What is the question? 1) What is the question? Are there any words you do not understand, or want to clarify? What are you asked to find or show? Can you restate the problem in your own words?

What is the question? What information do we have, and what do we need? 2) What information do we have, and what do we need? Is there information that is most useful or relevant? Is there any information given that we do not need? Is there enough information to enable us to find a solution? What further information might we need?

What information do we have, and what do we need? Devising and developing a plan – how can we use the information we have? 3a) What mathematics will we use? Where might be a good place to start? Is there a similar problem we have worked on – can we use any of the strategies or skills here? Can we work on a simple form of the problem, and start there? Can we break the task down into parts? What are the steps along the way? What are we aiming for? Can we work backwards from there? How will you obtain, measure or calculate the information you need? Are there any diagrams, charts or graphs we can draw or calculations we can do? Are there ways we can add to the information, for example by extending diagrams, or organising the information in a different way? Can we simplify the information or the problem? Would trial and improvement be useful here? Would an estimate be useful? Should we use a mental or written strategy? Should we use a calculator?

Devising and developing a plan – how can we use the information we have? Try out our ideas 3b) Try out our ideas What resources do we need? (Pencil, ruler, paper, mental calculations as a first resort, calculator, protractor, a pair of compasses, resilience, determination and patience) If, when we check our work, we find we are going wrong, what should we do? (Try again, review the plan, and change it if necessary) Who or what can help us? (Partner, group, refer to books/internet/ previous work, other expert helpers)

Devising and developing a plan – how can we use the information we have? Try out our ideas What do our results tell us? 3c) What do our results tell us? Are we closer to our solution, or do we need to go back and do more? Do we now have new calculations to do, or new diagrams, charts or graphs to draw? Are there any patterns or trends we can find? How could we check our work? Do our results make sense?

What do our results tell us? How should we present our findings? 4) How should we present our findings? What units or symbols should we use? What diagrams, tables, charts or graphs would be best to display this information? What scales should we use? What should we write to describe, interpret, explain or justify our work? What vocabulary is needed?

Evaluate our work How should we present our findings? Can we generalise, justify, explain or prove our solution? Is there another method of finding the solution? Which method was more efficient? Which method was more effective or accurate? Are there other related or more general problems for which the techniques will work? What techniques did you use to solve this problem? Were they all successful? Why/why not? 5) Evaluate our work Does our solution answer the question? Is it close to our estimate? Are the numbers reasonable? What conclusions can we draw? Is there a better way to record the calculations?

What is the question? What information do we have, and what do we need? Devising and developing a plan – how can we use the information we have? Try out our ideas What do our results tell us? Evaluate our work How should we present our findings?

6) Extend the question After all this work, can we now pose another question?