What went well today? What was challenging? What are you still confused about? What could you do differently next time?

Every teacher has likely asked some version of these questions in an effort to get learners reflecting on their own learning.

And for good reason. These are good questions. They ask students to stop for a moment and think about their own learning rather than simply moving from one assignment to the next.

But imagine, in response to being asked What was challenging? a student writes: I was confused.

In the student's mind, they reflected. They looked back at their learning and identified something about the experience, just as they were asked to do.

Yet, their answer leaves you with very little actionable information and a learner who feels they have done their part. Now what? Knowing that you were confused does not automatically mean you know why you were confused, what you could do about it, or which strategy might help the next time confusion shows up.

This is where metacognition becomes practical.

Where the Marzano Academies Instructional Model Fits

Element Xa, Reflecting on Learning, asks students to examine their own learning in meaningful ways. That reflection can focus on the learning process itself, the cognitive processes students used, their understanding of particular content, or how their knowledge has changed. Students can learn to recognize what is clear and confusing, consider their effort, and identify what they might do to improve their learning.

Element Xc, Focusing on Specific Metacognitive and Life Skills, helps take that awareness somewhere. Instead of treating metacognition as a general instruction to “think about your thinking,” the element identifies specific skills students can learn and practice: staying focused when answers are not immediately apparent, seeking clarity, resisting impulsivity, taking incremental steps, setting goals and making plans, and others.

Put the two together and reflection can become more than looking backward.

More specifically, reflection can become a process:
Notice what happened → Identify what you need → Choose a response → Try it → Consider whether it worked.

This sequence is a much more powerful use of reflection because students are not simply describing their learning. They are beginning to manage it. The following Use It Tomorrow strategies can help students move from noticing something about their learning to knowing what to do next.

Use It Tomorrow #1: Add “So What Will You Do?” to Reflection

Many reflection prompts stop at awareness, asking questions like: What was difficult? Where were you confused? Or How well did you understand today's learning?

While these are solid starting points, try extending the thinking by adding one more move. After students identify something about their learning, ask them to determine what they will do with that information.

Instead of: What was confusing today? Try asking: What was confusing today? What could you do next to get clearer?

Instead of: Where did you get stuck? Try asking: Where did you get stuck? What is one thing you could try if you encounter that roadblock again?

Instead of: How well did you use your time? Try asking: How well did you use your time? What will you repeat or change next time?

The shift is small, but the cognitive demand is different. The first question asks students to recognize something about their learning. The second asks them to begin regulating it.

Quick Proactive Starting Point: Look at one reflection question you already use. Don't replace it. Add a second question that begins with a follow-up such as: “Based on that, what will you…?” and hold learners accountable to answering both parts.

Use It Tomorrow #2: Move from “I’m Stuck” to “What Is Stopping Me?”

Students often know when learning has become difficult. The harder metacognitive skill is figuring out what kind of difficulty they are experiencing. That distinction matters. In reality, “I’m stuck” can mean:

• I don't understand the directions.
• I understand the task, but I don't know how to begin.
• I tried something and it didn't work.
• I'm missing information.
• I know what to do, but I'm frustrated and don't want to keep going.

Those situations do not necessarily call for the same response.

So, when a student says, “I'm stuck,” resist immediately solving the “stuckness.”

Instead, ask: “What are you stuck on?” If that is still too broad, you can try alternatives such as:

• “Do you know what you're trying to accomplish?”
• “Do you know what to do next?”
• “Did you try something that didn't work?”
• “Is there something you need that you don't have yet?”

The goal isn't to make students struggle unnecessarily. It is to help them become better at diagnosing their own learning problem before someone else diagnoses it for them.

Quick Proactive Starting Point: Choose one phrase you will consistently use when students ask for help this week. Start with something like: “Before I help, tell me what is stopping you right now” and monitor whether this is yielding the desired results.

Use It Tomorrow #3: Build a Small Menu of “Next Moves”

There is a reason “What could you do differently next time?” sometimes produces frustrating responses like: Try harder. Pay more attention. Or Study more.

Students may recognize that something needs to change without having a useful repertoire of alternatives. If we want students to manage their learning, they need actual strategies from which to choose.

Start small.

As students encounter productive strategies during instruction, make those strategies visible as possible next moves:

• Re-read or revisit the information.
• Break the task into a smaller step.
• Identify exactly what is confusing.
• Try a different approach.
• Review an example.
• Ask a specific question.
• Take a brief break when frustration is interfering, then re-engage.
• Check whether the strategy you are using is actually helping.

The particular menu can grow with your students. The important shift is that reflection begins connecting to a repertoire of actions.

Quick Proactive Starting Point: Don't build a giant strategy wall tomorrow. Start with three next moves from the list above that your students already know how to use. When a student identifies a learning problem, initially offer these options and ask: “Which of these could help?” As students build their repertoire, begin asking them to identify a next move without the menu.

Use It Tomorrow #4: Reflect on the Strategy, Not Just the Result

Suppose a student gets unstuck. We tend to celebrate the result and move on. Instead, pause long enough to help the student notice what they did that worked. Try asking:

• “What helped you get past that?”
• “Which strategy made the biggest difference?”
• “Would you use that approach again?”
• “What would you change if you encountered the same problem tomorrow?”

Now the student isn't simply experiencing success. They are examining the process that contributed to it. That creates a useful cycle:  I tried something → I noticed what happened → I decided whether it helped → I know more about what I might do next time.

And over time, that cycle can begin to happen without the teacher initiating every step.

Quick Proactive Starting Point: The next time a student successfully works through a challenge, resist ending that effort with standard accolades such as: “Great job.” Instead, add one more question to help the learning stick: “What did you do that helped you get there?”

One Final Thought

Reflection is often treated as the thing we do after learning. The exit slip. The journal entry. The final question. The box at the bottom of the assignment. Those structures have value. In fact, Element Xa explicitly identifies reflection journals, think logs, exit slips, knowledge comparisons, and open reflection notes as ways to help students examine their learning. But the larger opportunity is to make reflection something students can eventually use during learning.

That is where Elements Xa and Xc become especially powerful together. We aren't just asking students to become better at describing their learning. We are helping them develop the awareness and strategies necessary to do something about it. The long-term goal isn't a student who can complete a really good reflection form. It's a student who increasingly knows what to do when learning isn't working yet.

Continue Your Learning

Elements Xa and Xc are two components of the Marzano Academies Competency-Based Instructional Model. To continue building your understanding of effective, evidence-based, competency-based instructional practices and the full Marzano Academies instructional model, become a member of the Learning Lab. For only $10 per month, Members can access Dr. Marzano’s research Folios, professional learning resources, and practical tools designed to help teachers make competency-based practices work in real classrooms. The Learning Hub also includes Badging Experiences that allow teachers to identify a meaningful professional growth goal, strengthen their classroom routines, and document their growing expertise. Teachers should own their professional learning, and the Learning Hub is built to support that work. You can also sign up for Virtual Office Hours or engage in a CBE Coaching Series with Marzano Academies Faculty to deepen your team’s approach to a personalized, competency-based classroom. Please reach out with any questions.

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