision to invite guests should be shared with the students in the class.

Many students are unaware of what they wish to gain from their high school experiences, let alone college. The College QUEST equips each and every student with a solid foundation to build upon throughout their college search. Aside from examining important factors such as admissions requirements, The College QUEST goes below the surface level to delve into what a student needs from an emotional and mental standpoint.

Through thought provoking questions, personal reflection and group discussions, the College QUEST deepens a student’s search for college and provides a structure and direction for students to grapple with their biggest questions about life after high school. College QUEST is only available to schools after implementation of one or more years of the QUESTion Class.

The QUESTion Ambassador Program is a unique youth leadership program. It empowers students to become leaders in their schools and communities, by engaging their peers, parents, teachers and the community at large with big life questions. The QUESTion Ambassadors acquire, enhance and refine their communication and leadership skills by spearheading various projects such as creating an original podcast series, writing blogs for the Huffington Post, implementing student-led QUESTion Days at schools, facilitating QUESTion Community Labs for youth and adults in their communities, and becoming mentors and co-facilitators of The QUESTion Class for their peers.

The QUESTion Ambassador Program gives students a platform to share their perspectives about some of the most important questions in life, and offers them an opportunity to inspire their peers, families and community. Ambassadors engage in a process of transformation as they create a community of empowered young leaders and become agents of change. Ambassador and Leadership programs are only available to schools after implementation of one or more years of the QUESTion Class.

The QUESTion Day is an exciting combination of events – a school-wide assembly, performances and class discussions – around student’s most important questions in life. In the process, thousands of questions are gathered and posted in public spaces all over the school. Students, teachers and staff explore topics that relate to their own journey of discovering who they are, finding purpose in life, overcoming challenges, and stepping back to look at their lives from a bigger perspective and a larger context.

This event serves as a powerful step towards creating a school-wide culture where big questions are valued, negative social barriers are dissolved, and meaningful, community-building conversations are the norm.

We would be happy to connect you with one of our partner teachers, principals or school leaders!