When we name the steps, we can see what's actually happening when we solve problems. Naming what we're doing turns what feels like intuition into a checklist. And when we know what we need to do, we can get better at it. It's not just a matter of "getting math" or not, it's about building specific skills you can practice.
If we solve a problem by "just figuring it out" and we get it wrong, we don’t know why. But if we get stuck, and use our checklist, we can self-diagnose. For example:
◆ CHOOSE: Did I break the problem down into smaller pieces?
◆ REFLECT: Did I try to represent ithe problem differently (maybe drawing a picture)
◆ DEBUG: Did I check my work another way?
In the RoboTrig Project, we are constantly switching between three major skill sets. If you get stuck, the first step to getting unstuck is identifying which skill you are trying to use.