Math Progress Monitor

Math Progress Monitor

When to Use

Trigger on phrases like:

• "am I on the right track"
• "is this approach working"
• "I'm stuck"
• "should I try something else"
• "verify my progress"
• "check my reasoning"
• "is this getting too complicated"

Use mid-work to assess whether to continue, pivot, or decompose (Schoenfeld's metacognitive control).

Process

Run a structured progress assessment:

1. Inventory attempts

Ask: "What have you tried so far?"

• List each approach
• Order by when attempted
• Note time spent

2. Extract learnings

Ask: "What did each attempt tell you?"

• Even failures provide information
• What was ruled out?
• What patterns emerged?

3. Complexity check

Ask: "Is complexity growing faster than expected?"

• Warning signs:
  • More terms than you started with
  • New variables appearing
  • Calculation getting messier
• Normal: complexity stays flat or decreases

4. Spot-check verification