6 Question Encoding Checklist
- id: 1754741597
- Date: Aug. 9, 2025, 12:13 p.m.
- Author: Donald F. Elger
Goals
- Describe the 6-Question Encoding Checklist (Mr. Caps).
- Use it skillfully to check and strengthen your encoding.
What
The 6-Question Encoding Checklist gives you a clear structure for encoding new information.
Encoding is the process of figuring out new information so you can:
- Understand what it means.
- See why it’s worth learning.
- Know how to apply it in the real world.
- Connect it to what you already know.
Why Learn This Checklist
Encoding well means you:
- Understand information clearly.
- Have the motivation to learn it.
- Know how to apply it when needed.
The checklist gives you a systematic process so you don’t miss steps. Over time, it becomes routine, making effective learning automatic and rewarding.
The Checklist
- What does this mean?
- Clarify terms, concepts, and relationships so you truly understand the idea.
- Why is this worth learning?
- Identify the benefits, value, or stakes so your brain treats it as important.
- How is this related to what I already know?
- Link it to familiar concepts, experiences, or skills to create multiple retrieval paths.
- How can I apply this?
- Identify principles, steps, and tips that equip you to apply this in real-world situations—now, later, and in other contexts.
- What else do I need to know?
- Note missing pieces, assumptions, or related concepts that would make this more useful.
- How will I know I’ve learned it?
- Define a way to test yourself—through recall, explanation, application, problem-solving, or demonstration.
How to Use the Checklist
Principles
- Knowledge is encoded through repeated, meaningful experiences
(growth cycles).
- Writing information in your own words greatly strengthens
encoding.
- While teachers and references help, encoding must be done by you—because your brain is unique.
Framework
- When you encounter new information, ask the six questions.
- Write your answers in your documentation system.
- Update your notes as you deepen understanding through growth cycles.
Tips
- Keep it simple—capture enough to move forward.
- Refine and expand over time; don’t aim for perfection on the first pass.
Mr. Caps
Mr. Caps is a mnemonic for remembering the six questions—think of him as the teacher who always “caps” your learning.
- M — Meaning: What does this mean?
- R — Relevance: Why is this worth learning?
- C — Connections: How is this related to what I
already know?
- A — Application: How can I apply this?
- P — Pieces Missing: What else do I need to
know?
- S — Self-Check: How will I know I’ve learned it?
Tasks With Feedback (TwFs)
Task
What is the purpose of the 6-Question Encoding Checklist (Mr. Caps)?
Feedback
Its purpose is to give you a structured way to encode new information so you understand it, see its relevance, connect it to prior knowledge, know how to apply it, fill in gaps, and verify you’ve learned it.
Task
List the six questions in the 6-Question Encoding Checklist.
Feedback
- What does this mean?
- Why is this worth learning?
- How is this related to what I already know?
- How can I apply this?
- What else do I need to know?
- How will I know I’ve learned it?
Task
What does “Meaning” refer to in the Mr. Caps checklist?
Feedback
It refers to clarifying terms, concepts, and relationships so you truly understand the idea.
Task
What does “Relevance” refer to in the Mr. Caps checklist?
Feedback
It means identifying the benefits, value, or stakes so your brain treats the information as important.
Task
What does “Connections” refer to in the Mr. Caps checklist?
Feedback
It’s about linking the new information to familiar concepts, experiences, or skills so you create multiple retrieval paths.
Task
What does “Application” refer to in the Mr. Caps checklist?
Feedback
It’s figuring out the principles, steps, and tips that equip you to apply the information in real-world situations—now, later, and in other contexts.
Task
What does “Pieces Missing” refer to in the Mr. Caps checklist?
Feedback
It means identifying missing pieces, assumptions, or related concepts that would make the information more useful.
Task
What does “Self-Check” refer to in the Mr. Caps checklist?
Feedback
It’s defining a way to test yourself—through recall, explanation, application, problem-solving, or demonstration.
Task
Why is “How is this related to what I already know?” important for encoding?
Feedback
Because linking new information to prior knowledge creates stronger memory cues and makes retrieval easier.
Task
Give an example of applying the Mr. Caps checklist to a new concept you’re learning.
Feedback
For example, if you’re learning the Ideal Gas Law:
- Meaning: Understand \(PV=nRT\) and what each variable
means.
- Relevance: It’s important in chemistry and
physics.
- Connections: Relates to temperature, pressure, and
volume concepts you already know.
- Application: Use it to calculate tire pressure
changes with temperature.
- Pieces Missing: Need to learn units and gas constant
values.
- Self-Check: Solve practice problems without looking
at notes.