English Education Professor

Anderson (2002) has developed a series of four questions that challenge learners to move from cognition to metacognition. We will expand on each of these questions. We post these questions on the board at the beginning of a focus lesson and write the answers as we move through the lesson.

1. “What am I trying to accomplish?” This first question moves the learners from merely copying a task to analyzing the outcomes. We’ve long heard the reminder to “begin with the end in mind” (Covey, 2004, p. 65). Therefore, we pose this question and answer it for our students. “This math word problem is asking me to figure out how many people can be served with the number of apple pies at the picnic.”
2. “What strategies am I using?” After identifying the problem and the goal, the next step is to figure out what strategies can be used to achieve a solution. “I really need to use two strategies to find the answer. First, I have to multiply the number of slices by the total number of pies. That will give me the total number of servings. But then I also have to divide those servings among the people at the picnic.”
3. “How well am I using the strategies?” Once again, monitoring plays an important role in the acquisition of new learning. The answer to this question shows students that control of a skill or strategy comes from pausing from time to time during the process to see whether it’s working. “Before I divide, I need to check to see if what I’ve multiplied makes sense. Could it be that 8 apple pies could be cut into a total of 64 slices? I also want to check my math. Does 8 times 8 equal 64?”
4. “What else could I do?” The goal of this question is to teach students to think flexibly, rather than allow themselves to be bogged down in the rigid thinking that often comes with a new skill. It is common at this stage of learning for students to temporarily forget that they have learned other skills or strategies previously. Remind them that those familiar strategies have a role. “I’m still not sure I am doing this correctly. One way I can be sure is if I draw a diagram of the pies and the people. We’ve done that before when we’ve had tough word problems. I’m going to try that now.”ASCD