Trying a New Approach
When your first approach isn't working, try a different one — being flexible about strategies is part of being a good learner
How to tell they’ve got it
Tick these off as you see them — no test required.
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Try this together
If your child tries one way to solve a problem and it isn't working, do they try a different approach rather than just repeating the same thing?
Where this sits on the map
Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.
Builds on
Feeling of not understandingages 6–7Strategy switching is triggered by noticing the current approach isn't working — requires comprehension monitoring
Planning a Taskages 6–7Switching strategy requires first having made a plan — you can only switch away from something you chose deliberately
Trying a New Approachthis skill · ages 7–8
Unlocks
Learning from Mistakesages 8–9Error analysis requires the habit of trying different approaches — you need to have tried something before you can analyse what went wrong
Choosing a Strategyages 9–10Evaluating a strategy requires having deliberately chosen and tried different strategies — you need the switching habit first
Multi-Step Problem Solvingages 7–8Trying a different mathematical strategy when stuck is the maths-specific application of the universal strategy-switching habit
solid = must come firstdashed = helps
Curriculum alignment
Candidate matches to official curriculum codes — machine-suggested, unreviewed (v0.1).
This skill aligns to ACARA’s General Capabilities rather than a learning-area code.