Making Learning Stick: The Power of the Science of Learning in My Classroom

Understanding the science of learning principles, including cognitive load theory, retrieval practice, spaced practice, interleaving, and explicit instruction, has transformed my teaching practice. Applying strategies grounded in these principles in my Grade 1/2 classroom leads to learning that sticks for all my students, including those with dyslexia and ADHD. When my students say things like, “Wait! I know this… let me think,” and “This is hard, I know I’m learning,” I know they feel in control of their learning.

Table of Contents

• What We Teach Matters, But How We Teach Makes Learning Stick
• Applying Cognitive Load Theory in the Classroom
• Creating an Active Retrieval Environment 
• How Spaced Practice and Interleaving Support Long-Term Learning in My Classroom
• Respecting the Right to Retrieval Practice
• When the Science of Learning Meets the Science of Reading
• The Science of Learning – From Research to Classroom Practice

What We Teach Matters, But How We Teach Makes Learning Stick

Understanding the science of how students learn is critical to making everyday teaching decisions that actually work. It’s not just about what we teach, but how we design instruction – protecting attention, building in retrieval, and revisiting learning over time. When we align our teaching with how the brain learns, learning doesn’t just happen in the moment – it sticks.

I’m grateful for opportunities to deepen my understanding of the science of learning and explicit instruction, and to bring that learning into my Grade 1/2 classroom.

This summer, I’ll be attending The Explicit Teaching Institute in New York with Dr. Zach Groshell – a five-day deep dive into high-impact instruction grounded in how students learn. Dr. Groshell is a teacher, instructional coach, and consultant who works with schools worldwide. He also hosts the Progressively Incorrect podcast and is the author of Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching.

Applying Cognitive Load Theory in the Classroom 

Removing visual distractions is one application of cognitive load theory that facilitates a strong learning environment. Because attention is limited, students can’t retrieve what they’re not fully attending to, and that’s critical for retrieval practice.

My students love Lego. Their creations are thoughtful, complex, and a source of pride. For years, I displayed them on open shelving in the classroom. 

For some students, those creations weren’t just displays. They were distractions. Constant visual noise. A pull on attention that made sustained focus harder.

It seems so obvious now: covering the shelving is a simple and effective way to reduce cognitive load, an insight that came after reading Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching by Zach Groshell.

The change was immediate.

Students who struggled to stay on task were suddenly more present. Less scanning. Less fidgeting. More mental energy available for learning. Creating an environment that reduces unnecessary cognitive load isn’t about being rigid; it’s about enabling more learning.

I knew I needed to evaluate my classroom space more intentionally.

Creating an Active Retrieval Environment 

Creating an active retrieval environment means designing a classroom where students are encouraged to think, not just look for the answers. Instead of relying on constant visual supports, students are given time and space to retrieve information from memory. This includes using routines such as whiteboards, wait time, and structured questioning to ensure every student participates. When retrieval becomes the norm, students build stronger, more durable learning.

During a webinar with the authors of Smart Teaching Stronger Learning, a question came up that stopped me in my tracks:

“What is something you’re always surprised your students haven’t learned?”

My answer came instantly.

Ten partners. Ten bonds.

Year after year, a handful of students struggled to remember that 7 + 3 = 10, 6 + 4 = 10, and so on.

I had taught it.
We had practiced it.
There was a beautiful anchor chart on the wall.

And then it hit me.

The anchor chart was the problem.

Every time students were expected to apply 10 partners in problem solving, they weren’t retrieving anything. They were looking. Their brains never had to do the hard work of pulling that information from memory.

I wasn’t building fluency.
I was building dependence.
That was a humbling moment.

Whiteboards, not walls 

This year, I made a deliberate shift. Instead of relying on static visuals, I moved toward active retrieval using whiteboards.

• I ask a question.
• Everyone thinks.
• Everyone retrieves.
• Everyone responds.

No hands up right away.
No calling out.
No looking around for the answer.

I spent the first two months of school explicitly teaching students how learning works.

We talk about:

• Why “hard” is good
• Why struggling to remember helps our brains grow
• Why getting it wrong is part of learning
• Why effort matters more than speed
  

I tell them, plainly: “Learning is hard, and hard is good!”

And they get it.

How Spaced Practice and Interleaving Support Long-Term Learning in My Classroom

Spaced practice and interleaving support long-term learning by creating multiple opportunities for retrieval. Instead of practising one skill in isolation, students revisit and mix their learning, which strengthens memory and improves transfer.

Another major shift in my teaching is the refinement of my use of spaced practice and interleaving.

Spelling patterns are revisited over time with pointed intention. Math facts are practised regularly in varied contexts – not just taught and tested once. Concepts come back, again and again, in short, purposeful bursts.

This takes planning. It takes intention. It doesn’t take me any more time than before; I just use my time differently.

The payoff has been enormous.

In spelling, the difference is striking. Recently, I gave an exit ticket that included spelling the word <smell>. Nineteen out of twenty students spelled it correctly. Because I gave them enough opportunities to retrieve spelling patterns from memory, over time, this spelling pattern stuck. 

Respecting the Right to Retrieval Practice

When students understand that everyone needs time to think to retrieve information, and that this time differs from person to person, they respectfully give each other the space needed for effective retrieval practice.

Respecting the right to retrieval practice was the most powerful change in my classroom this year.

When I ask a question now, the room goes quiet – not because my students don’t know the answer, but because they know that thinking time matters. They know that learning belongs to all of us. They know that everyone deserves the chance to retrieve.

My students are no longer sitting back, relying on a handful of peers to respond. Each student is engaged in the retrieval work. They know that blurting out takes that opportunity away from someone else.

This culture shift didn’t happen overnight. It grew from explicitly teaching how the brain learns, valuing everyone’s right to retrieval practice, and creating a space where it’s safe to struggle.

When the Science of Learning Meets the Science of Reading

When the science of learning meets the science of reading, instruction becomes more intentional and more effective. It moves us from knowing what to teach to designing how to teach it, so learning sticks for every student.

For students with dyslexia, this alignment is especially critical. They need more than exposure; they need explicit, structured instruction grounded in how the brain learns. When these two come together, learning becomes more accessible for all students.

The Science of Learning – From Research to Classroom Practice

My journey into the science of learning began with Zach Groshell’s Just Tell Them and courses with Pooja K. Agarwal, two of Spelliosity‘s favourite resources, and it led me to an important realization: I could be even more intentional with the time I have with my students.

The science of learning isn’t a strategy you ‘add on’; it’s a lens through which you view your teaching, shaping how you design lessons, use visuals, ask questions, interpret student struggle, and how you see your role as a teacher. When instruction aligns with how the brain learns, students lean in. 

I wish I had known all of this 25 years ago. But I also know this: It’s never too late to change how we teach, and it’s never too late for students to experience learning that finally sticks.

The impact on my students has been undeniable. They’re thinking more, retrieving more, and beginning to trust themselves as learners. I hear it in their words – “Wait… I know this… let me think,” and “Don’t tell me, I want to try.” The room is quieter, but thinking is louder. Everyone is engaged.

And yes, when learning sticks, we get more time for Lego too.

Spell With Confidence incorporates elements of the science of learning. To support fidelity and emphasize alignment with how students learn, teaching slides with teacher-suggested language have been developed for the free FLOSZ lessons. These slides include built-in routines that protect attention, support retrieval, and make instruction explicit and intentional.