Virtual SessionTotal Time: 90 minutes
Format: Idea Lab
Goal: Participants will understand and apply four foundational cognitive science strategies—retrieval practice, spaced learning, cognitive load management, and effective feedback—through interactive examples and planning.
Outline
1. Welcome and Purpose (10 minutes)
Content: Introduce the session goals and explain why cognitive science matters for all learners.
Engagement: Quick Write - “What makes learning stick for your students?”
Process: Peer-to-peer interaction, whole-group share-out.
2. What Is the Science of Learning? (10 minutes)
Content: Define cognitive science and introduce its classroom relevance.
Engagement: Participants list where they’ve seen strong or weak application of these principles.
Process: Appointment Cards; brief interactive slide examples.
3. Move #1: Retrieval Practice (15 minutes)
Content: What it is, how it works, and easy ways to integrate it.
Engagement: Live retrieval activity followed by group debrief.
Process: Hands-on example, model student task, discuss how to adjust for different grade levels.
4. Move #2: Spaced Learning (15 minutes)
Content: How spacing content over time improves long-term retention.
Engagement: Participants sketch a spacing plan for a current unit.
Process: Individual planning, partner check-in, share one aha aloud.
5. Processing Break (5 minutes)
Content: Model how movement and pause time support learning by reducing cognitive load.
Engagement: Participants stand, stretch, or move while summarizing key takeaways with a partner.
Process: Brief physical movement combined with partner talk or a written recap to reinforce memory while applying cognitive load principles.
6. Move #3: Cognitive Load Management (15 minutes)
Content: Managing how much is presented at once to avoid overload.
Engagement: Participants critique a cluttered slide and revise it in pairs.
Process: Before/after comparison; mini gallery walk of simplified slides.
7. Move #4: Feedback That Sticks (15 minutes)
Content: How clear, timely, and specific feedback supports deeper learning.
Engagement: Participants rewrite vague feedback to make it actionable.
Process: Individual work with peer review; live discussion of exemplars.
8. Build Your Plan (10 minutes)
Content: Participants create a simple action plan using at least 2 of the 4 strategies.
Engagement: Share one specific commitment with a peer.
Process: Use provided planning template; share highlights aloud.
9. Final Reflection and Wrap-Up (5 minutes)
Content: Recap key moves, tie to learning goals, thank participants.
Engagement: Written exit slip: “Which move will you use first, and why?”
Process: Individual reflection and optional group share-out.
Attendees will leave with a simple action plan for using retrieval, spacing, cognitive load, and feedback in their own setting. They will also receive a planning template and real examples they can adjust for classroom, coaching, or school use.
1. Willingham, D. T. (2009). Why Don’t Students Like School? Jossey-Bass.
A foundational text on how cognitive psychology applies to classroom teaching.
2. Agarwal, P. & Bain, P. (2019). Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning. Jossey-Bass.
Practical strategies rooted in research on retrieval practice and spacing.
3. Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. Harvard University Press.
Widely regarded as one of the best syntheses of cognitive science principles for education.
4. Dehaene, S. (2020). How We Learn: Why Brains Learn Better Than Any Machine… for Now. Viking.
Explores brain-based principles of learning, attention, and memory.
5. Wexler, N. (2019). The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System—and How to Fix It. Avery.
oConnects knowledge building and long-term retention to equity and cognitive science.
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