Article Review: The answer is 20 Cookies. What is the question?

In the article, The answer is 20 cookies. What is the question?, a new approach to problem solving was presented to teachers from different classrooms. They were then given the assignment to try it in their classrooms to see what would happen. This approach uses the working backwards strategy where the answer is given and you have to determine ways of getting the answer by creating the problem. The teachers used this technique with their students and stood amazed. For instance, one student was given the answer 245. That problem that the student constructed was, “There are 245 red cars are in a parking lot. 200 blow up how didn’t blow up? (Barlow and Cates, 2007)

The teachers had a carefully selected math problem that would yield critical mathematical reasoning and the use of prior knowledge. Because the teachers had selected a problem that would have a wide variety of solutions, it acted as a prompt to get the students to think creatively and to think of new ways to incorporate information they already knew. They were enabled as learners to take existing knowledge and come up with a problem that was innovative on their own. (Barlow and Cates, 2007) This is supported by the standard in that teachers are encouraged to promote problem solving by compiling innovative information and prior knowledge. They do this by selecting math problems carefully that will help their students think outside the box.

Some of the students when given the answer 20 cookies wrote down “How many cookies?” Others would give the answer 10+10. (Barlow and Cates, 2007) Although they were giving an answer, they needed more explanation in order to determine the appropriate solution to the problem. In the article, teachers found that sometimes there is a need for further instruction and guidance and the students can alter problem solving strategies and methods. They could then relate to the answer given to come up with a creative and well thought out problem. The problem solving standard supports this principle of being flexible to changing strategies because different problems will need different strategies and the students need to be able to know how to differentiate between the strategies in that way. The students also need to be open to reconfiguration in their problems because there could be a better way of solving.

In the article, the students had to come up with the problem, as the answer was already given. They were encouraged to be creative in their thinking in order to come up with a problem that would be effective. Their problems were about real life situations which drew correlations between math and real life which caused them to think of how to problem solve in other situations. (Barlow and Cates, 2007) The problem solving standard reinforces this idea in that students should be able to come up with valuable solutions to problems that they will face not only in math, but in real life situations.



Barlow, A. T. and Cates, J. M. (2007). The answer is 20 cookies. What is the question? Teaching Children Mathematics 13(5), 252-255.