With learning gaps created by the pandemic, it’s more important than ever to design and deliver instruction that engages your students, and supports their ability to retain, retrieve and use new information.
COGx professional development program, Developing Sophisticated Learners for Educators, is utilized by school districts to train staff on ways to apply science-based strategies in the classroom. A team of global experts lead 12 learning modules on the Science of Learning. You’ll explore ways to invigorate your lesson planning with science-based tools that will enable your students to master what you teach. The program is carefully designed to provide evidence-based instruction that mirrors the same practices and tools you will use to enable your students to master what you teach.
COGx solutions use insights from research to mitigate learning loss and support all learners, therefore the program is an approved use of ARP ESSER funds.
The course is facilitated using:
- COGx Program Leaders – you will be assigned a leader who supports your learning, monitors your progress and answers your questions.
- Priming Activities – to prepare you to think about the subject matter you’re about to learn, you’ll be given priming quizzes and open-ended interrogatories.
- Retrieval Practice – retrieval strategies that foster durable, flexible and enduring learning will be used. These strategies will include elaboration, spacing, self-testing and interleaving.
- Video Micro-Lessons – Program Leaders will deliver introductory lessons and individual module topics will be delivered by subject matter experts
- Classroom Application Guides – each module will have a takeaway poster to support effective implementation of the concepts in the classroom
- Peer-Based Feedback and Reflection – participants receive anonymous feedback on lesson plan application assignments from peers
- Discussion Boards – there are Discussion Forums at the end of each module that provide an opportunity for you to share ideas, collaborate, provide and receive feedback from peers.
- Alumni Practitioner’s Platform – program alumni (Science of Learning Practitioners) can join an online platform to share resources and strategies for ongoing application of concepts and guidance.
- Application Hour – program participants can take part in coaching and collaboration sessions during the program. This allows them to ask questions and clarify program content.
The 12 self-led learning modules include:
Module 1: Developing Sophisticated Learners
You’ll learn the definition of a sophisticated learner and benefits for learning outcomes. You’ll also learn characteristics of true learning success and teaching methods that foster that success. The difference between traditional and one that is rooted in cognitive science will be explored.
Module 2: Capture Student Attention
Attention is the first processing skill activated when we receive information. This module will help you learn how to capture, keep and gauge your students’ attention
Module 3: Addressing Processing Speed
Processing speed refers to the learner’s ability to perceive, integrate and respond to visual, auditory, or motor information. In this module you’ll learn how to discern and tailor your teaching to accommodate the variations in processing speeds in your classroom.
Module 4: Unlocking the Gateway to Learning (Working Memory)
It is difficult to identify a learning task that doesn’t rely on working memory, the ability to mentally juggle information. Become well versed in the ins and outs of working memory and learn classroom strategies that support and strengthen it.
Module 5: Support Executive Function for All
Learn meaningful strategies to support your students acquisition of executive function and how to recognize and address Executive Dysfunction. Executive function skills predict academic and career success.
Module 6: Teach for Mastery (Encoding Techniques)
Learn how to foster your student ability to acquire knowledge using proven techniques that facilitate the encoding of new information.
Module 7: Teach for Mastery (Retrieval Strategies)
Traditional instruction focuses on getting information into students’ brains. Research suggests that pulling information out of the brain enhances learning. In Module 7, you’ll learn how to incorporate retrieval practice in your teaching.
Module 8: Foster Metacognition
This module shows you how to provide students with practical strategies that foster metacognitive awareness and create a foundation for learning independently, effectively, and efficiently.
Module 9: Provide Effective Feedback
Research suggests effective feedback, formative assessments and peer-based learning are among the most effective ways a student can learn information. Module 9 shows you how to integrate and apply these concepts into your classroom.
Module 10: Teach for Belonging I (Emotions and Relationships)
It’s important to understand how childhood adversity and trauma affect cognition and learning. In Module 10, you’ll learn how to foster positive emotions and behavior that increase student engagement, effort and learning outcomes. Develop better understanding of the interdependencies between cognition, emotion and behaviors to better support your students.
Module 11: Teach for Belonging II (Engagement and Motivation)
Student motivation often decreases with each year of schooling. Yet, student learning requires engagement and motivation. Learn what research reveals about the most effective ways to foster student motivation and engagement in the classroom.
Module 12: Understanding Cognitive Diversity
Learning is a cognitive process and every classroom is cognitively diverse. Learn how to associate learning difficulties to cognitive skills as well as refine your approach to how you teach through appropriate strategies to support areas of difficulty for individual students.
The overarching goal of COGx is to translate research on human learning into programs that improve educational outcomes. This can best be summed up in the following quote:
“We believe an education succeeds when a teacher graduates out of a learner’s life and the learner never graduates from the act of learning. We develop sophisticated learners.” The video that follows provides a glimpse at a COGx video resource.”
The video that follows is a sample of over 100 such lessons from the science of learning that COGx partners obtain.
Destination Knowledge is dedicated to providing our partner schools with tools that support learning, not only for students, but for educators as well. To learn more about COGx packages, please reach out to Kristine Marsh at KMarsh@DestinationKnowledge.com or call 800-889-4886.
Teia Hoover Baker is an educator, published author, and entrepreneur. She is an innovative, devoted educator whose career has been dedicated to coordinating programs that support struggling learners. Her passion is meeting students where they are and guiding them to excel. Her main focus is always what is best for children. Teia holds a Bachelor’s in Journalism and a Master’s of Education. In her spare time, she enjoys being Lovie to her growing grandchildren.
