Helping Students Focus on and Make Sense of Their Learning

Phases 3 & 4 of the 6-Phase Model of Student Learning

Online Professional Learning Event for Teachers, Coaches, and Instructional Leaders

July 27-28, 2026
Online Only

What are the brain-based best practices for helping students stay focused on what they’re learning, engaging with new information actively in their minds, making sense of it, and connecting it with prior knowledge? Join expert facilitators from McREL for this 2-day online professional learning session to learn and explore:

• What brain science tells us about the limitations of “working” memory.
• How to help distracted students sustain interest and focus on learning in the classroom.
• Ways to help students make sense of what they’re learning, connecting current information and ideas with things they’ve previously learned.
• How and when to use specific strategies from The New Classroom Instruction That Works aligned to this phase of learning: Vocabulary Instruction, Strategy Instruction & Modeling, Visualizations & Concrete Examples, High-level Questions & Student Explanations, Guided Initial Application with Formative Feedback, and Peer-assisted Consolidation of Learning.

You’ll leave the session with 12.00 CPE credits and a toolkit of practical instructional strategies and resources you can use right away in your classroom/school.

District and Regional Education Agency PD Leaders: Get authorized by McREL to deliver our Classroom Instruction That Works professional learning workshops (like this one) to educators in your district or agency area. It’s a low cost, high impact way to strengthen your team’s instructional expertise and make learning more engaging and memorable for all students. Part of the training and approval process is to attend this session. Contact us today to learn more: info@mcrel.org.

Helping Students Extend and Apply Their Learning

Phases 5 & 6 of the 6-Phase Model of Student Learning

Online Professional Learning Event for Teachers, Coaches, and Instructional Leaders

August 10-11, 2026
Online Only

For new knowledge to really stick and be useful throughout life, students must engage in deep learning—arranging what they’ve learned into larger, coherent patterns and models that they can use to better understand the world around them and be able to apply their knowledge in a variety of future situations. Join expert facilitators from McREL for this 2-day online professional learning session to learn and explore:

• What brain science tells us about why students forget most of what they learn and the importance of reflective practice, mental schema, metacognition, and retrieval hooks.
• How and when to use specific strategies from The New Classroom Instruction That Works aligned to this phase of learning: Retrieval Practice; Spaced, Mixed Independent Practice; Targeted, Scaffolded Support; Cognitive Writing; Guided Investigations; and Structured Problem Solving.

You’ll leave the session with 12.00 CPE credits and a toolkit of practical instructional strategies and resources you can use right away in your classroom/school.

District and Regional Education Agency PD Leaders: Get authorized by McREL to deliver our Classroom Instruction That Works professional learning workshops (like this one) to educators in your district or agency area. It’s a low cost, high impact way to strengthen your team’s instructional expertise and make learning more engaging and memorable for all students. Part of the training and approval process is to attend this session. Contact us today to learn more: info@mcrel.org.

Getting Students Interested and Committed to Learning

Phases 1 & 2 of the 6-Phase Model of Student Learning

Online Professional Learning Event for Teachers, Coaches, and Instructional Leaders

January 25-26, 2027
Online Only

Today’s teachers need to know how to capture students’ attention at the start of a lesson or unit of study, generating students’ authentic interest in learning more.

Join expert facilitators from McREL for this 2-day online professional learning session to learn practical strategies from The New Classroom Instruction That Works for designing and delivering lessons and units of study that will spark student curiosity and sustain their motivation to learn. You’ll explore:

• What brain science tells us about what it takes to grab and hold our mental attention in a distracted world.
• How and when to use specific strategies aligned to this phase of learning: Cognitive Interest Cues; Student Goal Setting & Monitoring.

You’ll leave the session with 12.00 CPE credits and a toolkit of practical instructional strategies and resources you can use right away in your classroom/school.

District and Regional Education Agency PD Leaders: Get authorized by McREL to deliver our Classroom Instruction That Works professional learning workshops (like this one) to educators in your district or agency area. It’s a low cost, high impact way to strengthen your team’s instructional expertise and make learning more engaging and memorable for all students. Part of the training and approval process is to attend this session. Contact us today to learn more: info@mcrel.org.

Helping Students Focus on and Make Sense of Their Learning

Phases 3 & 4 of the 6-Phase Model of Student Learning

Online Professional Learning Event for Teachers, Coaches, and Instructional Leaders

February 8-9, 2027
Online Only

What are the brain-based best practices for helping students focus on what they’re learning, engaging  with new information actively in their minds, making sense of it, and connecting it with prior knowledge? Join expert facilitators from McREL for this 2-day online professional learning session to learn and explore:

• What brain science tells us about the limitations of “working” memory.
• How to help distracted students sustain interest and focus on learning in the classroom.
• Ways to help students make sense of what they’re learning, connecting current information and ideas with things they’ve previously learned.
• How and when to use specific strategies from The New Classroom Instruction That Works aligned to this phase of learning: Vocabulary Instruction, Strategy Instruction & Modeling, Visualizations & Concrete Examples, High-level Questions & Student Explanations, Guided Initial Application with Formative Feedback, and Peer-assisted Consolidation of Learning.

You’ll leave the session with 12.00 CPE credits and a toolkit of practical instructional strategies and resources you can use right away in your classroom/school.

District and Regional Education Agency PD Leaders: Get authorized by McREL to deliver our Classroom Instruction That Works professional learning workshops (like this one) to educators in your district or agency area. It’s a low cost, high impact way to strengthen your team’s instructional expertise and make learning more engaging and memorable for all students. Part of the training and approval process is to attend this session. Contact us today to learn more: info@mcrel.org.

Helping Students Extend and Apply Their Learning

Phases 5 & 6 of the 6-Phase Model of Student Learning

Online Professional Learning Event for Teachers, Coaches, and Instructional Leaders

March 1-2, 2027
Online Only

For new knowledge to really stick and be useful throughout life, students must engage in deep learning—arranging what they’ve learned into larger, coherent patterns and models that they can use to better understand the world around them and be able to apply their knowledge in a variety of future situations. Join expert facilitators from McREL for this 2-day online professional learning session to learn and explore:

• What brain science tells us about why students forget most of what they learn and the importance of reflective practice, mental schema, metacognition, and retrieval hooks.
• How and when to use specific strategies from The New Classroom Instruction That Works aligned to this phase of learning: Retrieval Practice; Spaced, Mixed Independent Practice; Targeted, Scaffolded Support; Cognitive Writing; Guided Investigations; and Structured Problem Solving.

You’ll leave the session with 12.00 CPE credits and a toolkit of practical instructional strategies and resources you can use right away in your classroom/school.

District and Regional Education Agency PD Leaders: Get authorized by McREL to deliver our Classroom Instruction That Works professional learning workshops (like this one) to educators in your district or agency area. It’s a low cost, high impact way to strengthen your team’s instructional expertise and make learning more engaging and memorable for all students. Part of the training and approval process is to attend this session. Contact us today to learn more: info@mcrel.org.

Additional professional learning events are in the works.

Check this page for the latest updates.