Practical, research-grounded insights on how students learn—and how teachers can teach with clarity, purpose, and impact.
Cognitive science is the study of how the mind learns, remembers, thinks, and solves problems. It pulls insights from psychology, neuroscience, and education to reveal which teaching practices actually help learning—and which ones don’t. At its core, cognitive science explains how students really learn so teachers can teach with clarity, purpose, and impact.
These principle help teachers design lessons that align with how memory works, reduce cognitive overload, and improve long-term
Getting Started with Cognitive Science
Understanding how the brain learns is the key to effective teaching. Cognitive science brings together research from psychology, neuroscience, and education to reveal what strategies truly help students remember, understand, and apply knowledge.
Learn how popular trends like student-led learning often miss key cognitive principles, and practical tips for engaging in instruction that truly impacts learning.
Dive into retrieval practice, spaced repetition, and deliberate practice — with actionable classroom examples.
Explore how common misconceptions about engagement and learning are often leading educators astray in classroom practice.
Because great teaching is more than intuition
We Don’t Need More SEL Programs. We Need Better Teaching The SEL outcomes schools value most—confidence, motivation, belonging, and resilience—are byproducts of effective teaching, not programs teachers must add to their already full plates. In recent years, school districts have sought new ways to support what they call the “whole child,” expanding their focus beyond…
Forty Years Later, and We Are Still Talking About Learning Styles In 1983, Howard Gardner introduced his theory of multiple intelligences in his landmark book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Gardner argued that intelligence is not a single general factor. Rather, human beings possess a plurality of “intelligences” or modalities (e.g., linguistic-verbal, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical,…
The Science of Practice: How K–12 Teachers Can Make Learning Stick I hear it all the time in frustrated teachers’ classrooms:”These kids should have learned this last year!””What did they even teach them?””How could they have passed the previous grade without learning this essential skill?” While this frustration is sometimes justified—a critical skill may indeed…
COMING SOON
Teaching for Cognitive Engagement
My debut book with Routledge will be released in 2025.
Learn more about the science behind effective teaching and the nine high-impact strategies that make learning stick.
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Rebecca A. Huggins, M.A.T., M.Ed., is a secondary literacy leader, instructional designer, and author whose work brings cognitive science to life in real classrooms. She currently serves as an Instructional Systems Specialist for DoDEA, where she supports 6–12 literacy teaching and instructional improvement. Her upcoming book with Routledge focuses on practical, research-grounded strategies that strengthen student learning.