Ask One More Question: Turning Wrong Answers Into a Question Map

Lots of kids keep a mistakes notebook. They copy everything out neatly, read it through before the exam, and then get the same kind of question wrong again. The trouble isn't the copying. It's that they copied the question and the answer but not why they got it wrong. To make a mistake useful, all you have to do is ask one more question after it.

Why does a mistakes notebook so often end with the copying?

Because it records the outcome. One line for the question, one line for the right answer, maybe a note saying "careless". But "careless" isn't a reason, it's giving up on finding one. The real cause is usually that the reasoning behind one particular step never clicked, and the notebook has no place to put that step.

What should you ask?

After a mistake, ask three things. Which step did I get wrong? Why does that step work the way it does? What if the conditions were different? The first finds the sticking point, the second gets the reasoning straight, and the third checks whether you really have it now. The answer to each one naturally leads to the next question, and that's where the map starts.

What does a question map look like?

Take a circuit question from middle school physics. A student gets series and parallel the wrong way round. First they ask, "Why are these two bulbs in parallel?", and the explanation starts from the fact that the current has more than one path. Then they ask, "Why is the voltage the same across both bulbs in a parallel circuit?" And then, "What if one of the bulbs breaks? Does the other stay lit?" One wrong answer has become three questions, and each of those can be followed further. At the end of each explanation, Duowenwen offers two or three "keep asking" prompts. Every one you tap is recorded on your map, and you can save the map or share it with friends.

How can a parent use a question map?

Don't look at the score. Look at the map. If this week's questions cluster in one area, that's where your child is stuck. If one branch has grown especially long, your child is especially curious about it. Compare it only with last week's map, never with another child's. A longer map means your child is moving forward.

How can a student use a question map?

Before an exam, skip the mistakes notebook and go through the map. Answer each question on it again. Any you can't answer are the things you still don't understand, so go back and ask them again. It also helps to swap maps with a classmate: they'll have asked things you never thought of, which fills in your gaps. A mistakes notebook holds somebody else's answers. A question map is your own route.

Next: take a recent mistake and ask "Which step did I get wrong?" Then see how many questions it leads to.