The Questioning Sequence in the Responsible Thinking Approach
Below is the sequence of questions Ford recommends for the Responsible Thinking Process. Please understand that the descriptions presented here are highly condensed. For more complete explanations, refer to the RTP website postings or to Ford's books for teachers.

Question 1. "What are you doing?"
Most always, this question should be asked first, but always in conjunction with question #2. When students hear this question, they look within themselves and identify their behavior. Telling them what they are doing wrong not only doesn't teach them to develop the skill of self-reflection either now or in the future, but, more importantly, it keeps you in the loop. By that Ford means the students are dealing with you, the teacher, and not within themselves.

Teaching self-reflection takes you out of the loop, and the students are left to deal with only with themselves. Furthermore, there is always the inclination to look for excuses to defend what one is doing. That's why you don't ask, "Why?" It gets you on the slippery road to the excuse battle.

Question 2. "What are the rules?"
As was said earlier, when asked this question, students quickly tie the rules to what they are current doing and assess their actions in terms of the rights of others. Questions 3, 4, and 5 are used at first, but as students grow in their understanding of the process, they are no longer needed.

Question 3. "What happens when you break the rules?"
This simply gets students to reflect on the consequences that follow when they break rules, especially how what they are doing affects others.

Question 4. "Is this what you want to happen?"
Now you are asking students to look within themselves and decide how they want to see themselves as persons and how they want to live their lives.

Question 5. "Where do you want to be?" or "What do you want to do now?"
These questions help students come to closure concerning a plan of action that will resolve the conflict between their behavior and the rights of others.

Question 6. "What will happen if you disrupt again?"
This question should always be asked, even if students have already reflected and decided to change how they want to be. The reason for being asked this question is for them to show a clear understanding of school procedures for those who continually disrupt, namely, to be sent to the Responsible Thinking Classroom, where they are taught to make effective plans for resolving their problems.