Subsequent to developing and honing questions, students should begin to select questions that they may decide to pursue. These will probably come from the "needs more research" list. Again, a group process is supportive for students and may aid in organizing a plan of attack. Returning to the framing questions can be useful: What can be measured? What are the tools needed? What are the units of measurement?
In addition, students can be asked to focus on the unknown. They should determine whether the variable is categorical or quantitative. They can list what conditions are already known. They can relate this problem to other problems they have previously solved and list any known formulas used to solve that problem. The goal is to generate a list of steps to take, in answering the questions that they wish to pursue. Those steps should include any data collection needed, any formulas to look up, any calculations to perform, and any symbolic notation to be defined.
It bears mentioning that we have only now arrived at Polya's second phase of problem solving: "making a plan". We are taking our time because we are engaging in sophisticated problem-solving. In order to solve a layered problem we need to understand the layers. We need to know what we are measuring, what we know and what we do not know. Without the layout before us, we cannot choose the appropriate methodologies for collecting the necessary information, or the correct algorithms to calculate the unknown.
High school math can be less focused on calculation and more focused on modeling natural phenomena with math, and using the tools of math to solve for unknowns in the physical world. However for students who struggle with calculation, the process of organizing and performing multiple calculations can exhaust their working memories. This is why the process of organizing needs to be taught and students need to be encouraged to practice and form habits of simpler calculations.
If we have a good plan, we simply need to follow the steps we have devised and collect the tools and information we need. In the (grown-up/out-of-school) world we have access to books and search engines to find the formulas needed. Looking up needed information in problem-solving is a real part of the process and should be taught and planned for. With tools like excel or powerful graphing calculators, students may not need to perform complex calculations themselves. However, we can't use the tools effectively without knowing what we our doing. Even the simplest step of substituting known information into an equation is impossible without knowing which piece of information belongs where, and why. This is why building our framework and planning are so crucial. Twenty or thirty years ago there was much more emphasis on the actual calculation; in the current information age, there should be much more focus on planning for and interpreting mathematics.
If students routinely struggle with simpler calculations, then they need to create more sophisticated organizational processes to free-up workspace in their brains. Calculators and multiplication and conversion tables, as well as formula sheets should be easily accessible. Delays to "look things up" can distract and disrupt flow unless prepared for and planned for. A planning and note-taking guide and problem-solving outline, just as one would use in writing an extended paper, can be an extremely helpful technique. This is another technique that should be explicitly taught. Students are often averse to "showing the work" in Math, as though it takes away from the finished product. Teachers can model the organization necessary in an extended problem and ask students to show the prior planning as part of their solutions.