From WHAT to HOW: How Cognitive Science Transformed My Lesson Plans

When I used to plan lessons, my focus was mostly on the what: what content I’d cover, what standards I needed to hit, what activity students would do. But after diving deep into the science of learning and cognitive science over the past year, something fundamental shifted. I now realize that what I teach is only one piece of the puzzle. The bigger question, the more powerful one, is: HOW will I help students learn it? That shift, from content-focused to cognition-focused, has transformed the way I plan. Instead of just asking a question like “What will I teach students about the relationship between global demand for beef and deforestation in the Amazon?”, I now naturally ask questions like:

• How will I break new information into small chunks that naturally build cohesively?

• How will I maintain attention and energy during the presentation of new information?

• How will I provide opportunities for students to rehearse their understanding of the new information?

• How will I activate necessary prior knowledge to effectively assimilate the new information?

Below, I walk through 10 specific HOW questions I now ask while planning a lesson using one real example: a lesson I will teach this year on the global demand for beef and how cattle farming contributes to deforestation. Each question is grounded in cognitive science, followed by why it matters and a concrete example of how it shapes the lesson. This is the most important planning shift I’ve made in my career and these are the questions that guide me now.

1. How will I break new information into small chunks that naturally build cohesively?

Why of the How: Cognitive load theory tells us that working memory is limited. If we overload students, retention drops. Chunking helps manage that load and build understanding step-by-step.

Planning impact: 

I don’t explain everything at once. I break the lesson into three clear, manageable chunks:

1. The global rise in beef demand

2. The role of cattle farming in deforestation

3. The environmental consequences of that deforestation

Each piece builds on the last, and I pause between them for questioning and processing tasks.

2. How will I activate necessary prior knowledge to effectively assimilate the new information?

Why of the How: New learning connects best when it hooks onto existing knowledge. Without that connection, students struggle to make sense of it or retain it.

Planning impact:

I start with prompts like:

• “What foods do you think take the most land and resources to produce?”

• “What comes to mind when you hear ‘Amazon rainforest’ or ‘deforestation’?”

This activates schema around food production, geography, and environmental issues, creating space for new knowledge to stick.

3. How will I establish a meaningful cognitive structure for new information to stick to?

Why of the How: Students learn better when they can organize new information into a mental model or schema. Without structure, ideas float disconnected and are easily forgotten.

Planning impact:

I introduce a cause-effect framework we build throughout the lesson:

Consumer Demand for Beef → Cattle Farming → Forest Clearing → Environmental Consequences

We revisit and revise this structure as we explore evidence, data, and examples. It becomes the mental map students use to understand the full picture.

4. How will I maintain attention and energy during the presentation of new information?

Why of the How: Attention is a gatekeeper to learning. If I don’t keep students mentally engaged, the information doesn’t get encoded in the first place.

Planning impact:

I avoid long blocks of me talking. I strategically plan participation routines to keep students focused and cognitively engaged:

• Turn and Talk

• Mini-Whiteboards

• Choral Response

• Think-Pair-Share

This pacing and variety sustain energy and focus.

5. How will I provide opportunities for students to rehearse their understanding of the new information?

Why of the How: Rehearsal is how we encode information. It strengthens memory traces and makes retrieval easier later.

Planning impact:

After each section of content, I pause and embed rehearsal:

• After explaining beef demand: “Explain to your partner why beef consumption is rising globally.”

• After linking it to deforestation: “Sketch a diagram of how cattle farming leads to forest clearing.”

• Before moving on: “Write a one-sentence summary of the chain of events so far.”

These moments of rehearsal deepen the learning.

6. How will I strategically check all students’ understanding of the new information?

Why of the How: If I don’t know what students are thinking, I can’t support them. Checks for understanding help guide what happens next.

Planning impact:

I don’t just ask, “Any questions?” I build in quick CFUs:

• Turn and Talk: “Why does the demand for beef impact deforestation in the Amazon?”

• Mini-Whiteboard: Diagram the cause and effect relationship between beef and deforestation.

• Exit ticket: “Explain how a burger eaten in the U.S. is connected to deforestation in the Amazon.”

These reveal what’s sticking and what’s not.

7. How will I use models and scaffolds to ensure all students can understand the new information?

Why of the How: Scaffolds make complex thinking visible and accessible. They reduce cognitive load and support all learners, especially when content is layered and abstract.

Planning impact:

I prepare:

• Live annotation of a flowchart of the beef supply chain (farm → processor → export → consumer)

• Sentence stems to support writing and discussion:

  • “One cause of deforestation is ___ because ___.”

  • “Cattle farming contributes to ___ by ___.”

These supports create access points for every learner.

8. How will I prompt students to meaningfully process the new information?

Why of the How: Learning happens when students think about the content. Processing helps them encode deeply, make connections, and personalize understanding.

Planning impact:

I embed a discussion prompt mid-lesson:

“Should consumers in high-income countries be responsible for environmental destruction in places like the Amazon?”

These tasks push students to analyze, evaluate, and apply knowledge which is key for long-term retention.

9. How will I make visible the expert thinking necessary to understand the concept?

Why of the How: Experts don’t just know more. They think differently. Making that thinking visible helps students learn how to approach a problem or concept.

Planning impact:

I model analyzing a map of deforestation:

• “First, I ask where the highest loss is… now I’m wondering why it’s concentrated there… let’s check beef production zones next.”

I narrate my moves aloud as I analyze data so students can imitate the mental process.

10. How will I adapt my instruction in the moment when students are not understanding the new information?

Why of the How: Instructional agility is essential. If I don’t pivot when students are confused, I risk wasting time and losing learning.

Planning impact:

I prepare “pivot” options in advance:

• If they’re blanking on the supply chain, I pull up a simplified diagram and walk through it again with cold calls.

• If several students are struggling with the cause and effect relationship, I might pause and do a Think-Pair-Share or re-teach with visuals.

I don’t leave adaptation to chance. I plan for it.

Planning With the How in Mind

This lesson, centered on the global demand for beef and its connection to deforestation, isn’t remarkable because of the topic alone. What makes it effective is how it’s planned and taught.

Every move I made while designing this lesson was shaped by what cognitive science tells us about how students learn best: the limits of working memory, the role of prior knowledge, the importance of rehearsal, and the need for visible thinking, feedback, and adaptation. 

Those principles aren’t just theory. They are the foundation for good instruction.

That’s what the shift to HOW-centric planning has done for me.

It’s no longer enough for me to ask:

•  “What’s the objective?

•  “What’s the topic?”

•  “What activity will they do?”

Now, I ask:

• “How will I help them build a durable mental model?”

•  “How will I know they’re understanding as we go?”

• “How will I get every student thinking meaningfully?”

This is the real work of teaching. Not just covering content, but designing instruction that produces lasting learning.

And here’s the best part: these HOW questions don’t add more work. They give purpose and precision to the work I was already doing. They help me plan lessons that are clearer, more focused, and ultimately more effective.

References

Cottingham, Sarah. Ausubel’s Meaningful Learning in Action. John Catt Educational, 2023.

Kirschner, Paul A., and Carl Hendrick. How Learning Happens: Seminal Works in Educational Psychology and What They Mean in Practice. Routledge, 2020.

Lovell, Oliver. Cognitive Load Theory in Action. John Catt Educational, 2020.

Rosenshine, Barak. Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know. International Academy of Education, 2012.

Sherrington, Tom. Rosenshine’s Principles in Action. John Catt Educational, 2019.