Strategy Identification and Application¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 8 studies (2 causal, 2 quant-synthesis, 2 review, 1 associational, 1 theoretical), q2–q4 · 1 of 8 report an effect size

Description¶

This strategy involves explicitly teaching problem-solving strategies and providing opportunities for students to practice using them when they feel "stuck." Students are encouraged to be mindful of how they get themselves unstuck and to name their process. The teacher checks in with questions like "How did you get yourself unstuck?" or "What was your first step? What might you try next?" and adds each named strategy to a growing class list, giving students language that matches what they did so they can reuse it in future moments of struggle.

Design Implications¶

Naming a strategy after successfully using it converts an implicit, situational act into a retrievable, transferable one — a form of Self-Explanation applied to one's own process Self-explanation improves conceptual understanding. [+S]. The strategy list functions as an Advance Organizer for future problem solving, and the check-in questions act as prompts that build self-monitoring habits Self-monitoring improves self-regulation. [+M].

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Explicit instruction on a small set of named strategies (e.g., draw a diagram, work backwards, break into smaller steps, try a simpler case), ideally via Think-Aloud modeling
• Authentic struggle time — problems hard enough that students actually get stuck before the check-in
• A visible, growing class strategy list that students help author
• A supportive environment where being stuck is treated as normal and productive

Constraints¶

• Strategy instruction without genuine struggle produces recitation, not application — students name strategies they did not actually use [~M]
• Teaching many strategies at once exceeds what novices can select among; a small repertoire with clear conditions of use outperforms a long list [~S]
• Benefits diminish for experts, who already possess and automate strategy selection [~M]
• Requires sustained reinforcement; one-off strategy lessons show little durable effect [-M]

Implementation Variability¶

• Teacher-led check-ins vs. peer interviews ("interview your partner about how they got unstuck")
• Individual strategy journals vs. shared class anchor charts
• Domain-specific repertoires (math heuristics, revision strategies in writing) vs. general heuristics à la Polya

Target Learners¶

• Novices who lack a repertoire of approaches and default to unproductive search or giving up [+M]
• Students with weak self-regulation, for whom external prompts scaffold monitoring Self-monitoring improves self-regulation. [+M]
• Less valuable for advanced learners who already select strategies fluently [~M]

Target Learning Goals¶

• Metacognition: knowing that and when one is stuck, and what to do about it
• Transfer: reapplying named strategies across problems and domains
• Self-directed learning: building independent persistence and process ownership

Instructions¶

1. Model being stuck and unsticking yourself aloud using Think-Aloud, naming each strategy as you deploy it.
2. Explicitly teach 3–5 strategies with worked demonstrations and Practice on each in isolation.
3. Pose a problem hard enough to require struggle; circulate and check in with process questions ("What are you doing now? What might you try next?").
4. When a student breaks through, have them articulate their move (Articulation) and add it to the class strategy list with their name attached.
5. Consolidate via Class Discussion: compare strategies across students and discuss when each is useful.
6. On subsequent tasks, prompt students to consult the list and report which strategy they chose and why — fading the prompts over time Fading support promotes transfer of responsibility. [+M].

Related Strategies¶

• Think-Aloud Modeling — the modeling method that makes strategies visible before students name their own
• Reciprocal Teaching — a structured version of strategy instruction with turn-taking roles

Examples¶

• Polya's heuristics in math class — a teacher posts "understand, plan, carry out, look back" and, after students solve a hard problem, asks "What was your plan?" and adds student-named heuristics (draw a picture, try a smaller number) to an anchor chart.
• Writing workshop conferring — during independent writing, the teacher asks a stuck student "What have you tried?" then names the move ("That's called reading your draft aloud to hear the errors") and records it on a class revision-strategies chart.
• Montague's Solve It! curriculum — a published program that explicitly teaches and rehearses seven cognitive and three self-regulation strategies for mathematical problem solving.

Key Sources¶

• Polya, G. (1945). How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method. Princeton University Press.
• Palincsar, A. S., & Brown, A. L. (1984). Reciprocal teaching of comprehension-fostering and comprehension-monitoring activities. Cognition and Instruction, 1(2), 117–175. doi:10.1207/s1532690xci0102_1
• Montague, M. (2008). Self-regulation strategies to improve mathematical problem solving for students with learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 31(1), 37–44.
• Schraw, G., & Moshman, D. (1995). Metacognitive theories. Educational Psychology Review, 7(4), 351–371. doi:10.1007/BF02212307
• Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4–58. doi:10.1177/1529100612453266